Learning Outcomes:  

By the end of the session, children will:  

- Gain insights into the physical structure and behaviors of spiders through lecturing, video watching and abstraction.  

- Express their creative thinking by designing and decorating spider-like robots that reflect the characteristics of real spiders.  

- (Optional) Improve their robotics assembly skills.  

Main Activities:  

1. Introduction to course goals (5 minutes): 

Set learning expectations, explain course rewards, and introduce the session's overall flow.  

- Activity: Discuss the session's goals, explain how children will learn about animals through technology, set up a reward system to motivate participation, and outline the session agenda.  

- Materials: Visual aids (posters or slides) explaining course objectives and rewards.  

2. Warmup and Introduction to animal behaviors (10 minutes): 

Build foundational knowledge about animals by showing examples of animal perspectives.  

- Activity: Show Minuscule, a cartoon from a little spider’s perspective. 

- Materials: Animal photos/videos, a simple overview of VR goggles and robot technology.  

- Preparations: Collect multimedia animations on spider in advance.  

3. Explanation of hands-on activities (10 minutes): 

Provide clear instructions on how to assemble and decorate the robot, and explain the rewards for completing tasks well and quickly.  

- Activity: Explain the technical aspects of robot assembly and set expectations for children to share their progress, with rewards for those who complete the tasks efficiently.  

4. Robot assembly and decoration (65 minutes): 

Guide children through assembling and decorating their robots.  

- Activity: Teach the assembly steps, offering individual help. Distribute printed animal cards and materials for decorating the robots. Encourage parents to assist and ensure children's safety.  

- Materials: Pre-assembled robot components (3D-printed shells), decorating supplies (markers, stickers, twisting sticks, papers), Arduino-based robots.  

- Preparations: Pre-assemble key parts to simplify the process and guide parents on installation.

5. Sharing, experiencing, reflecting: 

-Activity: Allow children to share their robot designs and operate their robots while observing through the robot’s camera. Facilitate a discussion where each child can demonstrate their robot and explain the spider characteristics they incorporated.

-Sharing Prompt: What is your biggest takeaway today?

-Materials: Robots with camera functionality, presentation space.

Potential Challenges and Back-up Plans

- Some children may struggle with openly sharing their experiences.  

Back-up Plan: Encourage more extroverted and enthusiastic children to participate first, setting an example for others. Also, request parental involvement to support shy or hesitant children.

- Assembling the robots may be difficult for some children due to their age or the complexity of the components.  

Back-up Plan: Pre-assemble certain parts of the robots in advance so children can focus more on decorating and the VR experience, ensuring all participants remain engaged.

- Technical difficulties may arise when trying to connect the cell phone to the camera.

Back-up Plan: Have a backup phone ready in case of technical issues with the primary device.

Inspiration and Framework

This facilitation design is inspired by the STEAM educational framework, which emphasizes the integration of art and creativity with science and technology to promote holistic learning. The use of multi-sensory design draws on theories of experiential learning, where engaging multiple senses creates a deeper and more memorable learning experience for participants.

Additionally, I drew inspiration from the course design on storytelling from an animal's first-person perspective, as detailed in this reference:  This course emphasizes enhancing children's understanding of animals through imaginative scenarios and prompts. I believe incorporating more discussion prompts and guided imagination in my session will deepen engagement and improve understanding. Clear and structured instructions will also be crucial for ensuring smooth facilitation.

I also referenced a STEAM design project where students built 3D models using pasta to support marshmallows. This activity included a competitive element with a time limit, which encouraged students to be actively involved. Similarly, my session will introduce time restrictions and a light competition to motivate children and ensure they stay engaged throughout the activities.