With this new weekly feature, Ten Dollar Tuesdays, we will be tackling the budget question with programs you can run at your library for under $10. We’ll also address the interest and support questions by asking you to share your inexpensive STEM programs in the comments, and to let us know what kinds of feedback you’ve gotten when you’ve tried these or similar programs in your buildings!

Take It Apart

Cost: $0

Age range: tweens & teens

Group size: Up to 20, depending on materials

Staff amounts: 1

• Give kids an opportunity to explore how things work, how they’re put together, and what happens if they they take them apart.
• Ask for donations of broken appliances (no tube TVs or microwaves) and computers, supply tools, and let kids explore.
• Disassembling a PC is a great learning opportunity, and you don’t necessarily need to know a lot about computer hardware. I supplied printed diagrams for kids to match up the components, and I learned a lot from YouTube videos. You may need special screwdrivers for some of the screws on the computer case; our IT department was happy to let us borrow those, and a staff member even helped at the program
• Taking things apart can very exciting, so caution your tweens and teens not to get carried away and get scrapes or cuts on sharp parts
• Ask kids what similarities they saw, what surprised them, what parts they already knew about, and what they would like to learn more about
• After the program, you may be able to salvage some parts for a future craft program (another Ten Dollar Tuesday!), or check with your local recycling facility to see what they can accept.

Have you done a Take it Apart program? Share your experience with us!

• What is it?

Sphero is a sturdy, buoyant, waterproof, hard shelled ball that changes color and responds to commands via a handheld device – a smartphone or a tablet. At the most basic, Sphero can be used as a game controller for a number of downloaded games. But there are more complex functions that teach programming as well. It’s very sturdy and waterproof which makes me much more comfortable about handing it to a rambunctious teen or extremely eager toddler.

• What’s in the Box?

Sphero: what’s in the box

There’s the Sphero itself, an inductive charging base and plug, holder, and best of all — two ramps with rubberized feet. Pencil here for scale.

• How Much?

Sphero 2.0 retails for $129.99. The original Sphero is available for $79.99. Either can be purchased at a discount in an educator 10 pack.

• Age Range?

Game play and the pre-coding apps are friendly with kids as young as Kindergarten but Sphero is fun and useful for pretty much any age.

• How Did We Acquire it?

Purchased with ILEAD funds.

Ideas for Use

Sphero can be used just like you’d use any other gaming platform at the library. It’s really so much fun to play with. But for someone who wants to dig deeper into the technology angle with a more active approach, I like the way Sphero allows for scaffolding skills.

Begin by showing users the basic Sphero app. This introduces the capabilities of Sphero, couched within an origin story and a fun game. Then it’s easy to move on to apps that allow users to code without knowing they’re coding. Something like Sphero Draw ‘n Drive has users draw pictures on their handheld device, and then Sphero will act out the drawing that was created, changing direction, speed, and color just like the artist did while drawing. Beyond that, you can move to Sphero MacroDraw or MacroLab which give allow you to add different action components together to build programs, then give you real-time feedback on the macros that you program.

Time Involved

Sphero needs some time to charge, then you’ll need to download the apps you intend to use, and get your bluetooth connection up and running. Plan at least an hour of playing around with it before you introduce it to kids so you’re comfortable with the basic controls.

One-time or Recurring Program

Plenty here to expand into a recurring program.

Extension Activities

Once your kids have mastered the basics, there are lots of educational projects you can embark on, and another app, orBasic for Sphero, that delves deeper into the coding element. You could also use this in a more hands-on Maker program by creating mazes, obstacle courses, and challenge courses for Sphero to compete in.

Skills You Need

You need to be able to connect a device to the bluetooth on your handheld device.

Other Tools You Need

A bluetooth enabled tablet, smartphone, or iPod for each Sphero.

Good Stuff

It is SO MUCH FUN. The fun is really a huge draw for getting users to engage with it. And it’s SO EASY to begin. There are no necessary skills, beyond basic hand-eye coordination, to start having fun with it. If you’re going to jump in an purchase an Educator pack, I think that would be a good, long-lasting value.

Frustrations

The Bluetooth connection on my Android device was pretty fussy. It was much smoother when used with Apple products. I don’t know if this is a function of the Sphero or of my Xoom, but it happened.

It’s a pricier prospect. It works best as a one device per person project, but you could fairly easily construct your event so that two people share one Sphero. But beyond that, each Sphero must have a dedicated handheld device to control it. If your library already has iPads, you’re set. If your community has a 1:1 tablet program in schools, that should work too. Otherwise, this may be a significant limiter.

Ending Thoughts/Observations

I really like this device and think that there are lots of opportunities for fun, education, and expansion.

Overall Rating:

Have a ball! –But proceed with caution (solely due to the cost and additional tablet constraints).

• What is it? Squishy Circuits are a set that helps you explore circuits and electricity using dough.
• What’s in the Box? I used this set: http://squishycircuitsstore.com/kits.html
• How Much? $25.00 for one set, plus cost of supplies for dough.
• Age Range? Our program was for Grades 3 and up, but I think you could go as low as Kindergarten or 1st grade.
• How Did We Acquire it? My library purchased sets after I played with sets we acquired through the ILEADUSA grant funds.

What we did

I set up the Squishy Circuits as part of my library’s new “Library Makers” programs. We are focusing on different ways to incorporate the making movement and also STEAM initiatives. Additionally we are just hoping to try a lot of new programs. Our program was for grades 3 and up. We ended up with 3 kids, one in middle school and two third graders. All of our attendees were girls, which I thought was kind of great.

I set out the two squishy kits and the dough. I also printed out a bunch of the ideas for making circuits from the squishy circuits website: http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/apthomas/SquishyCircuits/

The kids just experimented with the kits. They had a very good time thinking creatively and it was an easy program to run.

Time Involved

It is pretty minimal. I just had to spend about a half hour making the dough and then another half hour playing with the circuits before the program.

One-time or Recurring Program

We set it up as a one-time program, but this could easily be repeated.

Skills Needed

Motor skills to work with the dough, the rest is easy.

Good Stuff

I really enjoyed running this program. I think there is a lot of value in programs with smaller numbers. You get to talk to the kids and see what they are thinking. Squishy circuits could be done with bigger groups, but some of the magic of this program was that it was a smaller group.

Frustrations

I had trouble with one of my doughs, it was overly sticky. But I think that was the bakers fault. Although the dough still worked for the circuit.

Ending Thoughts/Observations

Try Squishy Circuits, it really is very simple.

Overall Rating

Great, give it a go.

• What is it?

Cubelets are a modular robotics teaching tool and toy from the aptly named Modular Robotics. Color coded, cube shaped pieces attach to one another with magnets, enabling the user to quickly and easily build a variety of robots.

Cubelets KT06

• What’s in the Box?

The KT06 kit contains 2 rechargeable batteries, several “recipe” cards, a battery charging setup, and the following 6 cubes:

2 action cubes: drive and light

2 sensing cubes: brightness and distance

2 thinking cubes: power and passive

• How Much?

This kit retails for $159.95

• Age Range?

Cubelets are recommended for ages 4 and up. I had success engaging kids as young as four and as old as 8th grade, though the length of engagement varies.

• How Did We Acquire it?

We purchased it at full price with funds from our ILEAD USA grant. (Per their website, Modular Robotics does not offer discounts to educators or other groups.)

Ideas for Use

This set of Cubelets is a great tool for teaching the basic concepts of robotics to individuals or small groups. Specifically, this tool helps explain that a robot is a device that senses something and then responds to it in a pre-programmed way. It also demonstrates the specificity required in robotics: placement and orientation of the cubes matters, and the creation will act differently based on the arrangement of the pieces.

Time Involved

Charge up the batteries for a few hours and you’re good to go. There’s no additional prep time needed.

One-time or Recurring Program

While younger kids could have fun with Cubelets a number of times, the kit we purchased is limited in scope, so I wouldn’t count on engaging the same group with the same six cubes more that a few times. There’s little opportunity to build on the concepts presented without investing in more cubes.

That said, the cubes are extremely durable and nicely sized for small hands. In this way, they could be a standard introductory activity for any program that aims to build on these concepts. Also, they are just plain fun! Because they go together so quickly with such obvious visual results, they engage users young and old from the get-go. I took them to entice folks to visit the library’s table at the middle school registration night, and I had everyone from preschool aged siblings to “been there, done that” incoming 8th graders, to curious parents stopping by to make a Fraidy-Bot that runs away from you, or the inverse: a robot that follows your hand. There is a really appealing immediate gratification factor with Cubelets.

Extension Activities

This is a great tool to use as part of the explanatory process of a more complex robotics unit. There is a lot of potential for extension with the Cubelets themselves, but there are costs associated with them.

For an additional $14.95 we could purchase a brick adaptor, which would allow the Cubelets to be used with LEGO. For an additional $48.95 we could purchase a Bluetooth 2.0 cube, which would allow the Cubelets to interface with iOs or Android devices. For a lot more money, you could buy individual cubes that do all kinds of things, or an educator pack of multiple cubes to use in a larger group.

Skills You Need

None, really.

Other Tools You Need

A flathead screwdriver. I hear that newer versions of Cubelets include a redesigned battery compartment lid. In the version that I used, the screw holding the lid on was maddeningly shaped, small and shallow. I ended up needing to use a paint scraper because none of the screwdrivers in our amply stocked home toolchest were working and I feared stripping the screw.

Good Stuff

This is excellent for beginners or librarians who are leery of delving into robotics because it seems intimidating. There is nothing intimidating about Cubelets (now that they’ve fixed a poorly designed battery compartment) because nothing is permanent, nothing is fragile, everything you do is going to result in some action you can talk about, and the immediate gratification of the tool is really fun.

Frustrations

See above for my main frustration: the stupid battery compartment (which, as I said, has been remedied in newer releases).

Ultimately though, my frustration comes in the price. It’s a fairly pricy device with fairly limited implementation. Six cubes , which includes just one power cube, means that it’s really only a usable device for demonstration purposes or very small groups — I would say no more than two young kids or three older ones who can sit on their hands and be a little more patient while waiting their turn.  Additional cubes can be purchased, but it’s a pretty hefty investment for a teaching device in a library setting.

Ending Thoughts/Observations

I’m glad I had a chance to use the Cubelets. I think the kids and teens who got to play with them really enjoyed them too. The price, as I said, is high for a tool that you might hope to use on an ongoing basis. However, it’s a pretty reasonable investment if you work in a setting while you might want to repeatedly introduce basic robotics concepts to a wide age range. My teen program doesn’t really work this way — I have a smallish club type group. For these kids, Cubelets was really a one shot program. If you have the funds, it’s a wonderfully simple way to explore. If you have a medium to large group and limited funds, it’s not my top pick.

Overall Rating:

Results may vary

Robot Basics: Sphero 2.0

What is it? (from the website)

• What’s in the Box?

One Sphero 2.0 ball with base, 2 inclines, and ball holder.

• How Much?

129.99 (the app is free)

• Age Range?

Grades 1 and up.  I did the program with Middle School kids.

• How Did We Acquire it?

We purchased it using the ILEAD USA grant money.

Ideas for Use

Bring it out in the Library to whirl around. It will certainly get the kids’ attention.  All ages were interested in playing with it while I was on the reference desk.  The older kids liked to build obstacle courses for the Sphero and try to achieve some of the tricks by leveling up.

Time Involved

You need to download the app for your iPad before you begin.  Play around with it a little bit before giving it to kids.  It can be touchy, so you want to get a handle on the speed.

One-time or Recurring Program

We did a one-time program, however I could see it being used for another program focused only on Sphero.  The kids play together nicely with it, giving each other turns, creating obstacle courses and instructing each other on how to use the toy.

Extension Activities

According to the website and the Sphero packaging, you can use this product with video games and lots of other apps.  We did not go that far into programming with Sphero.

Skills You Need

You should know how to work an iPad and how to download apps. Other than that, it’s pretty easy to use.

Other Tools You Need

You’ll need the Sphero apps. There are over 30 apps available for the Sphero.

Good Stuff

This is easy enough for the kids to figure out.  They were thrilled at all the different capabilities of the Sphero.  They loved running the Sphero into their friends.

Frustrations

We didn’t have enough for anyone, and the kids were disappointed about that.

Ending Thoughts/Observations

I’d like to work with Sphero 2.0 more to see what other games and activities we could do with it.  The basics were entertaining and I can only imagine how much more fun there is to have with the other Sphero apps and games.

Overall Rating:

This is a good investment.  I would buy more.

Here are the robots that we cooked up, and what I learned from this first RTK program at my library:

Sphero

Sphero was the biggest hit with the most people, but is really a one-person activity unless teens are working together to build macros or do other, more advanced programming. It was so much fun though, and everyone enjoyed it and the variety of apps that were available to play with.

MaKey MaKey

I’d have to say that MaKey MaKey came in second for the “wow” factor. I didn’t bring in the variety of conductive stuff that I had would have if the full program was about it, but even with the few items that I had, the teens quickly figured it out and had fun playing Super Mario Brothers with Model Magic clay, the chairs they were sitting on, and pencil drawings.

littleBits

We purchased a Student Set of littleBits, which includes 26 modules. This was enough for two people to comfortably work together, or on their own projects exclusively with the Bits. One teen spent most of the two hour block constructing an elaborate, Rube Goldberg-esque contraption to turn a light on, involving most of the bits. I didn’t provide any additional material for creating the projects outlined in the instructions, but since no one read the instructions anyway, they didn’t seem to miss anything!

BeeBot & Finch

BeeBot is really designed with younger kids in mind, but mine had a fun enough time driving it around for a few minutes. On the other end of the spectrum, the Finch requires a lot more time and patience to start learning, and as a result, in this setting, it garnered their attention for just about as long as the Bee Bot did. In the future, I do think the Finch will be one of my preferred tools for working with this age group as it offers a lot of possibilities for expansion and building a whole program around this one, affordable device.

Cubelets

Cubelets are so easy to snap together into different configurations, test, change, and try again, that they were another highly played with device. I don’t see the basic set of six being something that would hold the interest of teens for a very long time though, without additional cubes or specific program goals in mind. The biggest fun came when the teens constructed the “Fraidy Bot” described in the included cards. This is a robot that runs away when it detects that anything is behind it. They liked antagonizing the Fraidy Bot with Sphero, driving Sphero in circles around the Fraidy Bot. Poor robot!

It was really great to see the teens get excited about the robots, and I am definitely encouraged to plan more in depth programs focusing on individual products, and after running my sample group through all of these, I have a much better sense of what will make for successful programs with each tool. More thorough descriptions and reviews of each of these products is forthcoming.

• What is it?  Makey Makey is a micro-controller. By creating a circuit, Makey Makey takes over your keyboard
  As the box says,

  Plug it in, hook it up, make stuff happen on your computer

• What’s in the Box?  A circuit board (the Makey Makey), seven alligator clips, a USB connector, and some wires.  Also, instructions and an idea sheet.
  

  What’s in the Makey Makey box?

• How much? $49.95
• Age Range?  Box says 8 to infinity.  My testers were 10 – 14
• How we acquired it:  I used the Makey Makey my library purchased.

Ideas for use:

• time involved Setting up was pretty easy.  MakeyMakey.com offers ideas on their site.  They have links to free programs.  I started by showing them the video that is on the MakeyMakey.com site. Then, we tried the bongos.  From there the piano, pac man, and other free online games.  The piano is my favorite, but without music to play it doesn’t really work.
• extension activities: Using the MakeyMakey micro-controller with Scratch programming
• one-time or recurring program:  It’s a one-time deal to learn but is open-ended; I would want to offer it open to people to explore the possibilities.
• skills you need  Users need the ability to understand what a circuit is. It’s the most important part of the Makey Makey. Having said that, the best way to demonstrate what a circuit is, would be to use a Makey Makey.  This is definitely “learning by doing.”
• other tools you need  Items that are conductive.  It would actually be a great activity… Have a box of items, a Makey Makey, and chart what materials are conductive. Predicting what is conductive is another activity.

Good stuff

At one point we tried playing Mario Brothers.  It wasn’t working and my participants were getting frustrated.  Which got me frustrated, how was I going to solve this? Then I started listening to them.  Guess what? Kids know how to problem solve.  They worked it out themselves and discovered that Mario Brothers isn’t the best game to learn Makey Makey.  We went back to Pac-man.  Each person taking a certain control (left arrow, for example).  They had to start talking to each other to decide which direction Pac-man would go.  Eventually, they decided to play the game As a single user. And they were competitive! I wasn’t expecting that. They wanted to see would could get the most points.

Frustrations

I wasn’t sure who was going to come, so I got out a second laptop.  This laptop wasn’t working. It’s a good thing that I had a small crowd, I would have needed that second one.

I think learning MakeyMakey is a great group activity. Having the ability to problem solve with your peers really helps figure out what is going on.  I could see individual use for gaming or for using with Scratch programs.

Ending Thoughts/Observations

I asked my group their general impression of Makey Makey: “great” and “fun” ruled the land.  When I do this again, I’ll have a variety of things to test conductivity.

It would be good to know how to use the back of the Makey Makey. You don’t need it to use the basic controllers, but it would be good to know in order to maximize its use

Rating

Easy Peasie Pie.  (This may not actually be an official rating of the Robot Test Kitchen, but it is for now!)