As a homeschool mom who spend 99.5% of their time around their kids, it’s inevitable that you’re going to observe their likes and dislikes, what captures their attention for hours and what makes them yawn.
Just like many other homeschoolers, I noticed that my son enjoys Legos, and especially enjoyed putting model kits together. His fascination with how things work and are “engineered” is exciting because I’ve seen his interest grown and evolve rather than wane. A lightbulb went off in my head that robotics and coding might be a grand opportunity for him to really develop his knowledge base. There’s been only one hurdle I’ve encountered–the expense!
Robotics isn’t a cheap hobby, by any stretch. As with most things of value, I understood the investment, but I had a few criteria I was looking for when researching programs and kits to invest in.
- While I wanted to assist my son with robotics until he could soar solo with his pursuits, I did not have the bandwidth to be his primary teacher, lesson plan, or try to learn robotics and coding on the fly in order to teach him.
- I wanted a program that provided a foundation of knowledge that could be applied to future projects.
- I needed a flexible program that didn’t require us to be at a computer at a specific time each day.
- I needed something affordable that would allow my son to get his feet wet, yet not break the bank and leave us with a potential waste of money if it didn’t work out.
- Ideally, I wanted a project-based, hands-on program that gave my son something to aim for that provides a tangible, satisfying endpoint he could be proud of.
My list of criteria sounds like a pretty tall order, doesn’t it? But, I refused to budge on it, and was rewarded for my patience. One thing I’ve learned as a former homeschool curriculum junkie is that everything that glitters in shiny, shrink-wrapped packaging isn’t always the gold standard for your homeschool.
I’m happy to report that I’ve found not one, but two programs that fit the bill for my son and I. One was an awesome introduction into robotics and coding and the other lays a solid foundation of understanding robotics and coding so that it can be applied to future projects.
We purchased this super affordable robotics kit for our son’s 12th birthday from the www.roboticsworkshopforkids.com website. The kit included all the components and tools needed to put together a wooden robot that is able to tap out drumbeats on a tambourine.
The kit also included three, free, live online class sessions where we learned how to put the robot together and program it. These sessions were essential for assembly.
During the first session, kids were introduced to what robotics is, why its important, and the growing role robotics plays within the workforce.
During this initial session, the mechanical parts of the robot were assembled step-by-styp. I strongly recommend a parent be present during these sessions to help your child navigate their computer and the assembly. The instructor did an outstanding job providing clear, straightforward directions, but it can still be a bit much for kids to manage their computers and the robot assembly alone. My son, who has a knack for assembling things, got to leverage all his Lego-building skills into his robot. By the end of the session, we had a robot that was wired together and able to move.
During the second session, I did have to assist more since we were dealing with delicate wires that had to be plugged into specific ports on a raspberry pi and then checked using Arduino coding software. These files were also provided and were easily downloaded and accessed.
This session provided a step up from the traditional robot assembly kits where my son assembled hand or battery-operated kits. By the end of the session, the robot’s red, green, and blue light were turned on and the arms and head were able to rotate when connected to the computer.
The third and final session introduced kids to how programming enabled the robot to function when specific code is transmitted to the robot. This was a great introduction into coding using Arduino software.
The coding was provided, but the instructor walked us through what the coding meant, how it worked, and how it translated into the rate at which the robot could drum. I was struck by the similarities between coding and math concepts.
By the end of the session, our robot could light up and drum a bat on the tambourine. Using the coding software, the beat pattern could also be adjusted.
During the second session, I did have to assist more since we were dealing with delicate wires that had to be plugged into specific ports on a raspberry pi and then checked using Arduino coding software. These files were also provided and were easily downloaded and accessed.
This session provided a step up from the traditional robot assembly kits where my son assembled hand or battery-operated kits. By the end of the session, the robot’s red, green, and blue light were turned on and the arms and head were able to rotate when connected to the computer.
The third and final session introduced kids to how programming enabled the robot to function when specific code is transmitted to the robot. This was a great introduction into coding using Arduino software.
The coding was provided, but the instructor walked us through what the coding meant, how it worked, and how it translated into the rate at which the robot could drum. I was struck by the similarities between coding and math concepts.
By the end of the session, our robot could light up and drum a bat on the tambourine. Using the coding software, the beat pattern could also be adjusted.
The Takeaway
Robotics for Kids is a great introduction into what is possible with robotics and coding. The kit was super affordable and the free live, online classes were organized well and extremely effective in getting kids excited about the possibilities.
