Mahomet Seymour CUSD #3 Training

Resources for Mahomet Seymour CUSD #3

“Getting Started with Your Bee-Bots”

This information was presented for the Mahomet Seymour CUSD #3 in March 2026.

Below are links to web pages and files discussed or mentioned during the training.

Meet Bee-Bot

Bee-Bot needs to be charged before its first use.
All switches need to be set to OFF in order for Bee-Bot to charge.
The switches are located underneath the robot.

Bee-Bot has three switches underneath, for power, sound, and sensor. Turn them all on, unless you want them to be silent. The sensor switch is discussed later.

Bee-Bot moves forward and back, one step at a time. One step is equal to 6 inches, 15 centimeters, or 1 length of Bee-Bot.

Bee-Bots can store up to 200 commands.

Caring For Your Bee-Bots

Important information to get the most out of your Bee-Bots and extend their battery life:

Charge the bots before their first use.
Do not charge Bee-Bots longer than overnight.
Make sure the hives are unplugged before vacations.
Charge the bots every month or two even when they are just being stored.

For more information about batteries and other FAQs, read this section.

Bee-Bot Quick Start Guide

This Quick Start Guide can serve as a guide to using Bee-Bots in the classroom.
Create your own version that works best for your situation.

Online Emulators

Bee-Bot Emulator

Beginning Bee-Bot Activities

Have students discover what Bee-Bot’s buttons do. Make sure they understand that they need to press Clear between turns to erase all the commands.
Have students sit in a big circle. Have one student point Bee-Bot at another student across the circle and estimate how many times to press the forward arrow button. Remind students not to push Bee-Bot to move it. They should pick it up and move it to where they want it.
Have students pick a spot in the room to send Bee-Bot to. Getting there may require turns. How many tries does it take to get it there?
Create a maze for Bee-Bot to go through. The walls of the maze could be small boxes, blocks, rulers, or pencils.
Create cards with numbers or letters. Have students arrange them on the floor. Ask the students to go to a particular number or letter. Can they go to all the numbers in order? Be sure to space the cards apart from each other. The students of teach can adjust the placement of the cards as the activity progresses started.
Use the number and letter cards to spell words and practice addition.
Write words that make a sentence on cards. Spread out the cards and see if Bee-Bot can move from card to card to make the sentence. Check out this Bee-Bot Dance!
Turn on the sensor and record a message to be spoken when one Bee-Bot gets near another. Details below.
Have students create a dance with several Bee-Bots. They should plan to dance using Command Cards. Does the dance need some music? Check out this Bee-Bot Dance!
Create a Bee-Bot parade! Decorate balloons, tie them to Bee-Bot and have them follow each other. Check out this Bee-Bot Parade!

Accessories and Lesson Ideas for Bee-Bot

Using the Accessories

Bee-Bot Accessories Chart

Lesson Ideas for Learning Mats

Bee-Bots Can Talk! How to Customize Their Sounds

Bee-Bots can sense each other when they get within 10 inches.
You will hear a pre-recorded sound, but you can also record your own sound. Here’s how:

Turn on the Sensor switch underneath the Bee-Bot.
Hold down the Go button for 2 seconds and wait for a beep.
Record your own voice. A double beep ends the recording.

You can also record a sound when a command key is pressed. Here’s how:

Press and hold a command button for 2 seconds and wait for a beep.
Record your own voice. A double beep ends the recording.

To erase all sounds, press and hold the Clear button for 2 seconds until you hear a double beep.

Bee-Bot Team Jobs

Engage all students by giving them roles to play as they work together with their Bee-Bots.

From San Francisco Unified School District’s Kindergarten to 2nd Grade Computer Science Curriculum:

Curriculum Materials for Classroom and Online

Main Page: Lessons, online activities, and teaching materials for Bee-Bot and Blue-Bot

Bee-Bot Lessons	Table of Contents	Get a 30-day free trial.
Problem-Solving with Bees and Blues	Table of Contents	Get a 30-day free trial.
Exploring Math with Blue-Bot	Table of Contents	Get a 30-day free trial.

Most activities in Exploring Math with Blue-Bot also work with Bee-Bot.

Coding Journeys (Online)

Coding Journeys expose students to different robots and help you see which ones are best for them.

Monthly Calendar Mats (Online)

Calendar Emulator Mats reinforce your students’ calendar skills.

Customer Stories (Online)

Customer Stories show how other teachers and researchers are using Bee-Bots. Click the word Bee-Bot in the word cloud at the top to see the Bee-Bot stories.

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