Little Inventors · R08-U3 · usually age 8, any age welcome
Robot Instructions
Use picture cards to move the robot to the star. An adult guide is at the bottom of the page.
For the adult: level 8
What's new: Sense, then decide. The wall card feels ahead: wall? turn right; no wall? go forward. Only one card fits, so the robot has to decide for itself. The turn uses one go of the count: ×8 here, not ×7.
It practises: Choose between two actions with 'if … else'.
Part of: R08-U3 Robots That Respond. See it in the robotics pathway (opens a new tab)
How to play: Tap a card to add it. Tap a placed card to choose it, then swap, count or remove it. The play button runs the robot and becomes a stop button; the step button goes one card at a time; the circle arrow brings the robot back; the flag lets the child guess where it will stop before running; undo reverses the last change. Every level is open: let a ready child move on.
Before the screen (human robot maze): mark a grid on the floor with tape. One child is the robot and takes one square per card; turn cards mean turning on the spot. Agree which way is "up" (for example, towards the door). The adult can say "stop" at any time. Keep the area clear, walk slowly, no blindfolds.
Ask, don't tell: "Where do you think it will stop?" "Which card made it bump?" "Can you do it with fewer cards?"
What comes next: Robot Blocks (Robot Explorers) programs the same robot with blocks: a repeat that holds several blocks, repeat until, if … else and a distance threshold. Move on when the child is ready, at any age.
Nothing is saved. The ticks show what was solved during this visit only. They are not a score.