Mom22ns Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I posted on the general board last week with questions about Mindstorms. We decided to go with the home version since it has quite a few more pieces. There are two sensors not included with it that are in the education kit, but they can be added later if needed. Now my question is, does anyone have a curriculum recommendation to use with this to turn it into a robotics course instead of just lets build and program this cool stuff. DH (a programmer) will be doing this with my 8th grade DS. DH has looked through all the stuff on the lego site and didn't find anything. The Carnegie Melon curriculum is over $200 to go with NXT. I sent him the link someone posted for the 4H curriculum, but from a quick look, I wasn't impressed with that. Does anyone have any other ideas or anything they used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freerange Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Always on the lookout for new Lego resources, so :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikemyhomeschool Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I've heard good things about The Mayan Adventure (and similar books). I've thought about getting them when we eventually get the set (we only have used WeDo so far). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 I've heard good things about The Mayan Adventure (and similar books). I've thought about getting them when we eventually get the set (we only have used WeDo so far). Wow, that really has good reviews on Amazon! Has anyone here ever used it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Where do you find the actual Mindstorms kits? I saw one at Amazon for $270, but I was :ack2: --that's quite the investment! Is that the only kit for getting started with Mindstorms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Yes. There is a homeschool kit available from Lego, but it is $345. It includes 2 more sensors than the consumer kit, but fewer building pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirstin Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Can someone start from the beginning and explain to me about Lego Curriculum. Is there really something more than just buying lego kits at the store and letting the boys build? There is curriculum? I would LOVE to know what all there is .... where do I go to learn more? My boys 9,7,and 5 would LOVE to do educational stuff with legos. OMGosh! Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbabe Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Here's a link to their homeschool products. http://www.legoeducation.us/store/default.aspx?pl=6&c=0&t=0&l=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Can someone start from the beginning and explain to me about Lego Curriculum. Is there really something more than just buying lego kits at the store and letting the boys build? There is curriculum? I would LOVE to know what all there is .... where do I go to learn more? My boys 9,7,and 5 would LOVE to do educational stuff with legos. OMGosh! Thanks for any help. I can't really start from the beginning and explain because I don't know enough. However, I can explain that Lego does robotics kits, not just construction kits. The kits designed for ages 7+ are called WeDO and I think that is where you would start. Lego Mindstorms are for ages 10+. Mindstorms have sensors, motors and can are programmable. There are clubs and competitions for Mindstorms to encourage older kids to learn robotics, engineering, and programming. There are some curriculum options to go with it, but finding the best to make it into a curriculum, not just a building project is my current mission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 Any other book or curriculum sources anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 There are a few other curriculum sources for LEGO MINDSTORMS. Here's a great blog for anything and everything NXT. http://www.thenxtstep.blogspot.com/ here's a curriculum resource. I haven't used it but will probably add it to my library soon. I have 4-5 NXT books. We are just starting LEGO Mayan adventure. I'd highly recommend that as a starting point. http://www.cafepress.com/domabotics Capt_Uhura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) When you start needing extra parts ... if you don't have a lot of LEGO Technic pieces around, I highly recommend LEGO Education's Education Resource set for the NXT. Unfortunately, the price has increased by $25-30 when I first by mine several years ago but it's worth it for the pieces you get. One little tidbit of info. If you start seeing erratic behaviour with your robot, it could be the batteries. Depending on what you're doing, as the batteries are drained, you get a few less rotation of the wheels etc so the robot stops doing exactly what it is supposed to do. I think most people if they really get into it, buy the rechargeable battery pack from LEGO Education. It mounts to the brick and you just plug in to charge. But be careful, most if not all of the building instructions assume folks are using batteries therefore you have to allow for the extra width of the brick when using the battery pack but you'll more stable performance from your robot. Edited January 6, 2011 by Capt_Uhura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 Thank you Capt, I appreciate the advice from a seasoned user. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 You're welcome! And if you get the DomaBotics workbook, be sure to post about your thoughts on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirstin Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Thanks for the info! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) Can someone start from the beginning and explain to me about Lego Curriculum. Is there really something more than just buying lego kits at the store and letting the boys build? There is curriculum? I would LOVE to know what all there is .... where do I go to learn more? My boys 9,7,and 5 would LOVE to do educational stuff with legos. OMGosh! Thanks for any help. LEGO Education is an entirely different company than LEGO. They are best known for WeDo Robotics and Mindstorms Robotics kits, however they have a wide variety of programs available. They provide LEGO curriculum kits and lesson plans for a variety of scientific topics, although they concentrate heavily in physics concepts. The lessons have a hands on building component as well as worksheets that teach concepts, encourage experimentation and require documentation. They have a lot of large classroom sets available. Some of those sets have a "home school" version with supplies for one or two students. It has been my experience that if you want something that is in a large group kit and you contact a sales representative personally, they have the ability to order the smaller quantities appropriate for home schools. My rep has also sent me curriculum samples - copies of a lesson and a copy of the teacher guide for that lesson. We purchase through them whenever possible. I find their web site difficult to navigate, so I recommend that you request a catalog. They are well laid out and have a specific section for home schools. Here are links to the LEGO education web site that will further link you to specific areas of interest: For preschool For lower primary - ages 4-7 For upper primary - ages 7-11 For secondary - ages 11-18 In addition to the kits, LEGO Education is a fantastic resource for individual LEGO parts. You may have heard some of us refer to FIRST LEGO League, or FLL. This is a competition that is an alliance between FIRST and The LEGO Group that at it's core is designed to get kids excited about science and technology. The teams utilize the NXT Robotics components while designing and programming a robot to perform a set of predetermined tasks within the time limit allowed. Additionally, teams complete a research project on the current FLL theme. At competition, teams are evaluated by judges in the areas of research, project presentation, technical design & programming and robot performance. Competition is awesome - there is a great atmosphere, similar to what you would find at a sporting event. FIRST has coined (and trade marked) the term "Sport for the mind." It is an excellent description of the season and the competition! A few years ago, FIRST started the Jr. FLL program for kids ages 6-9. I have not participated in this program, but I have gleaned that it is a program that emphasizes discovery. I know there is an exhibition, but I do not know if there is a competition. I believe this program will begin incorporating WeDo Robotics at some point in the future, but I don't know any details on that. Edited January 6, 2011 by TechWife add jr fll info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Wow, that really has good reviews on Amazon! Has anyone here ever used it? Yes - our FLL team has used it and it is very good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prim*rose Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I'm not sure if this is what you need, but I was just looking at this book the other day: http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Design-MINDSTORMS-Patterns-Competition/dp/1430229640/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294261033&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 The education kit also contains a rechargeable battery that is not in the retail kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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