In a generation of computers, coding, and engineering, Turing Tumble appears to be a wonderfully fun and unique hands-on learning experience for our children. I was given the opportunity to review this product and am eager to share what the Beans think.
First, what is Turing Tumble? Simply, it is a hands-on logic puzzle that will help our children learn how computers work using coding, switches, bits, binary counting and a lot of problem-solving. The students read through a comic book style activity manual and complete puzzles as they go, all while manipulating components on a puzzle board. Turing Tumble is available at Timberdoodle and is included as part of their 2019 Sixth-Grade Curriculum Kit.
So what did the Beans think? I wanted to love this product, I truly did. The product and manual are gorgeous and very inviting. I think it has a ton of potential, but sadly it is not for us, at this time. I am not saying it’s a bad product, or that I wouldn’t recommend it for the right family It just doesn’t work for my family, right now. Let me explain in more detail…
The good… 
The product is beautiful and really well made. My husband even commented on how impressed he was by the inserts that are included to keep everything neat and organized. He’s a board gamer so inserts are very important. The book is inviting and eye-catching. I like how the puzzles introduce new pieces and scaffold the student’s learning to move them along from puzzle to puzzle. My 5-year-old is my logical child, while he obviously couldn’t read the comic or follow the logic, we did have great conversations about the patterns that were created while working the puzzles.
Why it didn’t work for us…
My children are a little young for the product. We knew this when we began, the recommended age for this product is 8+. Mr. Man is 7. However, with ASD he sometimes takes to activities such as this in a way that surprises us all. Sadly, he showed absolutely no interest whatsoever. This is the way of our life, everything is “go big or go home”. One problem he had while we worked through the puzzles was that it was very difficult for him to manipulate the pieces or place the tiny balls due to fine-motor weaknesses. I myself became frustrated at the balls constantly falling when trying to insert them in the starting position. I feel like this could easily be fixed with a small piece of clear plastic on this part of the computer board. Perhaps with a hole to load the balls into. The plastic would keep the balls from constantly popping out of place and requiring one to reset the whole system. I also realized, after we started, that this is a hard activity for a child who struggles with cause and effect.
While this activity was too advanced for my children, my husband and I enjoyed working through the puzzles, to an extent. This activity does not work well for someone with a low frustration tolerance (or a Mama who is trying to reduce stress for medical reasons)! I also believe that it will work better for children who do not give up easily. Some of the puzzles require a lot of trial and error and a good dose of patience.
Who would it work for…
I think this product would be great for the right family. I definitely recommend it for older children who have an interest in computers, logic, and coding. Logical thinkers who enjoy solving puzzles will love Turing Tumble. This would make a great cooperative small group activity. Again, probably best for a child who isn’t easily frustrated. I definitely plan on keeping this one on our shelf to bring out again in a few years.
I am a planner. I love creating curriculum, planning our days… I just love it. Don’t ask me to create a bulletin board ever again! But, I will plan a unit study for you, no problem. I’m the mom who would spend July planning our entire year. Then get frustrated when those plans were ruined within the first week. I had to teach myself to start planning for a shorter amount of time. I’ve also tried just about every planner on the market (digital and physical). Yet, I always found myself frustrated. Look at all the things we didn’t get done! Then I started something new. Instead of writing down what I planned to do, I wrote down what we actually did each day. While this was a big confidence booster that we do indeed accomplish a lot, it still didn’t quite fill my need to plan. This is our current method and it’s actually working for me. My kids go to an enrichment program on Fridays, so this is my planning day. I use regular old lined paper and write down the lessons we plan to complete in the next four-day loop. Then, as we complete a lesson or activity, I highlight it. This shows me exactly what we accomplished, while still giving me a basic outlined plan to follow. On Friday, I simply move anything we didn’t get to into the first available spots for the next week and we move on with our lives! It is so ridiculously simple. Anyone else LOVE simple?!
MamaBean Az 