Kindergarten Coding with Lego Robotics WEDO 2.0

Kids love building with Legos! By adding coding and robotics to Legos, imagination is truly brought to life. The Lego WEDO 2.0 program is the perfect blend between building, coding and robotics. Lessons range from kindergarten to middle school levels. Students will need an iPad  with the WEDO app in order to be able to complete the programming. Each lesson is designed to have extensions At Porter-Gaud School, here is how we use the WEDO 2.0 programs:

• Kindergarten: Introduction to Coding with Glowing Snail and Cooling Fan
• Second Grade: Science Plants and Pollinators, Animal Expression
• Third Grade: Predator and Prey, Extreme Habitats, Wildlife Crossing
• Fourth Grade: Science Speed, Moon Base, Space Exploration, Send Messages, Grabbing Objects
• Fifth Grade: Science Volcano Alert Sort to Recycle, Prevent Flooding, Hazard Alarm, Cleaning the Oceans

Here is a closer look at the kindergarten activities:

Activity Prep: Instead of bringing the large kits to the kindergarten classes, I chose to make smaller kits that I put in a gallon size ziplock bag. I pulled only the pieces needed for the two activities along with a colored copy of the parts. That way the kindergarteners could easily sort and check for pieces before and after the activities. The WEDO app was also installed on iPads prior to the lessons.

Glowing Snail Activity: (30 min)

• Students were put in pairs and given the baggie of Legos to sort on the colored parts sheet.
• iPads were distributed and together we opened the app and found the Glowing Snail Activity.
• With a partner, the students followed the detailed instructions on the app to build the snail.
• With teacher help, the students connected their devices via bluetooth to the Smarthub.
• Students explored with coding:
  • First, all students completed the first part of coding together as a class (make the snail glow green)
  • Then students were tasked with adding 6 colors to model the rainbow
  • Next students changed the background to choose a proper habitat for the snail
  • Then  students changed the sound to mimic the sound of an animal in the same habitat as a snail
  • Finally students put it all together to make 10 different coding actions
  • To rap it all up, students shared and then debriefed
• Students then disconnected devices from Bluetooth and sorted pieces for clean up.

Cooling Fan: (30 min)

• Students were put in pairs and given the baggie of Legos to sort on the colored parts sheet.
• iPads were distributed and together we opened the app and found the Cooling Fan Activity.
• With a partner, the students followed the detailed instructions on the app to build the fan.
• With teacher help, the students connected their devices via bluetooth to the Smarthub.
• Students explored with coding:
  • First, all students completed the first part of coding together as a class.
  • Then students were tasked with changing the speed of the fan by exploring the numbers given with the motor movement
  • Next students changed the direction of the fan movement
  • Then  students changed the sound
  • Finally students put it all together to make 10 different coding actions
  • To rap it all up, students shared and then debriefed

• Students then disconnected devices from Bluetooth and sorted pieces for clean up.

The students absolutely loved these activities! Each time we did this, they begged for more time! Using the iPads along with the Bluetooth added a WOW factor that they had not experienced before. I think their favorite part of the lesson was being able to add their own personality to the coding. The laughter and excitement was contagious!