Bee Bots: Creating a Buzz with STEM

HEF is propelling STEM to a whole new engagement level. Thanks to a 2013-14 HEF grant, some of our District first and second graders are using compelling bee-shaped robots to learn basic computer programming skills. As they navigate the busy curriculum of first and second grade, Glen Lake students will pilot the use of Bee-Bots Robots, introducing them to critical logic, sequencing, and problem solving skills. After students enter simple directional commands, the Bees follow logical pathways to reaching a specific destination.

Bee-Bots can be used for a host of educationally exciting projects: creating and following a detailed sequence of events in a story, reinforcing vocabulary words, counting money, creating mazes and obstacle courses, understanding directionality… the Bots’ uses are limitless, exciting, and fun.

It’s a safe bet that these young students may not ‘bee’ ready for a detailed discussion of critical thinking, real-life applications, or hands-on learning, but these are the very skill sets they’ll be working on with these exciting and age appropriate robots.