3D Community Construction Kit
Although the 3D Community Construction Kit is not technically a mat like all the others, it does provide a similar, though unique, experience for students as they build their own three-dimensional community.
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The 3D Community Construction Kit allows Bee-Bot and Blue-Bot, Pro-Bot, or Tuff-Bot to roam around a town that can be as large or small as you like.
If you are using Pro-Bot or Tuff-Bot, leave extra space between the buildings. If you turn on its obstacle avoidance feature, Tuff-Bot will detect the buildings and turn to avoid them.
The Kit provides everything you need to construct a 3D community in the classroom—on a large table or on the floor—and gives students the opportunity to see the town from the perspective of the ‘bot. Building the community engages students in construction skills and allows them to express their creativity. Then they can send Bee-Bot, Blue-Bot, Pro-Bot, or Tuff-Bot on a community exploration that develops coding and navigation skills.
The Kit comes with 15 foldable boxes and 12 sets of stickers to apply to them to create buildings. Students can decorate the three extra boxes to create any other buildings they want. The assembled boxes are 5” on a side.
You and your students can fold the lightweight cardboard into 15 buildings. You probably won’t want to seal the top closed (see Lesson Idea 5 below).
Apply stickers to create the colorful storefronts. You may want to leave the side that flips open on top in case you want to place an object inside that building.
The buildings in the 3D Community Construction Kit are the same as those in the Community Mat.
Playground
Post Office
Bank
Fire Station
Hardware Store
School
Park with Gazebo
Pizza Shop
Public Library
Food Market
Town Hall
Welcome Sign
Bookstore
Toy Store
Animal Rescue Center
The stickers with bricks can be applied to the sides of the boxes, as shown in this picture.
If students aren’t capable of aligning the stickers correctly on the boxes and placing them using the adhesive on the back, they can use tape to attach them to the sides of the boxes.
Lesson Ideas
Although these ideas refer to Bee-Bot, they can all be done with Blue-Bot as well. Even Pro-Bot can roam through this 3D Community because the buildings can be placed far apart.
Remind students to press X to erase the commands the previous student entered.
Before you start, you may find it handy to have your students help you create a card for each destination with its name on it.
Lesson Idea 1: Building the Town
- Have students help you fold up the buildings and carefully apply the stickers.
- There are three extra boxes that students can decorate as they wish.
Lesson Idea 2: Traveling Around Town (2 stops)
- Have students help you make a card for each destination with its name on it.
- Divide students into groups.
- Have each student randomly pick two cards with the names of the destinations for Bee-Bot to go to in order.
- Have students take turns going from one location to the next.
Lesson Idea 3: Traveling Around Town (3 stops)
- Divide students into groups.
- Have each student randomly pick three cards with the names of the destinations for Bee-Bot to go to in order.
- Have students take turns going from one location to the next.
Lesson Idea 4: Using the Community Mat
You can place the buildings on top of the Community Mat, if you have one, but you can also use the Kit version on its own.
If students are using computers in your classroom, they can use the online Community Mat in the Bee-Bot Emulator in a browser and explore the mat using these Lesson ideas.
Lesson Idea 5: Hidden Treasures
Create a fun game for students to play using the buildings and their “secret compartment.”
Place a hidden object, the name of the next destination, or a special instruction inside some (or all) of the boxes.
When a student reaches a building, they carefully open up the top and see what is inside.
They follow the instructions to go to the next destination or complete the action that is named inside.
Students can have fun developing their own games with the 3D Community Kit!
Kit Details
Included in the 3D Community Construction Kit are:
- 15 ready-to-assemble boxes, 5” on each side
- 12 storefront stickers, 5” square
- 36 brick stickers in 6 different colors, 5” square