Walnut Grove Robotics just wrapped up it’s first ever robotics summer camp and I am proud to say it was a big success. Many parents expressed an interest in how to continue providing their kids with robotics learning experiences now that camp has ended, so below are my Top 5 Tips To Get Started with Robotics that I would like to share with you.
Quick Note: Remember that there is no 100% correct way to do it. The summer camp we hosted was focused on the VEX Robotics platform, specifically VEX IQ, so that will be the lens we look through in this article. VEX Robotics is all about student centeredness so however you and your kids decide to approach robotics learning, if you will keep student centeredness as a focal point, then I say- great job! Remember students learn from failure, robotics is hard and it’s ok if something doesn’t work the first time. Provide teaching and mentorship, but let students take the lead and make decisions on how to design, build, program and test the robots you choose to provide them.
Top 5 Tips To Get Started With Robotics:
1. Find other friends your kids age and form a local VEX IQ Robotics Team
- VEX Robotics is a company that designs the game and the parts used to build robots, but the tournaments and the way teams are run is managed by an excellent nonprofit organization called the REC Foundation (Robotics Education and Competition Foundation) and they have created a super helpful article called “Starting a VEX IQ Robotics Competition Team“.
- I highly recommend reading through all of the content on the article above, and then reach out to Walnut Grove Robotics if you have any questions at all.
- When you a ready to make your team official and register them, you will go to robotevents.com
- We have a blog post on how to start your team the right way and it contains a list of the 7 Things Successful Team Do, I recommend checking it out if you plan to start a team or are already coaching a team.
- I also highly recommend going to your students campus, doesn’t matter whether it’s public, private or charter, and asking school leadership to help bring a VEX IQ team to their campus. It is a lot of fun and highly beneficial to have a robotics team housed at a school, but there is also nothing wrong with a team being run by parents as a community team and not being associated with a school. Our vision at Walnut Grove Robotics is to see VEX IQ teams at Prosper ISD Elementary Schools but until then, community teams run by parents is a great way to enable robotics for our elementary-aged students.
2. Host or Create Friendly Challenges and Clubs
- All you need are a couple of robots (see point #5 below) or a programming game online such as VEX VR or CoderZ and you have the makings of a fun after school club, or a weekend competition, or a game your student can play in the evenings. You name it, it can be done. Gamifying learning, or simply finding ways to create a club or challenge focused around robotics, is much easier than you may think.
- We may update this article in the future with a list of ideas, but if you have a robot or a fun programming game, and you want ideas on how to turn that into a challenge or a club, please reach out to Coach Strickland or Walnut Grove Robotics.
3. Practice Robotics with Programming Games
- Some very popular online programming games and resources can be found here:
- While some of the links above are programming games/programs and not necessarily robotics programs, practicing programming skills will still help prepare your student for more adventures into the world of robotics.
4. Integrate Playtime with Robotics
- Integrating playtime with robotics kits can foster creativity, problem-solving, and a love for STEAM in children. Here are some playful, exploratory, and trial-and-error-based activities, along with product recommendations to enhance the experience:
- Maze Challenges: Use LEGO bricks or Kinazium mats to build mazes. Program robots like the Wonder Workshop Dash Robot or Sphero SPRK+ to navigate through them.
- Obstacle Courses: Create courses with ramps and tunnels. Have robots perform tasks like collecting objects or reaching a destination within a time limit.
- Robot Races: Set up races where robots compete to complete a course first. Introduce variables like speed adjustments or obstacle avoidance to increase complexity.
- Interactive Storytelling: Combine storytelling with robotics by programming robots to act out scenes or respond to voice commands.
5. Use Robotics Kits Designed for Young Learners
- There are so many great robot kits out there. As always, do your research, find out how they operate, can they be driven by a physical controller, a phone app, etc. Can you build the robot or does it come already assembled? Does the robot kit provide resources for educational lessons and competitions? How is the robot programmed? Does it offer both drag and drop programming and written/typed programming such as python, Java or C++ ? As always, if you need help picking out a robotics kit and you are a Prosper ISD parent, please let us know.
- While buying a VEX IQ kit can be a fantastic solution for many kids, for others you may want to star with some simpler solutions. Some of the robots listed below are simple and easy to get started solutions, and others have ways you can do more advanced things- take a look and see what you think:
- VEX 123
- VEX GO – A great solution with competition field kits too
- Bee-Bot
- KinderLab Robotics – Kibo
- Sphero
- Ozobot – They offer Challenge Mats too
- Wonder Workshop – Dash Robot
- LEGO Spike Prime + FLL Competition
I know this is a lot of info but I hope it helps!
– Coach Strickland and the Walnut Grove Robotics Team