Makeblock mBot Ultimate: 10-in-1 Robot Building Kit for Students

The 10-in-1 aspect is no joke — my son has rebuilt the same kit into a different bot almost every weekend since it arrived. Programming it with Arduino was trickier than I expected at first, but that's exactly the kind of challenge he needed.

Bought this for my daughter's 12th birthday and she's already torn through four of the ten builds. The Arduino compatibility means she can actually program the sensors herself instead of just following the manual, which is exactly what I hoped for.

The 10-in-1 aspect is what sold me — we started with the basic build and by week two my daughter was wiring up the Arduino version on her own. The aluminum parts feel sturdy, nothing stripped or snapped even after a few rebuilds.