With the term fast approaching this blog will give you some useful tips to get KUBO ready for your students when they return to school.
If your KUBO Robots have not been used for a while make sure you fully charge them all. Then follow this checklist:
- Check the head snaps on and the eyes light up blue.
- Check all the TagTiles are in each box. There is a guide inside the cover or on the back of the box.
- Check the map.
- Run this simple program to check KUBO is fully operational.
Ideas to get started
If your students are new to KUBO, the Coding License on the KUBO website is a great place to start. It guides students through how to use KUBO and builds the foundations of computational thinking. In step-by-step activities, it introduces concepts such as Routes, Functions, Subroutines, and Loops.
For more experienced users there are lots of inspirational ideas on the KUBO website but here are some suggestions of activities for the new term.
The KUBO Memory Game
Get those memories working and ready to learn again after the long holidays.
Students work in small groups, each group needs one KUBO Coding set.
Part 1
Choose one student to record the function as the game progresses, but the other students must not be able to see the TagTiles®.
The other students take turns to verbally add to KUBO’s function.
For example,
Student 1 suggests KUBO’s first move. “KUBO’s going on a Journey. KUBO goes straight on”
Student 2 has to repeat student 1’s move and then add another. “KUBO’s going on a Journey. KUBO goes straight on, then turns left”
Student 3 has to repeat everything that student 2 said and then add another move. “KUBO’s going on a Journey. KUBO goes straight on, turns left, then turns right”
They continue to take turns until they can no longer remember all the steps! The player recording the function with TagTiles can check each time.
Part 2
Using the function that has been recorded during part 1 all the students have to agree on a starting point on the KUBO map and mark it with the play TagTile. All students need to use the function to predict where they think KUBO will end, mark this with a sticky note. Once they have all predicted a square, use KUBO to record, then play the function and see who predicted correctly.
Speed routes
Here is another activity. Who can code the quickest and most accurately?
Students work in small groups, each group needs one KUBO Coding set and two small counters or sticky notes.
Start by sharing the TagTiles out equally between all students. One student chooses a starting and finishing point on the map (these should be close to each other).
The students then have to build an algorithm to get KUBO to move between these two points as fast as they can (without putting any TagTiles on the map).
The students then compare their algorithms and then test them. The winner is the first successful algorithm.
The game can then be repeated with a different student choosing the starting and finishing point.
Want to try out more activities with KUBO? Go to ‘More Great Ideas’ and explore the many ways to teach coding with KUBO as well as other curriculum subjects you can tackle at the same time.
Enjoy the new school year!
Originally published by KUBO Robots
By: Nicola Kleiser
Education Technology Consultant.
Crewe, United Kingdom
