Mars Month: Build a Rover with Remote Control Machines: Space Explorers
Remote Control Machines: Space Explorers is an engineering, robotics, & science kit that allows kids to build and control their own machines.
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Tag: Robotics
Geek Links: ECOVACS Deebot M88 Floor Cleaning Robot – Exclusive 15% Discount
Reading Time: 1 minute Geek Links are cool stories that we’ve found elsewhere on the internet that we think our readers will love too. ECOVACS Deebot M88 Floor Cleaning Robot vacuums, sweeps and mops your floors.Image Credit: Ecovacs Vacuum, sweep, and mop your floor without doing more than downloading a smartphone app. Deebot M88 is […]
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Cubetto Is Back: Register to Win!
Reading Time: 1 minute My daughter watches Cubetto play out its programming. Photo: Jonathan H. Liu Cubetto is two years old! This little robot teaches preschoolers how to program in a Logo-style language without a screen. Kids use programming blocks plugged into a special base to make Cubetto turn and move. There are a variety […]
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Let Your Pre-Readers Program Too
Dash & Dot have been around for a little while, but their new Wonder programming app makes it easier for your pre-readers to program. There is also a robotics competition!
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Starting From Scratch: Developing Interest
In my experience, it is nearly impossible to teach a child something they’re not interested in learning. Before I begin discussing codes and programming languages, I wanted to get my son interested in the subject at a surface level.
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Modular Robotics Makes Building Robots Simple and Fun With MOSS
MOSS is a system of blocks and spheres that can be connected magnetically to create robots right out of the box, no knowledge of electronics or programming necessary.
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Extrageektacular Activities: Rolling Robots
Extrageektacular Activities: Encouraging your child’s interest in STEM at Rolling Robots.
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World's Largest Walking Robot is a Dragon
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this fire-breathing dragon is the world’s largest walking robot.
Continue ReadingEV3 Review: The Lego Robot
This is a toy that teaches kids (age 10+) programming and engineering skills. It allows exploration of robotics concepts without needing to understand electrical engineering or advanced programming, but it isn’t dumbed down to the point that it becomes boring for older kids or even adults. In fact, the GeekMoms and GeekDads can’t resist a good Lego robot building challenge.
Continue ReadingDon't Miss Maker Faire Kansas City
Kansas City is actually a pretty cool place to be a maker. It’s one of a few locations of the larger “featured” Maker Faires. The other locations are Detroit, Newcastle (UK), Rome, and Tokyo. It’s still about one tenth the size of the World Maker Faire in New York, but over 10,000 attendees is still not bad. If you’re in the midwest, it’s worth the drive.
Continue ReadingMotherboards and Daughtercards: Build a Computer With Your Kid
So when our ancient PC stopped working this winter, I knew that I wasn’t going to build another computer. She was.
Continue ReadingGive Kids Arduino Adventures
Arduino Adventures: Escape from Gemini Station is a great introduction to Arduino robotics projects for kids (and adults who want an easy starting point.) The book was written by James Floyd Kelly and Harold Timmis and published by Apress.
Continue ReadingNew Lego EV3 Mindstorms Hands On
Get hands-on with the new Lego EV3.
Continue ReadingLearn Robotics With GeekMom Kathy’s Simple Projects Book
What are robots? How are they being used in the world today? How can kids make their own working robots? Where can you find parts? All this and more is covered in the book Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future by GeekMom Senior Editor Kathy Ceceri.
Continue Reading4-H Is 4 Geeks
One of the biggest myths I hear about 4-His that it’s only for farming families. While it’s completely true that the organization was set up as a tool to promote “modern” farming methods through after-school agriculture clubs, that’s not the whole picture. There’s still a lot of farming in 4-H, yes, but there’s also a lot of science and art. In fact, there are even rockets and robots.
Continue ReadingPlaying With Lego Mindstorms at FIRST Place Robotics Camp
FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” and is part of Dean Kamen’s mission to promote his own love of science and technology. One of his most well-known efforts is FIRST Lego League, which reaches kids as young as six years old.
Continue ReadingThe GeekMoms Podcast #25 First Lego League Global Innovation Award Winners Interview
This week I’m joined by two members of the First Lego League team Moderately Confused which recently won the Global Innovation Award. Arjun Kumar and Jacob Hoylman talk about how they got involved in First Lego League and the process that led to their team winning the $250,000 award to bring the team’s product to market.
Continue ReadingSparkFun Free Day Returns for Round Three With More Money And Different Rules
This Wednesday, January 11, is SparkFun Electronics’ third annual Free Day. If you’ve never participated before, you’re missing out on a lot of sparks and a lot of fun. What’s SparkFun? A great site where you can buy nearly 2,000 components and electronics. It’s like the RadioShack of the 21st century, if you think of […]
Continue ReadingMuse of Nerds: College Physics, Innovative Robotics, Homeschooling — Dr. McColgan Can Do It All!
For my Muse of Nerds this month, I’ll formally introduce you to someone I have talked about in the past: Dr. Michele McColgan of Siena College. I met her through our homeschooling group (she has two elementary-aged children) and she has introduced my kids to science, math, robots, computer programming, alternative energy, a Lego Robotics […]
Continue ReadingOur Adventures With Robotics: The Lego Mindstorm Kit
I have a daughter who wants to design robots. She used to want to be an astronaut, and now she thinks that maybe she’d still like to go into space, but “only for a year or so,” since she’s discovered it could be a dangerous job. I assured her that a career in robotics looks […]
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