A multi-sensory, rechargeable robot, which will captivate young children’s interests as they plan its illuminated journey, whilst laying firm technological foundation skills.
This highly engaging robot has simple, clear and literal button controls that are, when pressed, textured and colourful. They also illuminate and create sounds, enabling the child to explore cause and effect. Suitable for 10mths+.
This charming and magical character, merges awe and wonder with technology. It also appeals to children’s natural sense of curiosity. What will they discover as they explore the possibilities? The different modes allows you to switch it to different settings, removing the sound effects. You can have it on dance mode where the children can move about, mimicking the robot’s actions. It can be limited to single movements or to a string of ten commands. Will it go forwards, backwards, sideways or rotate? The children can speculate, test and evaluate how to get it to a specific destination or just explore freely. It is great for learning about stimulus-response and recognising that if a specific button is pressed, it will cause a reaction. This robot is pre Bee-Bot as the controls are so literal, merely press the arrow buttons to choose a direction. This is part of a technological journey where key skills are developed and foundations for understanding are laid down. It is developmentally aligned to young children’s needs, skills and interests. The children will play with the Bot in many ways. Some will just enjoy pushing the buttons and seeing them light up, whilst others will plan amazing adventures. They will estimate how many times they need to press a button in order to land on a specified destination. This will really support mathematical skills. It can be used individually or collaboratively.
The children start to relate to the colours, lights, sounds, textures, and movements together. We had two moving in a sequence, in unison and then had a quartet who all glowed and moved in a synchronised way together. The children can follow the movements using their gross motor skills as well as their fine motor skills to press the button (see video). The cheerful, lively music encourages the children to have fun and move freely. We made some mirrored spots to throw on the floor. (Sold separately.) This helps with sequencing journeys. What adventures will it go on? Will it help with prepositional as well as creative and narrative language? It may go through a cardboard tunnel and re-emerge the other side if the buttons are pressed sufficiently. Perhaps the children will take the Bot on story adventures relating to space, jungles, enchanted forests etc. How will they make the journey? Create your own landscapes, using small world items, buildings, trees, etc. You could also design various homes for it to live in, merging technology skills with creativity and design. This is such a great addition to your technology resources. It is designed to support those enquiring skills but offers so much more, enabling it to be also used by older children on their programming journey. The technology does not dominate but enhances and enriches the learning experience. It may go on a magical journey or remain stationary, just lighting up and playing individual sounds. It does not have to be about precise steps but more about experiential learning. It is created to be used indoors, whether on floors, smooth carpets, in giant trays, on the sequencing spots or in a Dark Den zone. The children can use the Glow Bricks and Blocks to make a mini area or circuit for it. Design pathways, roads by drawing on paper or with construction items. This is a carefully considered robot, having worked with early years specialists to ensure that key elements were featured. It offers simple activities yet allows more complex scenarios. It is cross-curricular and supports a range of schematic behaviours. The light effects in a darkened room create a sensory, magical effect. It is an engaging, versatile robot offering a wealth of learning opportunities. Inside use only. Not suitable for use with messy play materials e.g. sand Wipe clean with a damp cloth, USB cable included
Height:10 cm
Length:28.5 cm
Width:27 cm
Dimensions: H10 x W27 x L28.5cm
Age Range
suitable for 10 months+