Hexbug Scarab XL: First Person Review

Finding holiday gifts that will entertain and engage my daughter is important to me as I create a holiday shopping list. My daughter is energetic and can get bored with toys quickly. When I saw commercials on television for the company’s products, I initially wasn’t sure if the items would be fitting for girls. Remote controlled bugs sounded boyish. Knowing that my daughter loved princesses, pink, and purple, I wasn’t sure if bugs would go over well. Regardless, I was personally interested in seeing how the Hexbug Radio Controlled Scarab XL worked, and I appreciated that the company sent me an item to review in my writing.

Review of the Product
Assembly of the product was simple. As a reviewer, my item came with batteries and a little screwdriver. Batteries don’t typically come the product. Double check that you have everything to assemble the product before giving the item to your child. When I put the batteries in the bug, the batteries kept jumping out when I put in the third battery. I placed the cover on really quick and screwed it on, and I successfully kept the batteries inside the product.

After assembling the item, the real test was to see how my daughter played with the toy. My daughter had never previously played with a remote controlled toy, and she was thrilled to learn she could control the bug with the remote control. Because my 3 1/2 year old daughter is much younger than the targeted age range, I was nervous that she wouldn’t be able to steer the item successfully. For younger kids, the item is easy to use but does require supervision. I constantly watched my daughter to make sure she didn’t have any accidents with the product.

At $39.99, the product is worth the purchase. My daughter was engaged, and she said she wanted to grow up to make remote controlled toys. I’m a huge fan of STEM education, and I appreciate that the product helped encourage my daughter to study engineering. I’ve been brainstorming about lesson plans to teach my home-schooled preschooler about the basics of engineering. Soon, I’m planning to teach my daughter how to fold paper airplanes, which she can compare to how engineers created the Hexbug. Because the product genuinely interested my daughter, I can wholeheartedly recommend it as a good holiday gift for boys and girls. Giving girls toys that seem boyish can actually help diversify their interests. I found that the toy made a great manipulative to help young girls build an interest in science and technology!

Disclosure
I received a free product to help inform my writing.