Are you looking for a Lego kit for your students that teaches coding? The Lego BOOST Creative Toolbox is perfect for ages 7-12! It claims to help kids learn the basics of coding, engineering, and robotics. To accompany it, you'll need to download a free app: The kit includes a motorized hub, color sensor, distance sensor, an extra motor, and a little over 800 pieces to build one of five models. It reminds me of a kinder, gentler, less expensive version of the Lego Mindstorms EV3 kits! I wrote a grant for the Lego BOOST Creative Toolboxes on Donor's Choose and it was funded fairly quickly. My students tore into the boxes as soon as they arrived: I was a little concerned at first that the functionality would be too easy for my middle school students, but they proved to be engaging enough that even my 8th graders enjoyed the challenge of building them! One group chose to focus on building Vernie the robot, who moves and talks: The other group decided to work on the M.T.R.4., or the Multi-Tooled Rover 4. It's a rover with several fun attachments that kids can use in a variety of ways! I love that the Lego BOOST Creative Toolbox provides versatility in a way that is less overwhelming than the Mindstorms EV3 kits. We have the EV3 kits, but my students often shy away from them because they are more difficult than they have time or desire to break into. The BOOST kits, however, feel fun and accessible from the beginning! As far as the coding goes, the app is very easy to use. My students, with little prior coding experience, were able to pick it up effortlessly. It teaches coding through a series of step-by-step challenges, and it provides the chance for open-ended play with the robots as well. The only limitation I would say that this kit has is the same as other Lego Robotics kits - generally they are built to be 1:1 or 2:1 student-to-kit ratio. At $160 a kit, that can get expensive very quickly. I have two kits in my middle school media center and for now, that is enough for us!
Otherwise, I would definitely recommend the Lego BOOST Creative Toolbox for students in 3rd - 7th grade!
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If you haven't already heard of the wonders of KEVA planks, let me introduce you to one of the most popular Makerspace materials I have purchased to date! These small, perfectly cut pieces of wood may look just like any other wooden block; however, their simplicity makes them perfect for everyone to use! First - what is a KEVA Plank? As you can see from the photo below, they are small planks made of maple or pine (my sets are pine). Every piece is exactly the same - 1/4" thick, 3/4" wide, and 4.5" long. Why do those measurements matter? Because KEVA Planks follow the "Golden Ratio" of 1:3:5. 1 plank wide is 3 planks tall and also 5 planks long, as illustrated in this picture: This is know as the beginning of a series of numbers discovered by Leonardo Fibonacci. You can learn more about the Fibbonacci sequence here: In short, the ratio of each successive pair of numbers in the series approximates the irrational magic number called phi, or 1.1618 (not to be confused with pi, or 3.1415). The interactions of the first numbers in the Fibbonacci sequence create perfect proportions and are very versatile. You see it in the architecture of the Parthenon, the Great Pyramids, and more! So how can you use KEVA Planks with kids? Fortunately for teachers, the KEVA Planks company has created an amazing selection of resources for parents, educators, and librarians! Just click on this picture below, then mouse-over the Educators or Libraries tabs as appropriate! I used KEVA Planks with my 6th and 7th grade Coding and Computational Thinking classes with amazing results. I used the KEVA Brainbuilders boxes to supply them with a warm up challenge. Each card has 1 pattern to be built with 20 planks or less. Here is a sample expert level card with two of my students who worked together to solve it. This was a very difficult card, but they did it! The collaboration, engineering skills, and communication that my students displayed while they worked together to solve these puzzles was incredible. My students have made some AMAZING structures with the KEVA Planks. I have given them challenges, such as "build the tallest freestanding structure you can using triangle shapes" or "build the longest bridge you can build without supports". Sometimes I have just allowed them to free build and use their imaginations. They have built replicas of famous buildings, free standing structures taller than me... they even studied the physics of skyscraper demolition by building and recording the demolition of model skyscrapers, analyzing the fall patterns in slow motion to see what the smallest area of "debris" was that they could make. I am always impressed by the designs they come up with!
How would YOU use KEVA Planks with your students? Drop a comment below and let me know! I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to engage reluctant students and increase foot traffic in the media center. I was doing some research on a super awesome robot that we have in the library, Cozmo, when I discovered that ANKI also makes a robotic race car track called Overdrive. I knew immediately that this was going to draw students to the library, particularly some of my reluctant readers who check out race car books by the armload but will engage in no other texts. Enter DonorsChoose.org. After a little more research, I wrote a grant for the ANKI base kit, two additional cars, a storage bag, some extra track pieces, and several books related to robotics, race cars, and more. The grant was funded almost right away! I love it when donors believe in what I'm doing and fund my little pet projects! When the cars arrived, the kids tore into them right away. The kids were captivated - within a few minutes, they were building tracks, downloading the app, and driving the cars. As I mentioned - the grant I wrote included several books. I processed them that morning and by that afternoon they were gone. It was a very easy sell to get the kids to take the books - they were engaging and interesting! In fact, I don't have pictures of the kids reading them because they aren't ever on the shelf. Mission accomplished! Over the next few weeks, interest in the Anki cars continued to grow. Two students brought in their own Anki base kits to donate to our collection, growing it from 4 cars to TEN! We had an incredible amount of track, too - the kids were able to make some amazing courses! The robotic Anki smart cars have certainly sparked an interest in coding, robotics, artificial intelligence, and racing in my students. What are YOU doing to increase foot traffic in your media center? Drop a comment below and let me know, I'm always looking for new ideas!
Thanks to generous donors on Donor's Choose, we have four brand new video game rocker chairs in the library! While they've only been out for a few days, they are already loved! Flexible seating is a must in libraries today. Students and staff need a variety of furniture styles to move and meet their needs. These video game rocker chairs, though a small change, were greatly needed to make the library feel more personal and up-to-date. Here are some photos of the chairs in action! As you can see, they are VERY popular with the students! What types of seating do you have in your library? Share in a comment below!
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About the AuthorHi! Welcome to my blog! My name is Christine Hurley. This is my 17th year of teaching - I've taught Kindergarten, 4th grade, elementary media, and now I am in my 6th year of teaching middle school media! Archives
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