If you grew up tinkering with building kits like Erector sets or Lego Mindstorms, you can probably appreciate how important such tools can be to a child’s early development.
Now, a Kickstarter team has created something similar that enables kids and adults alike to learn more about computers.
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Kano is a computer kit designed to help people of all ages assemble a computer from scratch, and learn basic coding skills.

Powered by a Raspberry Pi computing module, the kit includes two instruction manuals, a custom case, an 8GB SD card, a keyboard, a speaker, a power plug, and HDMI and mini-USB cables.
For the kit's coding component, the team developed Kano OS, a distribution of Debian Linux, as well as Kano Blocks, a visual programming dynamic that allows users to develop with code blocks and then output the results in Javascript or Python for use in game programming or other areas.
The project began with a simple, Lego- and manga-inspired book last year. For its name, the team took on the moniker of famed Japanese judo instructor, Kano Jigoro, as a nod to his role as a dedicated teacher.
Launched as a Kickstarter project with the goal of securing $100,000 in funding, the project has already raised more than $580,000 at the time of this writing.
The kit, which costs $119, is scheduled to ship worldwide in July 2014.
Image: Kano