If you’ve heard of the Dash Robot from Wonder Workshop, you’ve most likely heard of the Dot! Small but mighty, the Dot is a responsive and interactive robot designed for students aged six and up. Though it may not be quite as popular as the Dash because it lacks its own motors, the Dot is still a great tool for introductory programming.
Essentially, the premise of Marbotic is providing preschool teachers with a technology tool that engages students, allows for physical interaction, introduces letters and numbers, and helps build their foundational tech skills. You can probably see why we’re such big fans of this system and how it allows for tactile learning at such a young age!
The GoPiGo build-your-own robotics kits are top of the line. They are powered by a Raspberry Pi and come in wide ranges of sizes to fit all needs and accommodate various classroom setups. The Base Kit is the smallest and perfect for any students who have used a Raspberry Pi, whereas the Starter Kit is for those who want to purchase the Pi.
The Curious Cars kit in particular comes with six pieces of technology, all very uniform in size, and all encased in soft, malleable plastic. They are clearly labeled in simple language, and the whole kit is very fun to touch, which is designed to be encouraging for learners and get them started with getting their hands on the technology.
Bloxels is in a field of its own. Why? It empowers students as young as five years old to try their hand at video game design. Seriously, students from grades K-8 can build an entire video game from scratch with Bloxels’ blocks and gameboard! It’s a totally hands-on experience during which students use the different blocks to design layouts and games.
Covering engineering, arts, programming, and robotics, Hummingbird is a true STEAM experience as it combines technology and robotics with artistic creativity. Students use the kit’s components, including LEDs, motors, sensors, servos, and craft materials to build a functional robot that they can program in various languages.
The EdCreate Kit is something all STEM teachers should be looking to add to their classrooms. It’s pretty much guaranteed to inflate students’ skills as they expand on Edison’s build with 115 interlocking parts they can use to create five exciting, new robots. The EdTank, EdDigger, EdRoboClaw, EdCrane, and EdPrinter.
We know that there might be a lot of teachers who believe that children are experienced with SPRK+ and want the next best thing. Well, the Ollie robot can flip, spin, and perform combinations of tricks to keep all your students engaged! Programmable and drivable just like the SPRK+, the Ollie model can also help students take their robotics skills to the next level.
The Meccano Meccanoid G15KS is a personal robot kids can build from the ground up. With three ways to program, voice recognition, and smart device communication, the Meccanoid might just become their best robot friend ever! Once built, it towers at almost four feet tall (122 cm) and it comes with 1,014 parts, two hand tools, a battery, and more.
Today, I experimented with the Snap Circuits Arcade Kit, a kit that allows students to build over 200 exciting projects and includes 20-plus Build and Play games. With over 35 parts, including a programmable word fan, tri-colored orb, and a pre-programmed micro-controller, the Snap Circuits Arcade kit is perfect for projecting a light arcade show!
