Parents of boys, I’m talking to you. Your homes are already overflowing with all manner of Lego and sports gear and action figures and baku-poke-digi-whatever-mon. What else is there to make a special impact this holiday?
Two words: Robot. Bugs.
The first time I saw a couple Hexbug Nanos ricocheting around a little box in a kids bedroom, I thought they were cute. Then I got bored. Colum, on the other hand, was enthralled. Too bad for him, we weren’t staying, so that was that.
Until now.
The Hexbug people sent me a generous selection of 
Nano bugs and their various habitats to try out. We are little Hex crazy around here. Colum can spend a solid hour watching these robotic critters jitter around, making their way through paths, up and down ramps and over bridges. He loves opening and closing gates and rescuing them when they stray. They’re fun!
I also like that they’re an example of technology that doesn’t involve sitting in front of a lit screen. Anything that’s real-world interactive will beat out a video game any day in my books. They’re little robots that kids can pick up and learn how they work. And the habitats! They bounce around in hexagons that connect to one another in a myriad of ways, with so many different
possibilities to explore. (Colum is still a bit young for reconfiguring the habitats himself, but I love that he’ll be able to grow into the toy too.)
Starting at $25 for the basic Habitat Set with two Hexbugs (guys, it also comes in glow in the dark), it won’t even break the bank. Of course, the more bugs you buy and the more add-ons to your habitat the better (bridges and ramps, oh my!), so proceed with caution. They also take special batteries, so you’ll want make sure they get turned off before your kid wanders off.
Of course, just because I think boys will go gaga over these nanobots, doesn’t mean girls won’t also like them. Check out the Hexbug website for the full catalog; you can order from there, too. And, don’t tell Colum, but I even tucked a few bugs away for stocking stuffers.