School-Age
FromRobotics for Young Children,
Ann Gadzikowski
What to have
For this activity, you will need the following materials:
- Bee-Bot(s)
- whatever materials children find or suggest to show their code (paper and crayons, colored blocks, arrow cards, pegs and pegboard, beads and string)
What to do
As the children gain more experience playing with the Bee-Bots, their play will become more and more intentional. The commands they choose and the buttons they push will become less random and more deliberate as they make decisions about where they want the Bee-Bot to travel. They may want the Bee-Bot to move between obstacles on the floor, or they may want the Bee-Bot to visit another Bee-Bot friend. The children will use trial and error to figure out how to program the Bee-Bot. Mistakes will occur, and the code will need changing or revising. This revising or troubleshooting process will require reflection. The children will need to remember what commands they used, but most children will not be able to remember more than a few commands at a time. They will discover the need to remember or record the commands. They may express this directly in words, such as “I can’t remember what buttons I pushed!” Or they may simply become frustrated. Help children articulate what they need. For example, say, “You need a way to remember your code. You need a way to see your code so you know what buttons you pushed.”
Why
Children will use math and engineering skills to implement a programming language for their Bee-Bots.
For more activities check out
Robotics for Young Children: STEM Activities and Simple Coding
By Ann Gadzikowski Copyright 2018 School-Age