Maybe it’s not the screens, it’s what you do with the screens. Maybe it’s not the books, it’s the books you read. Maybe it’s not the toys, it’s the type of toys and how you use them. Maybe it’s not the robots, it’s the type of robots and how you use them. All these things, if used safely and made honorably, can be beneficial right now if used.
Fun/Educational Robots
Do you have a little sibling, niece, nephew, or cousin that you feel could do more than simply play games and watch videos for recreation? Robots can be fun for young kids while being educational if used and taught properly.
These STEM products give a hands-on, visual drag-and-drop approach to coding, using Blockly-based software. Blockly is made by Google. I did not know this before. Fun fact, it powers code.org, which I used in elementary school to learn JavaScript!
Also I’m using this topic as nostalgia for the things I did growing up. The concepts of coding and engineering I learned from an early age strengthened my interests now. What you learn at an early age is very important.
Ozobot
Recently nostalgia hit me when I found the smaller than palm-sized robots I used back in elementary school for STEM class! They’re Evo Ozobots. Each color [red, green, blue, black] you use for its path makes it act differently.
There’s 3 different ways to control Ozobots. For an intricate coding experience controlled by blue-tooth, Ozobot Blockly is their online visual drag-and-drop programming software. They have an Evo app available on Apple and Android that you can make paths with and lights for dance parties to place the Evo robot on. The third way is how we used Ozobot in school – making paths on paper. This opens the door for more opportunities and crafts made with path making. Mazes, race tracks, soccer, etc.
I think we had 1-3 Evo Ozobots. We could not get enough of them back then! I still remember how big the library was! The library teacher had stations with different activities such as origami, Lego, and lemon invisible ink writing. We had to rotate to a new station in a couple of days, yet we would always want to come back to the Ozobots!
She would always warn us to be careful with them since they are expensive. They were and still are pricey. Back then I think I remember wanting to buy one for use at home but couldn’t. A small kit I searched up recently is $175 [1 Ozobot]. The classroom kit I saw is almost $3,000 [18 Evo Ozobots]. They have many other kits however. Depending on the kit, they come with markers, printed paths to arrange and color, and accessories like helmets.
Is the price reasonable enough to buy? That’s a personal decision. It has potential for teaching opportunities in classrooms and home-schooling. It helps kids visualize what code can do in machines. It teaches logic, coding, creativity, problem solving, drawing, crafting, game design, math, reading, even engineering at an early age. I also know that there are cheaper ways to teach these things.
The other “downside” of this product is you really need to educate and come up with constant ideas to make this a fun experience to use. Especially with all the “color code rules”, it could get boring quickly if the Ozobot is not doing what you want or a glitch happens. This comes with problem solving and iterations. Remember their coding app is based on Blockly. I do remember a lot of times when I used code.org, even when I had all the correct blocks to finish a level, it glitched and didn’t let me finish the level. It could have been an internet issue though.
Also, a few months back, they released Ari Ozobot. Ari Ozobot is programmed with AI. Be sure to check out my article taking about AI.
SmartGurlz Siggy Robot
Does your little sister, niece, or cousin love to play with dolls? The Siggy Robot is a self-balancing scooter for the SmartGurlz line of dolls. Controlled by an app called SugarCoded that uses Blockly. However, one thing the video points out is that love for dolls is fading slowly. I slightly agree.
I did not have this product growing up. However, I used to love playing with dolls when I was little. I built houses for them out of my bookshelf, cardboard, and fancy paper. I built furniture and bought lights from Dollar Tree. I bought 3d miniatures [food, pets, etc.] from Michaels and JoAnns with my allowance. But the new generations rely on the internet more [not to say there’s no kid that plays with dolls anymore].
However, if you want to instill education beyond just looking at screens and playing with toys, this could be beneficial. It’s also pricey, $75-80 even with the doll included. Again, your decision if you want to buy it for a relative or opt for cheaper activities.
Conclusion
Most of these products do offer help and teach, but you should also consider if it’s worth spending money on them. There are definitely cheaper ways to learn or get chores done. If you’re choosing to pay for a robot, you’re choosing to pay for a hands-free experience. Instead of cooking yourself, a robot does it. Instead of pushing a toy scooter yourself, a robot does it, and so on.
Learn About Robotics
If you want a cheaper option to learn about robotics, there are free courses on Coursera. You can also watch courses on YouTube. Of, course, this still can’t replace the hands-on experience with a robot.