BoseBuild speaker aims to teach kids how speakers work as they build their own [Video]

With schools about to break up the the summer holidays, now would be a great time to line up some activities to keep them entertained – and Bose has come up with an interesting-looking option. The BoseBuild speaker is a $149 Bluetooth speaker that kids build themselves from prefabricated parts. Instructions are provided by a companion iOS app.

The build itself looks pretty basic, but there are a whole bunch of activities along the way that teach kids how a speaker works – from the fundamentals of how sound is created through to frequencies and waveforms …

BoseBuild is designed for kids from age 8+, and the company says the build takes around an hour. Afterwards, the speaker can be taken apart again to conduct more experiments with the components and to allow more than one child to build it. Plus, of course, they get a speaker they can continue to use.

There’s a full list of compatible iOS devices here, but the summary is anything that can run iOS 8 and up except the iPad 2. You can find full details on a dedicated microsite.

Bose says there are more self-build products on the way, but if you’re looking for other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) products, the team at 9to5Toys recommend Sphero, Roboterra and the LittleBits Steam Kit.

Amazon has an entire STEM area, grouped by target age, and complete with Editors’ Picks. It’s also worth checking out whether there are any places left on the Apple Camp workshops.