STEAM Education

KinderLab Bundles Curriculum for Teaching Screen-Free Robotics Remotely

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 06/24/20

An education technology company that produces a robot for use by early learners has developed resources to help teachers prepare for fall classes that could be held remotely. KinderLab Robotics is the maker of KIBO, a robot that can be programmed by young students without the use of a screen and with the use of wooden blocks.

KinderLab's new curriculum bundle is intended to help teachers embed the use of KIBO into a distance- or blended instructional model to provide STEAM education at home and school. The bundle includes professional development content that explains how to teach remotely with KIBO, as well as how to support parents using KIBO at home.

The KIBO Blended Learning Curriculum Bundle ($499) provides the teaching materials needed to support five KIBOs in rotation among students, but doesn't include the robots themselves. A five-pack of robots, along with programming blocks and other accessories, is $2,900. The curriculum bundle comes with an hour of live video-conference training for one participant, with a focus on remote implementation.

"As we respond to changes to the structure of school, we need to hold onto what we know works in early childhood education. Hands-on manipulatives, playful learning, and student collaboration all remain vitally important," said Jason Innes, the manager of training and curriculum development at the company, in a press release. "By providing students with access to KIBO during school closures and remote learning, schools can teach in a developmentally appropriate way while promoting connection between students, parents, peers and schools."

The company has developed a guide that outlines the benefits of providing access to robotics for young children and models for how to teach screen-free computer science and coding despite school closures. That's available with registration on the KinderLab website.