So, weirdly, today’s “Gifts for the Gifted” post has to do with cubes – again. If you have been reading my last few Friday posts, you may have noticed this pattern. It was not pre-determined, I promise. In fact, when I realized the odd coincidence, I almost chose another product to review for today. However, I am just too excited about this one to wait.
In a perfect world, every child would have access to a set of Cubelets. I cannot emphasize enough the educational value of this modular robotics system. And the absolute fun factor is best expressed by my 5th graders today, who got to test it out for the first time. “It’s awesome!” “I could play this all day!”
The magnetic Cubelets easily combine to create all sorts of robots. Each robot must have a Battery Cubelet, but that is the only requirement. Using different Sense, Action, and Think Cubelets, you can design a robot that turns on a flashlight when the room grows dark, or sounds the alarm when the temperature gets too warm. You can make a robot that flees from your hand or one that follows it. There are infinite possibilities. These little cubes contain lessons in systems thinking, logic, creative problem solving, programming, engineering, and collaboration all rolled into one hands-on, interactive set.
We were fortunate enough to receive a grant from our PTA to purchase the Standard Kit, which is a hefty $520. The kit comes with 20 cubes, and really is almost perfect for a center for small groups of 4 or less. We ordered an additional Battery Cubelet as the kit only provides one. This way a couple of robots can be going at the same time.
If you want to start out smaller there is the KT106 Kit, which offers 6 Cubelets for $160. Or you can go whole hog, and buy the Educator Pack, which includes 4 KT106 Kits and a Standard Kit at the educator’s discount of $999.
You can also buy Cubelets individually if you see a need to add certain types to your collection.
So far, no kid I’ve put in front of this set has wanted to leave it. Once they do some exploring and get the gist of each Cubelet’s capability, they eat up the challenges that are listed on the Educator page – and then start thinking of their own challenges.
This is a relatively new product. (Our box says “Beta Release” on it.) There is a community forum for suggestions, and I have a feeling educators, students, and parents will have many ideas. It’s definitely a work in progress with a great future. The Education page offers some Lesson Plans and Challenges, and I predict there will be more to come.
It was interesting to see the different ways my students, who voluntarily separated themselves into small groups by gender, initially approached the Cubelets. The boys enthusiastically attempted to build things with them immediately, while the girls started by trying to identify and organize them. The boys would start a challenge, but go off on tangents almost immediately with new ideas, while the girls preferred a more systematic approach. In the end, however they all agreed on two things – the awesomeness, and the need for more time with them.
If you think that your budget might be a bit too stretched by Cubelets, I urge you to try to get some funding, as we did, from another source. Cubelets are not a “flash in the pan” type product. They have outstanding educational value, and you will not be disappointed if you purchase them.
Below: Video of my students creating a “conveyor belt” with some of the Cubelets.
(For my gift ideas, visit my Pinterest board.)
