Coding & Robotics

Meet Sammy. This cute little peanut butter and jelly sandwich is actually a robot that teaches coding principles and skills to children in grades K-2. No tablet, smartphone, or computer is needed to program Sammy. Programs are created by simply laying down a sequence of physical code cards and programming the robot to move in different directions, activate its output gear, light up its LED, play sounds, and respond to different function cards. This robot kit also teaches physical engineering and problem solving skills through a series of building and coding lessons. The 30 lessons are aligned with standards for computer science education developed by the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and the International Society for Technology (ISTE) Education, as well as courses from Code.org. The lessons cover these six key areas in coding: sequencing, loops, events, conditionals, functions, and variables. In addition to Sammy, there are five other stories, each with a series of model-building and coding challenges and lessons related to it: a mouse moves through a maze to find cheese; a penguin wanders around a zoo; a soccer player moves a ball into the goal; a fire truck puts out a fire; and a factory robot performs tasks in a factory scene. A full-color illustrated manual guides users through the coding lessons and the assembly of the different models. For ages: 4+

About Thames & Kosmos: Thames & Kosmos was founded in 2001 by a science museum director and her son, who saw the great need and demand for better science education materials — resources for parents and their children that are more engaging, more effective, more relevant, and more fun.