tammyw Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Ds7 saw it at the mall and now wants to put it on his Christmas list. Dh said he would help. Ds7 (would be 7.5) has always loved snap circuits and such. Thoughts? Recommendations for something better for him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arboreal TJ Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 My 6 yr olds want it :-/ my guys rock Lego technics but I'm not so sure their reading skills are up to par for Mindstorms. It never hurts to try but if you have reservations you could try Lego WeDo. That's the route we plan to take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 My son got a Mindstorms NXT at 7. He was ready for it, but he still needed a great deal of help with it. As long as your DH is willing to help your son I think it would work. It does require an adult's help for the programming and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 DS has wanted Mindstorms since around the time he turned 6, but he and I have agreed that he'll start by playing with Scratch and working on Lego Technic kits, before we move up to Mindstorms. We are thinking age 8 or 9. We are also thinking of starting a Lego Robotics club to share the cost of the kit. (I confess, the price tag is part of what makes me shy away!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 My younger had the mindstorm NXT since he turn 7 and loves programming it. Now my boys are deciding between the mindstorm EV3 or Vex Robotics IQ since we can't afford to get both sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Those Technic kits look great. Maybe we should start with those and move up to the Mindstorms. Would that give him a better base for learning to do Mindstorms? We have the Scratch programming book also. They started working on it a while ago, but took a break. I'll need to prod them to start again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I would do WeDo instead. It's much easier to use. Some kids will be ready for the Mindstorms, but not most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 I would do WeDo instead. It's much easier to use. Some kids will be ready for the Mindstorms, but not most. Would you do WeDo instead of the Technics? This is an area I'm just not well versed in, but sounds like i need to be :) And do you happen to have a link for what you'd specifically recommend? I'm embarrassed to be slightly confused! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Yeah, if you look at the model instructions that come with it, nevermind the challenges in the First Lego League, they tend to need a good amount of savvy with the pieces that move relative to each other, and the characteristic Technic connections and stuff. And for the programming, I've tried to explain if-then statements and loops, but I think he's going to want to practice that stuff in the context of Scratch before he gets frustrated programming his robot. I'm sure we could do it together if we got it now, but I don't mind waiting and giving him time to be able to really own it as something he can do independently. There are plenty of other toys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Would you do WeDo instead of the Technics? This is an area I'm just not well versed in, but sounds like i need to be :) And do you happen to have a link for what you'd specifically recommend? I'm embarrassed to be slightly confused! Lego Technic is more advanced building models with pieces that move, but you have to move most of them. There are a few motorized ones, but not programmable. They tend to be aimed for the 9 and up crowd. Lego WeDo is programmable and motorized building kits, but aimed at the 7 and up crowd. The models are simpler and It looks like the programming is less feature-rich than Mindstorms. There used to be another Lego robotics with simple programming, I forget what it was called but it was these spy cars with missions. We bought one on eBay for DS when he was 6. That's another "intermediate" option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Would you do WeDo instead of the Technics? This is an area I'm just not well versed in, but sounds like i need to be :) And do you happen to have a link for what you'd specifically recommend? I'm embarrassed to be slightly confused! Lego WeDo http://education.lego.com/en-us/lego-education-product-database/wedo/9580-lego-education-wedo-construction-set http://education.lego.com/en-us/lego-education-product-database/wedo/9585-lego-education-wedo-resource-set Scratch programming skills would help as mindstorm is also drag and drop programming. My 7 year old program direct on the intelligent brick most of the time though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 This as a one pack? http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/product/lego_education_wedo_construction_set/2096 I wish there were reviews on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 This as a one pack? http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/product/lego_education_wedo_construction_set/2096 I wish there were reviews on this. These old threads might help http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/328956-lego-wedo-educational-product/ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/231393-anyone-got-the-wedo-lego-education-set/ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/405650-lego-wedo-vs-jumping-right-in-with-mindstorms/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Would you do WeDo instead of the Technics? This is an area I'm just not well versed in, but sounds like i need to be :) And do you happen to have a link for what you'd specifically recommend? I'm embarrassed to be slightly confused! I think it depends on your son and his interest level. My boys did not like WeDo that much. They got bored with it very quickly. The technic kits, Scratch, and Mindstorm have gotten much more use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 I think it depends on your son and his interest level. My boys did not like WeDo that much. They got bored with it very quickly. The technic kits, Scratch, and Mindstorm have gotten much more use. Thanks Jilly. Can you recommend a Technic kit to start with? What age did you start using Mindstorms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I'm looking at a Mindstorm kit for my kids - 11 and 12. For my kids, I think any younger and they wouldn't have enjoyed them all that much. They like to work on stuff like this independently, so they wouldn't love the sitting and mentoring of a parent. It would irritate them to have to wait on a parent to really, really play with a toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 This as a one pack? http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/product/lego_education_wedo_construction_set/2096 I wish there were reviews on this. You need that plus the software pack: http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/product/lego_education_wedo_software_v1_2_and_activity_pack/2239 My son is 5.5 and LOVES his We-Do set. He can do it completely by himself and that gives him so much confidence. He was already quite familiar with gears and building with these types of pieces, but the sensors and the computer programming were completely new to him. He builds all sorts of creations above and beyond the sample designs. It doesn't come with that many pieces, so we added this set from Rainbow resource: http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/001150/418a32b7bed2f91e509b4546 It gives you more gears and blocks so you can expand your designs. There is a version of Scratch that is compatible with We-Do. Once we have spent more time using the Lego software, we plan to install Scratch. I think We-Do is an excellent kit for starting kids on programming. I think the price tag is the main reason more people don't own it, and why there aren't a lot of reviews. If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjdan Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 My son does Lego robotics at his Charter School, and they use WeDo for grade 1-3. It's designed for that age to be able to do independently. They work in small groups (3-4), but are able to do them completely on their own. So far they've made dancing birds, drumming monkeys, roaring lions, etc. He loves doing it- if he wasn't doing it there, I'd buy it for home (we do a charter school for homeschoolers that meets 2 days a week for elective-type classes). The real issue is does he want to do it himself- if so, the mindstorms are probably a little too much. WeDo is made for kids at that age to do independently- mindstorms is for kids quite a bit older. Maybe if you know someone with one you can borrow it to see if he can do it himself? Or is it going to be a parent-child project? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlowefamily Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 If you are thinking of having your kids participate in lego league robotics competitions: - Junior Lego League is fine for 2nd-3rd grade and allows for wedo projects (coach deals with age issues), but can be completed just with lots of regular blocks, technics, and technic compatible motors. You can never have enough technic pieces...they are used extensively in later age mindstorm projects. We bought WeDo kits but never used them. - First Lego League is a bit of a challenge for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade, but if the kids keep at it - they hit their stride by grade 6 and should be able to win awards by grade 7/8. You want multiple robots and solid group (FLL is as much about teaching team skills as robotics).....if you don't have any yet, get the EV3 rather than the NXT. - First Robotic Challenge is for high school - My kids haven't gotten this far yet. At some point in FLL, it appears that it is a good idea to expose the kids to more than just lego programming....code academy or embedded arduino microprocessor mounted on a bread board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Thanks Jilly. Can you recommend a Technic kit to start with? What age did you start using Mindstorms? We had several Lego Technic kits. It's been a while, but I believe they had a tractor and a garbage truck. I know they vary in difficulty, so I would most likely start with a kit for ages 8 and up. We also had this set from Lego Education which my kids enjoyed. My oldest son got his first Mindstorm at 7 1/2. He needed his Grandpa's help with it for a fairly long time (6 months or so). I know they worked through this book to help them figure everything out. After he got the hang of it he used it for a long time. Even now he will pull it out every once in a while to mess around with it, so it was well worth the price to me. If your son is very interested in robots, legos, building, and/or computer programming he will probably enjoy this. Also I strongly recommend Scratch (as others have said) for kids with these interests. All three of my kids love Scratch and have learned so much from it. ETA - I wanted to add that your son may enjoy WeDo. I believe my boy's didn't like it because they already had the Mindstorm, so it seemed boring to them. WeDo wasn't out when my oldest was younger which is why he didn't have it first. By the time I purchased the WeDo for my youngest he had already messed around with his brother's Mindstorm a bit, so it was a disappointment to him. It may not have been that way if we had started out with the WeDo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 We have Lego Mindstorms EV3 educator kit.. There are several predesigned robots to build with the set before you create them fully on your own. With some adult assistance I think a 7 year old who is highly interested could work with them just fine. Without adult assistance I think it would be too much. Homeschool Buyers Co-op occasionally offers deals on these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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