Introducing Robots
Bee-Bot and Blue-Bot
Small robots are the perfect complement to Kinderlogo. Like the turtle, Bee-Bots and Blue-Bots can move and turn. Children give commands by pressing buttons on the robot’s keypad and then pressing Go.
The robots can be programmed to move forward or back in 6-inch steps and turn right or left in 90-degree turns.
The Logo turtle moves immediately when it is given a command. The robot stores commands and then runs them when the child presses Go. It is a different way of thinking about giving instructions. It also means that the children have to plan ahead more carefully with the robot than with the turtle. Of course, a child can press one button on the robot’s keypad and then press Go, but they are encouraged to think a few steps ahead.
Learning mats are available for Bee-Bot or Blue-Bot to travel on or you can make your own. By directing the robot to move along a number line or to navigate to a letter of the alphabet or to a picture, students are not only reinforcing and refining their Kinderlogo skills, but also practicing important curriculum content in mathematics and language arts.
In addition, the free online emulators for Bee-Bot and Blue-Bot help students learn to use the robots.
Also available are curriculum products that focus on Bee-Bots and Blue-Bots.
Product previews are available for both publications.
Discuss with your students the difference between their experiences with Kinderlogo and their experiences with robots. How are they different? How are they the same?
Robots and Kinderlogo make a perfect pair of valuable learning tools.