No one is waiting. As soon as the first participant arrives, they start working on a project. This activity/challenge changes each day and may include straw towers or paper airplanes. Most of the solutions to these challenges will be taken apart at the end, but the best ones can be saved for the presentation at the end of the week.
Have each group present their unique solution to the challenge. Discuss some of the learning that took place in each group and what challenges they overcame. Try to keep the better projects, if at all possible, for the Friday “Open House.”
Time devoted throughout the week to developing their robot. This is mostly unstructured time where each group works to get through the list of activities below at their own pace. Generally, the list is written on the board as a table when they first start. Each group is a row and each activity is a column (see below). As the first group progresses, you describe to the whole class how to solve the next challenge. They are encouraged to take notes, but the details are in the PBasic Overview in case they don't.
The activities with * after them are the ones the students must demonstrate that they completed. The others can be signed off when they say they completed them (usually they will want to show off what they did and the *'ed ones we hold to a higher level of perfection. For the meter, the robot must go 1 meter +/- 2 cm to move on.) If a group gets to the sumo with enough time in the week to move beyond, the grid can be extended to include:
IR Sensors
Micro-Mouse*
Sighted Sumo*
Color Sensor
Simple Mars Rover*
Wireless Transmitter
Full Mars Rover*
Challenge
Design the tallest tower using only the materials provided.The towers can not be held up by the students.
Supplies
Plastic drinking straws
Masking tape (6' per group)
Meter stick for measuring
Whiteboard for recording scores
What to do
As soon as they arrive, hand them the materials and have them start building in groups of 3
Once the tower is free standing (they cannot support it), measure it in cm.
Record the tallest height on the whiteboard
Encourage them to modify their tower to make it taller and keep building
By using trial and error allow the students to innovate new and better ways to design a stable tower.
Have each group present their unique solution to the challenge. Discuss some of the solutions they created. Were any built on the floor to allow for more height? Were any taped to the tables, walls or ceiling? Was that within the rules? Introduce the Four Rules of Inventing which may help them with the engineering challenges the rest of the week:
Work Fast - We will have a limited amount of time and you must work fast to complete the challenges
Try Lots of Ideas - You'll never know if you have the best solution unless you try lots of solutions and you can only do that if you Work Fast
Break the Rules - Some rules are "Laws" which cannot be broken but many rules we hold in our heads can be bent or broken to find better solutions
Steal Ideas - "Stealing one idea is plagiarism; stealing many ideas is good research techniques." As a last resort, find other solutions to the problem and see how you can improve upon them.
Overview:
This is an opportunity for students to learn how to use tools as well as look inside household items. Mechanical devices offer the most interesting components but these are becoming increasingly difficult to find. When students taking apart electronic devices, be sure to point out some of the components such as capacitors and resistors that they will use throughout the week.
Supplies:
Safety goggles (1 set per student and instructor)
Screwdrivers (both Phillips and flat)
Pliers
Wire cutters
Allen wrenches
Batteries and wires to test motors, LEDs and buzzers found
Used household items (these can be acquired from thrift stores, often for free since they don't have to work)
Instructions:
Before getting started, make sure all electrical cords are removed from the devices. Next, the students should follow the Four Rules of Take Apart:
Always wear eye protection
Always get permission before taking something apart
Always watch where sharp tools will go if they slip so you don't cut yourself or others
"Parts, not Pieces" - Always take items apart carefully rather than smashing them. Smashed parts don't show us what they were used for.
Overview:
The Matrix is introduced (see Project Work above) and students will quickly form teams (or stay in the teams they worked with for the Downhill Racer challenge). Once the teams are formed, robot kits will be handed out, one per group. While they start building the robots, they also need to be brainstorming team names. By the end, the robots should be fully built and team names written on the board in the Matrix.
Supplies:
BOE Bot kits
Small Phillips screwdrivers
Instructions:
See page 91 for instructions. Help the students construct their robots. Optional topic for discussion is the difference between types of electric motor. The simplest types of DC motors have two wires and can only be turned on or off. We will be using these this afternoon for the electric racers. The robots are using Servos which have three wires and can be controlled. The final type is stepper motors which will rotate a specific amount each time current is applied to a different set of wires. These have at least 4 wires and give a very high degree of control. Where would the students use each type of motor? Why?
Get them moving and doing something to boost energy levels after eating
Overview:
Use Play-doh type material to make circuits. Dough should be made ahead of time.
Supplies:
LED
Battery (AA or C work best)
8" wire
Conductive Dough (see Squishy Circuits page)
Insulating Dough (optional; see Squishy Circuits page)
Switch, LED, Buzzer or other electronic components to try in the circuit (optional)
Extra wires (optional)
Instructions:
Play around with the LED, Conductive Dough and battery to see if you can get it to light before reading more direction
Put each leg of the LED into different blocks of Conductive Dough
Touch one end of the battery to one dough block
Use wire (or a snake of dough) to connect the other side of the battery to the other dough block
Try reversing the battery
2:20 - 3:40: Project Work - Intro to Programming
Overview:
Continue working on the robots. Finish assembling them and introduce the PBasic programming environment.
Supplies:
PBasic Overview printouts
Instructions:
Using the big screen, show the students how to open the program and the basics of writing their first program. Hand out copies of the PBasic Overview (see attached). Have them get started working through the projects in the Matrix.
Clean so it's not a disaster area when the parents arrive
Build the tallest tower using only 30 Keva Planks
Challenge
Build a paper plane that can fly the farthest.
Supplies
Paper
Masking tape
Paperclips
Cone or other marker for the longest flight
What to do
Have the students build paper planes and test them outside. There are several plane designs on our Paper Airplane page, if you need ideas for how to build them. Encourage the students to use the Four Rules of Inventing to make the best planes possible
Have each group present their unique solution to the challenge. Discuss some of the learning that took place in each group and what challenges they overcame. Try to keep the better projects, if at all possible, for the Friday “Open House.”
Overview:
Continue team work on the robots.
Supplies:
Meter stick for the 1 Meter and Square challenges
LEDs and resisters
Instructions:
Have the students continue to work through the Matrix. Once they have completed a challenge, check it off on the board. Make sure to pay attention to the groups who aren't getting things checked off as quickly.
Overview:
Ask the students to write "code" for their human robot to make a sandwich
Supplies:
Paper
Pencils
Instructions:
Have each student write instructions for a human robot to make a sandwich. These might include:
Go to cupboard
Open door
Pull out bag of bread
Once the instructions are complete, each student takes a turn being the "programmer" and a turn being the "robot". The programmer's job is to read the instructions exactly how they are written. The robot's job is to follow the instructions exactly in an imaginary kitchen, assuming nothing. If the next instruction in the sandwich program above was "Place two slices of bread on the cutting board" the robot might pantomime difficulty with this since the bread is still in the bag which was never opened. It might also be difficult if the cutting board is not within reach of the cupboard.
This activity it designed to teach students that robot will only do exactly what you program them to do. The benefit of this, is that they will never "accidentally program the robot to take over the world" which is a remarkably common fear (or hope) when starting to write code for the first time. The disadvantage is that the robot will never understand what you mean, only what you type, so make sure you understand what you want the code to do before you type it.
After they each have a chance to try this, discuss "Pseudo Code" as a way to start to understand what you want the robot to do. Before writing any program, they should draw out a block diagram of how they want the robot to complete the task. For the Sumo Bot near the end of the week, one block might say "check for the white line at the edge of the ring". Clearly this isn't something the robot will be able to do on its own, but if that's what the programmer wants the robot to do, listing that breaks a large program into smaller chunks which can be researched, written and tested separately rather than as part of one large program. This makes it easier to troubleshoot problems.
Have them attempt another Human Robot test such as kicking a soccer ball in a goal. First have them write pseudo code, then change it to "human robot code" before attempting to program the human robot again.
12:00 - 12:45: Lunch
Get them moving and doing something to boost energy levels after eating
Overview:
Build Downhill Racers and see how far they can roll. Try various numbers and arrangements of wheels to find the best solution. Save the racers for other car activities throughout the week.
Supplies:
~4"x5" Polystyrene tray[1] or corrugated cardboard
4 Kelvin wheels or similar
2 Plastic drinking straws
2 Bamboo kitchen skewers
Tape
Scissors
Weights (optional)
Ramp
Instructions:
Build a car that can roll as far off the end of the ramp as possible.
Overview:
Continue working on robot and checking off completed tasks in the Matrix
Clean so it's not a disaster area when the parents arrive
What's the largest gap you can span with Uberstix?
Challenge
How far can you launch a rocket with a straw?
Supplies
Straw
Paper (4"x2")
Pencil
Tape
Q-tips (optional)
Scissors (optional)
What to do
Wrap the paper around the pencil
Tape the paper to itself to form a tube
Remove the pencil
Fold over one end of the tube and tape it to seal it
Place rocket on straw
Blow through straw to launch rocket
Try putting a Q-tip in the straw and launching that. Does it go further or shorter than the rocket?
Try to get it to fly farther
Would a pointy nosecone help?
Could fins stabilize the flight?
Does the initial orientation of paper change its flight?
Have each group present their unique solution to the challenge. Discuss some of the learning that took place in each group and what challenges they overcame. Try to keep the better projects, if at all possible, for the Friday “Open House.”
Overview:
Starting with Downhill Racers from this morning, add a battery, motor and fan blades to create an electric car. Race the cars across the floor to see how fast they can travel.
Supplies:
Downhill Racers
DC Motor (hobby-style from Kelvin)
Fan blades
Batteries
Wires
Instructions:
Start by showing the students how to wire the motor to get it to spin. Next, have each group get their motor, battery and wires to try it. Once the motors spin, they can get the fan blade and add these components to the racer. Ask them how they would get the car to drive in reverse. How else can they use the motor to make the car go faster?
Overview:
Continue working on robot and checking off completed tasks in the Matrix.
Get them moving and doing something to boost energy levels after eating
Overview:
Continue working on robot and checking off completed tasks in the Matrix.
2:20 - 3:40: Robot Challenge - Maze Runner
Overview:
By now, all groups should have finished the square and know how to make their robot drive where they intend. Set up a simple maze and have the students program the robots to get through it as quickly as possible using dead reckoning
Supplies:
Robots
Cardboard boxes
Instructions:
Set up a simple maze (no more than 4 turns required to escape) using the cardboard boxes. Challenge each group to program their robot to run the maze without hitting the sides. When the first groups are ready to try, record the furthest point a robot got before hitting a wall. Once a robot makes it all the way through, time each group to see how quickly they can finish.
Clean so it's not a disaster area when the parents arrive
How far over the edge can you balance Keva Planks?
Challenge
How far can you make the Skimmer fly?
Supplies
Paper
Straws
Tape (scotch or masking, not duct)
Paperclips (optional)
Scissors
What to do
Cut two strips of paper: ~2cm x 15cm and ~4cm x 25cm
Roll each strip of paper into a circle and tape the ends together
Tape each circle onto one end of the straw like in the diagram above
Throw the skimmer with the straw on the bottom and the small circle at the front
How far does it fly? How can we get it to go farther? What if there was another circle or another straw? What if the big circle was at the front or if the circles were the same size?
Any modifications using the provided materials are acceptable, but the skimmer must have at least one straw and one circle of paper
Have each group present their unique solution to the challenge. Discuss some of the learning that took place in each group and what challenges they overcame. Try to keep the better projects, if at all possible, for the Friday “Open House.”
Overview:
Continue working on robot and checking off completed tasks in the Matrix.
Overview:
Modify the cars to be belt drive vehicles by adding a rubber band that wraps around the axle.
Supplies:
Electric Fan Cars
Rubber bands
Large wooden bobbins
Kelvin Wheels
Instructions:
Have the students remove the fan blades from their cars and return them to you. Have them modify their chassis (or create new ones if needed) to allow a bobbin to be sandwiched between two Kelvin wheels with straw bearings on either side. Before attaching the bearings to the chassis, wrap a rubber band around the bobbin. Once the axle with bobbin is attached, position and attach the motor to allow the rubber band to fit over the motor shaft. Make sure the motor shaft and the bobbin axle are parallel. Now when the motor is wired to the battery, it will spin the bobbin and propel the car forward.
How fast can the car go? Does it accelerate faster or slower than the fan car? How can you get it to go in reverse without changing the wiring?
Get them moving and doing something to boost energy levels after eating
Overview:
Continue working on robot and checking off completed tasks in the Matrix.
Overview:
Combine the blinking LEDs, speakers and movement to create the best dancing robot
Supplies:
Robots
Paper
Pencils
Cardboard
Markers
Pipe Cleaners
Instructions:
Challenge each group do write a plan for how they want their robot to dance. What moves will it do? What will the music sound like? Will it be a slow waltz, a fast break dance or an intricate tap routine? Once they know what the dance will be like, they also need to design the robot's costume. Using the cardboard, markers, pipe cleaners and other art supplies, have them decorate the robots.
During the last 15 minutes of the activity, clear a dance floor in the center of the classroom and give each group the chance to show off their dance moves. Have them describe the type of dance they are going for, the costume they selected and their music.
Clean so it's not a disaster area when the parents arrive
Using as many Keva Planks as you like to create a series of dominoes that start as many chain reactions as possible. Can the dominoes start a marble rolling down a ramp? Can you split one stream of dominoes into two? Can you get them to go up stairs?
Challenge
How far can you make a stomp rocket fly?
Supplies
8"-12" Piece of 3/4" PVC Pipe
Paper (8.5"x11" or A4)
Tape
Paperclips (optional)
Scissors (optional)
What to do
Wrap the paper around the PVC pipe
Tape the paper to itself to form a tube
Remove the PVC pipe
Fold over one end of the tube and tape it to seal it
Place rocket on launcher
Stomp on the bottle to launch rocket
Have each group present their unique solution to the challenge. Discuss some of the learning that took place in each group and what challenges they overcame. Try to keep the better projects, if at all possible, for the Friday “Open House.”
Overview:
Continue working on robot and checking off completed tasks in the Matrix.
Overview:
Continue working on robot and checking off completed tasks in the Matrix. As they finish their sumo bots, begin sumo competitions.
Supplies:
Robots
Instructions:
As each group gets to the sumo bot activity, have them test their designs in the ring to make sure they stay in without another robot pushing them. Ensure that each group has the correct five second pause at the beginning of their program. Once the robots stay in the ring on their own, have them compete against each other. After each round, the team that lost must go back and modify their robot or their code in some way to try to improve the design.
Get them moving and doing something to boost energy levels after eating
Set up examples of Engineering Challenges and the Final Projects to show off to parents.
Show off to family, friends and interested public what was created during the week.