Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Good Robot Projects For K-5?

Posted by timothy on from the must-deliver-candy-to-adults dept.

bugs2squash writes "Some of the parents of kids at my son's elementary school would like to set up a robotics club for the children. I see that Lego has a new line of robotics bricks called wedo (PDF) and that seems to be the path of least resistance to doing something. But I wanted to ask: What experience do all y'all have of running a robotics club for this age group (5 thru 10 years old) and what factors made it a success (or failure)? Did you use a commercial kit of parts or brew something from scratch? What kind of projects work well with kids this age? I was thinking maybe making robot flowers (yes, I know they'd all rather build robotic sharks with lasers)." (Here's another page about Wedo.)

8 of 136 comments (clear)

  1. Too young by captaindomon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think that age group is too young to build robots on any informative level. I'm sorry, but they just won't "get it". Instead, why don't you buy some working robotic toys and let the kids program them to repeat an action, maybe, or just play with them? Maybe stage a battle with robotic dinosaurs or something? That would be way better for a five year old than actually building a working system.

    --
    Just because I can hook a shark from a boat, I do no offer to wrestle it in the water.
    1. Re:Too young by R2.0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't think you quite understand the mind of some young boys. R3.0 has been trying to build Transformers and other devices out of sticks and soda cans, and he's been doing that since he was 4 or 5.

      In some kids, the desire to control is far less insistent than the drive to create. (And dismantle/destroy, but that's a topic for another post.

      --
      "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
    2. Re:Too young by VeNoM0619 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I think that age group is too young to build robots on any informative level. I'm sorry, but they just won't "get it".

      Just because the No Child Left Behind Act has you underestimating education, doesn't mean anyone is too young to indulge in technology.

      Hell, 5-10? I'm sure they already have a decent applications/software background (surfing the web, running programs/games on the computer). Seeing how the linked PDF looked interesting, yet elegantly simple enough for a child (ok, so advertising may not speak truth), I would say it's worth a chance to teach. What's the worst that can happen if it goes over their heads? 1 student learns while 25 don't?

      --
      Disclaimer: I am not god.
      We may not be created equal
      But we can be treated equal.
    3. Re:Too young by geekoid · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Your wrong.
      I coach FLL (http://www.usfirst.org/) and see 5 year olds get it.
      Once taught basic programming techniques and how to use the IDE(an hour to do both) they're off and going with only a little guidance. Usually when they get stuck no a part I''ll help the break the problem down.
      "Hmm you need it to wait? maybe there is a wait od sleep instruction?"
      Then they look and find it. after a couple of those they start looking to see if they can find an answer before getting stuck.

      Kids are fucking smart...really really smart. They are way under utilized in our society.
      You will never be smarter then when you are a kids..more knowledgeable, but never smarter.

      "Instead, why don't you buy some working robotic toys and let the kids program them to repeat an action, maybe, or just play with them?"

      Becasue:
      A) they get bored with that in about 90 seconds.
      B) Just becasue kids build robots doesn't mean they don't also play with toys.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    4. Re:Too young by mustafap · · Score: 3, Insightful

      >but can't understand abstract things like `a pointer to a function that returns an array of...'

      Most of the engineers I work with don't understand that either.

      --
      Open Source Drum Kit, LPLC deve board - mjhdesigns.com
  2. Range of students. by Albio · · Score: 5, Insightful

    5 year olds and 10 year olds can be quite different. It would not be a good idea to treat all of these kids as the same.

  3. Re:Robots? by R2.0 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You have it backwards - kids learn about "electric motors, circuits that light up LEDs, gears, pulleys and levers" by building things that use them. Then, While they are building something cool, you teach them the principles behind it.

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  4. For very little kids (3-5) by davevr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For the low end of that range, it is fun to PLAY robot. Explain the concept that robots only do exactly what you say, and then make some "commands" like "move forward", "turn left", "pick up object" and then work together to try to solve problems, like "how can we get the rubber snake into your sister's bed?". The kid plays the role of the programmer, the CPU, the robot motor (we use toy dump trucks typically for this), and the all-important role of the debugger.