Last November, I published a post about an interesting product by Modular Robotics called, “Cubelets.” It was included in my “Gifts for the Gifted” series, which I try to do every November and December. (You can find a collection of these here.)
Cubelets are a bit pricey for a birthday gift, but they make a wonderful addition to the classroom. If you can get a grant for the large set, I highly recommend it. Even the smaller set is great for a pair of students to use. You can find a detailed description of how they work on my previous post. You can also purchase Cubelets separately. After some experience with them, I would definitely suggest that you order at least one extra Battery Cubelet with any set you purchase. Every robot you make with the other cubes needs a Battery Cubelet to power it. The best ratio is to have at least 2 Battery Cubelets for every 4 students. It makes a great center activity or station in a Maker Studio if you cannot afford more than one set.
S.T.E.M. and Maker Spaces are hot topics in schools today. Cubelets are great for both. You can combine the cubes in hundreds of ways, and they are fascinating to use for building all types of robots. I love listening to the invention ideas and problem solving conversations that arise when my students use them.
You can now purchase “Brick Adapters” for your Cubelets that will allow you to use them with Legos. That’s going to be the next item in my shopping cart!
Modular Robotics is also about to start shipping their new MOSS product this April, 2014. I backed MOSS on Kickstarter, and can’t wait to get my kit. There are 4 mobile apps expected to be released soon for this system. You can learn more about it here.
I got really pumped a couple of days ago when two of my 3rd graders made a drawing robot out of the Cubelets. It was completely their invention, and we were so excited to watch it work! I’ve embedded the video below.
