Arduino Learning Studiorobotics pathway

R06-U3 · usually age 6 · Little Inventors

Robot Instructions

How can we tell a robot what to do?

Pilot unit plan · 4 sessions · not yet classroom-validated

Build: Human robot maze

How to tell a robot what to do: a classmate is the robot in a floor maze, moved one step at a time by arrow cards. Children lay a sequence of cards, test it with the robot, find the wrong card and fix it, then meet the robot's own turns. Robot Instructions, a picture-card activity in the studio, comes in briefly at its levels 1–3 and levels 4–5.

  • Decide
  • Test and debug

Who it is for

Age is a starting point, never a limit. A learner who can show what this unit starts from can begin here at any age.

How they learn
By making, moving and playing: ramps, wheels, levers, a classmate acting as a robot. Pictures and arrows instead of words; no code text.
The adult's role
An adult leads every session and prepares anything powered. Children never handle loose batteries, sharp tools or hot parts.
Session
45–60 minutes
Hardware
No controller needed: cardboard, wheels, gears; optional enclosed low-voltage modules. The adult prepares or checks any wiring. No loose batteries, coin cells, small magnets, sharp tools or hot parts.

Starts from

Nothing: this is a starting point of the pathway.

Builds, and what it is the input for

In the studio today

Sessions

  1. Session 1 · 45 min

    Can a robot follow my arrows?

    A sequence: instructions in order, one card for one step. The arrows point the way across the floor grid, and the robot always faces the front wall, so it steps sideways for a side arrow.

    The adult says first: “You are the robot. One card, one step. Walk slowly. Say “Stop!” any time.”

    Picture cards for the children (symbols and drawings; they read nothing)

    1. ↑ — picture: a child stepping towards the front wall
    2. → — picture: a child stepping sideways to the right
    3. ↓ — picture: a child taking a small step backwards
    4. ← — picture: a child stepping sideways to the left
    5. ★ — picture: the star on the floor grid
    6. ⛔ — picture: a raised hand: stop

    Key words (said aloud, pointing to the card): arrow · step · stop

    Timing (0 of 45 min at the screen)

    1. 10 minAway from the screen: The adult is the robot: walking pace, the stop card, always facing the front wall.
    2. 25 minAway from the screen: One robot at a time; a partner lays the arrow cards beside the grid.
    3. 10 minAway from the screen: Sit together: the adult shows a row that worked and a row that went wrong.

    In the studio

    No studio lab: this session is off-screen.

    Hands-on

    Nothing is powered. Before the session the adult tapes a grid of squares on a clear floor (one big step each), presses every tape edge flat and tapes a paper star flat on one square. First the adult is the robot and shows walking pace and the stop card. Then children take turns as the robot, one robot on the grid at a time, always facing the front wall; everyone else sits outside the grid's edge. A partner lays arrow cards in a row beside the grid, never on the walking squares (↑ one step towards the front wall, → one step to the right, ↓ one small step back, with the adult standing behind the robot, ← one step to the left), and the adult reads the row aloud card by card while the robot steps.

    Evidence to collect

    The adult's note of which children laid a row of cards that reached the star, and a photo of one such card row on the floor (cards only).

    Predict
    Before the robot moves, the partner points to the square they think the robot will end on.
    Debug
    If the robot ends on the wrong square, walk the row again slowly and stop at the first card where the robot leaves the path.
    Reflect
    Why does the robot need one card for every step?

    ⚠ Adult checks: Maze: a clear floor with the tape edges pressed flat, walking pace, no blindfolds. The robot child can always say “Stop!” or hold up the stop card, and the game stops at once. One robot on the grid at a time; everyone else sits outside its edge. Cards are laid beside the grid, never on the walking squares. Steps backwards are small, with the adult behind the robot.

    Works towards: Ordering steps

  2. Session 2 · 50 min

    What if the robot goes the wrong way?

    Test, find the wrong card, fix it, test again. The same idea in Robot Instructions, level 1 “Straight to the star”, level 2 “Round the corner”, level 3 “Past the box”: arrow cards, a robot on a grid, and a run that shows where a card goes wrong.

    The adult says first: “Something is wrong. Let's find the wrong card, swap it, then test again.”

    Picture cards for the children (symbols and drawings; they read nothing)

    1. ✗ — picture: a red cross on one card in a row
    2. ⇄ — picture: two cards being swapped
    3. ✓ ★ — picture: the robot standing on the star

    Key words (said aloud, pointing to the card): test · fix

    Timing (10 of 50 min at the screen)

    1. 10 minAway from the screen: The adult's row with one wrong card: walk it, find the card, swap it, walk again.
    2. 20 minAway from the screen: Pairs lay their own rows to a new star; the robot walks each one.
    3. 10 minAt the screen: Robot Instructions levels 1–3, one shared device, turns.
    4. 10 minAway from the screen: Back on the floor: each pair shows the card they fixed today.

    Hands-on

    Nothing is powered. Beside the floor grid, the adult lays a card row with one wrong card in it. The robot walks it and misses the star; the children find the wrong card and swap it, and the robot walks it again. Pairs then lay their own rows beside the grid for a new star square, one robot on the grid at a time. Then, for ten minutes at one shared tablet or computer, the adult opens Robot Instructions at level 1 and children take turns tapping cards in level 1 “Straight to the star”, level 2 “Round the corner”, level 3 “Past the box”, one level per child or pair, guessing before each run.

    Evidence to collect

    The adult's note of which children found and swapped a wrong card on the floor, and which on screen.

    Predict
    Before each run, on the floor or on screen, the children point to where the robot will stop.
    Debug
    If the robot bumps or misses the star, run it one card at a time and stop at the first card that leaves the path.
    Reflect
    How did you find the wrong card, and how did you know your fix worked?

    ⚠ Adult checks: Maze: a clear floor with the tape edges pressed flat, walking pace, no blindfolds. The robot child can always say “Stop!” or hold up the stop card, and the game stops at once. One robot on the grid at a time; everyone else sits outside its edge. Cards are laid beside the grid, never on the walking squares. Steps backwards are small, with the adult behind the robot. The screen part is ten minutes at most, on one shared device.

    Works towards: Ordering steps, Try again

  3. Session 3 · 50 min

    Can the robot turn?

    A real robot moves the way its face points. The robot's own cards: ⬆ forward one step, ↰ turn left on the spot, ↱ turn right on the spot. Turning does not move it. Then Robot Instructions, level 4 “The robot's own turns”, level 5 “Up the stairs”.

    The adult says first: “Now the robot turns. Turning does not move it. Face the same way and try.”

    Picture cards for the children (symbols and drawings; they read nothing)

    1. ⬆ — picture: a child stepping the way their face points
    2. ↰ — picture: a child turning left on the spot
    3. ↱ — picture: a child turning right on the spot

    Key words (said aloud, pointing to the card): forward · turn left · turn right

    Timing (10 of 50 min at the screen)

    1. 10 minAway from the screen: Stand up: turn left, turn right and forward, all together.
    2. 20 minAway from the screen: The floor grid with the robot's own cards: lay the row, walk it, fix it.
    3. 10 minAt the screen: Robot Instructions levels 4–5, one shared device, turns.
    4. 10 minAway from the screen: Sit together: show one row with a turn in it.

    Hands-on

    Nothing is powered. Everyone stands up in their own space and faces the same way; the adult holds up ↰ and ↱ and everyone turns on the spot together, then ⬆ and everyone takes one step the way they face. On the floor grid, one robot at a time now uses only these three cards, and a partner lays the row to the star beside the grid. Then, for ten minutes at one shared tablet or computer, the adult opens Robot Instructions at level 4 and children take turns in level 4 “The robot's own turns”, level 5 “Up the stairs”, one level per child or pair; level 5 is a stretch, for a child or pair who finished level 4 easily.

    Evidence to collect

    The adult's note of which children laid a row with a turn that reached the star, on the floor and on screen.

    Predict
    Before a turn card is walked, the children point to which wall the robot will face next.
    Debug
    If the robot steps the wrong way after a turn, stand behind it, face the same way, and turn together.
    Reflect
    What is different about the robot's own cards and the arrow cards?

    ⚠ Adult checks: Maze: a clear floor with the tape edges pressed flat, walking pace, no blindfolds. The robot child can always say “Stop!” or hold up the stop card, and the game stops at once. One robot on the grid at a time; everyone else sits outside its edge. Cards are laid beside the grid, never on the walking squares. Steps backwards are small, with the adult behind the robot. Turns are made on the spot, slowly; the screen part is ten minutes at most.

    Works towards: Ordering steps, Try again

  4. Session 4 · 50 min

    Can I give, test and fix my own instructions?

    A clear instruction sequence of their own: a pair lays the cards, the robot walks it, they change one card if it goes wrong, and test again.

    The adult says first: “Give the robot your cards. Test them. Fix one card if you need to.”

    Picture cards for the children (symbols and drawings; they read nothing)

    1. ↑ → → — picture: a pair's row of cards on the floor
    2. 🚫 — picture: a no-go card taped on one square: go round it
    3. ⇄ — picture: one card being changed
    4. ✓ ★ — picture: the robot standing on the star

    Key words (said aloud, pointing to the card): give · test · fix

    Timing (0 of 50 min at the screen)

    1. 10 minAway from the screen: The new star and the no-go card: each pair plans its row.
    2. 30 minAway from the screen: Each pair gives, tests and fixes its row with the robot.
    3. 10 minAway from the screen: The adult photographs the rows, no children in the frame, and notes each change.

    In the studio

    No studio lab: this session is off-screen.

    Hands-on

    Nothing is powered. The adult moves the star to a new square and tapes a no-go picture card flat on one square: the robot goes round it and never steps on it. Each pair chooses arrow cards or the robot's own cards, lays their row beside the grid, and the adult reads it aloud card by card while the robot walks, one robot on the grid at a time. If a card would take the robot onto the no-go square, the robot stops before it. If the robot misses the star or stops at the no-go card, the pair changes one card and tests again. The adult photographs each pair's first row and their fixed row (cards only).

    Evidence to collect

    The unit's evidence: each pair gives, tests and revises a clear instruction sequence for the robot until it ends on the star, shown to the adult; kept as the adult's note of the change they made and photos of the first and the revised card rows, never of the children.

    Predict
    Before the robot walks, the pair points to the square where their row will make it stop.
    Debug
    If the row goes wrong, the pair walks beside the robot and points to the first card where it left the path.
    Reflect
    Which card did you change, and why did your new row work?

    ⚠ Adult checks: Maze: a clear floor with the tape edges pressed flat, walking pace, no blindfolds. The robot child can always say “Stop!” or hold up the stop card, and the game stops at once. One robot on the grid at a time; everyone else sits outside its edge. Cards are laid beside the grid, never on the walking squares. Steps backwards are small, with the adult behind the robot. Photos are of the build only, taken by the adult on the setting's device, following its photo policy: no child in the frame, no names visible, the build on the table or floor, not in a hand. Nothing is uploaded to this studio and no name goes into it; the adult's notes follow the setting's records policy.

    Works towards: Ordering steps, Try again

Materials

  • Per group of up to six: a big cardboard box of prepared parts (pre-cut by the adult), masking tape, glue sticks, crayons and large sheets of paper for drawings
  • Small scissors with rounded, blunt ends for every child, with left-handed pairs
  • The adult's picture cards for the session, drawn large (drawn by hand today; printable cards are planned)
  • Masking tape for a floor grid of big-step squares on a clear floor (every edge pressed flat), a paper star and a no-go picture card, both taped flat
  • Arrow cards and the robot's own cards, drawn large by the adult; a stop card
  • One tablet or computer with a web browser, shared, for Robot Instructions in sessions 2 and 3

⚠ Safety before any session

  • Nothing in these units is powered: no batteries, no plugs, no controller. Every machine is pushed, pulled or turned by hand.
  • Maze: a clear floor with the tape edges pressed flat, walking pace, no blindfolds. The robot child can always say “Stop!” or hold up the stop card, and the game stops at once.
  • One robot on the grid at a time; everyone else sits outside its edge. Cards are laid beside the grid, never on the walking squares. Steps backwards are small, with the adult behind the robot.
  • Small parts: nothing loose, or that could come off, that fits inside the small-parts cylinder (31.70 mm wide, 57.10 mm long). No beads, marbles, buttons, small magnets or coin cells. If in doubt, leave it out.
  • Scissors: only small scissors with rounded, blunt ends, used sitting down, with left-handed scissors for left-handed children. Children cut paper and thin card only.
  • No craft knives, box cutters or pointed scissors near the children: the adult cuts thick card before the session, away from them, and only the adult makes holes (see the hole rule).
  • Photos are of the build only, taken by the adult on the setting's device, following its photo policy: no child in the frame, no names visible, the build on the table or floor, not in a hand.
  • Nothing is uploaded to this studio and no name goes into it; the adult's notes follow the setting's records policy.
Safety for every band
  • Low voltage only: battery packs or USB. Never mains electricity.
  • Never connect a motor straight to a controller pin: use a driver and a separate supply.
  • Every moving robot has a power-off switch within reach that cuts the motor battery (or all power). A software stop button is extra, never a replacement.
  • No coin or button cells and no loose small magnets; battery compartments screwed shut.
  • Guard wheels and moving parts against pinched fingers; keep robots slow and indoors.
  • No exposed lithium cells, improvised chargers or lasers.
  • No Li-ion, LiPo or RC packs: AA alkaline or NiMH cells in a closed holder with a switch, or USB.
  • Check polarity and voltage before power-on; a 3.3 V board must not receive 5 V signals.

Notes for the adult

  • Say each step aloud: your words come first. The children read nothing. Each session's picture cards show symbols and drawings only; say the key word as you point to its card.
  • These plans assume one adult for up to six children. The adult leads every step, prepares every cut before the session, makes every hole (by the hole rule) and keeps the craft box and the split pins.
  • With a whole class, run a carousel: one station of up to six children run by the adult, and independent stations within the adult's sight where the others have a defined task with no scissors, split pins or ramps (each plan's “Whole class:” note names them). Groups swap until every child has been at the adult's station.
  • Whole class: the floor grid and the screen stay at the adult's station, one robot at a time. The independent stations are drawing an arrow path to a star on a paper grid with crayons, and laying arrow cards on a table-top grid for a large soft toy robot.
  • Inclusion: every child takes part. Mobility: a child can show a movement their own way (hands, arms or a large soft toy), be the robot on big, clear squares in a wheelchair, lay the cards or give the instructions, or move a large soft toy across a table-top grid. Vision: large, high-contrast or tactile picture cards (raised outlines). Hearing: say each key word and point to its card at the same time, facing the child. Left-handed children get left-handed scissors with rounded ends.
  • In the maze, a child who uses a wheelchair can be the robot on big, clear squares, lay the cards, give the instructions, or move a large soft toy robot across a table-top grid; every role counts as taking part.
  • Evidence is showing and telling: a demonstration, a photo of the build (never of a child, no names visible) or a drawing that you keep, or your own short note. No names in the studio, no scores, no uploads.
  • The CPSC's small-parts rule is written for toys for children under 3, and it exempts paper and writing materials such as crayons (16 CFR 1501.3, quoted). These plans apply its cylinder check to the loose objects children handle, and to anything that could come off, a stricter planning choice: groups mix ages and younger visitors come in. Paper and crayons stay in use; the adult collects glue-stick caps and crayon stubs at the end of each session.
  • Screen time is minimal: only Robot Instructions uses a screen, for at most 10 minutes in a session, on one shared tablet or computer. Every other part of every session is away from the screen.
  • Clear the floor before the maze: bags, chairs and loose cards away. The HSE says most trips are caused by things left in walkways.
  • Robot Instructions saves nothing and needs no reading. It never replaces the floor robot: a child's own walked row is the evidence.
  • Children may draw their own arrow cards on pre-cut card, or cut out arrow shapes drawn with thick lines, using rounded-end scissors.
  • Readiness decides, not age: a child who already gives, tests and fixes a row of cards has what R08-U2 needs from this unit, where Robot Instructions' later levels add repeats.

Planned studio features

Not built yet. The unit runs without them.

  • Printable picture cards: the four arrows, the robot's own cards, the stop card and the star.
  • A printable floor-grid guide for the adult: square size, star and no-go card positions for each session.

Sources

The facts this plan relies on, in each source's own words.

  • UK HSE: Slips and trips, causes and prevention: overview
    “The majority of trips are caused by obstructions in walkways. … It is not just good enough to have a walkway, it must be kept clear, no trailing wires, no obstructions.”
  • US CPSC: Child Safety: Summary Information for Small Parts, 16 C.F.R. Part 1501
    “A small part is any object that fits completely into a specially designed test cylinder 2.25 inches /57.10mm long by 1.25 inches /31.70 mm wide that approximates the size of the fully expanded throat of a child under three years old. … A piece of a toy or article that breaks off during testing that simulates use or abuse by children. … Toys and games that are or contain small parts as manufactured and that are intended for use by children from 3 to 6 years old must be labeled to warn purchasers not to buy them for children under 3 years old because those children could choke on the small parts. Marbles, small balls, and balloons require similar warnings.”
  • US eCFR, 16 CFR 1501 (a CPSC rule): Method for identifying toys and other articles intended for use by children under 3 years of age which present choking, aspiration, or ingestion hazards because of small parts
    “This regulation does not apply to toys or articles which are solely intended for use by children 3 years of age or older. … The following articles are exempt from this regulation … Books and other articles made of paper; … Writing materials such as crayons, chalk, pencils, and pens; … Any components or pieces (excluding paper, fabric, yarn, fuzz, elastic, and string) which have become detached from the article as a result of the use and abuse testing shall be placed into the cylinder, one at a time.”
  • NHS (Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust): Scissor Skills
    “Children may have the skills to use small scissors by three to four years of age, but scissor skills are not fully developed until 6 years of age. … Children will need supervision for sharp scissors. Make sure that scissors have rounded rather than pointy ends for safety. … Always provide left handed scissors for left handed children. … Start with thick solid lines to cut.”