If you want to get started with Lego robotics with your children at home, here is what you need to purchase and understand.
At SDM we teach kids Lego Robotics during the summer and school vacations. We have kits to use, and we include how to code in our lessons. For children who want to continue at home there will be some setup, and cost.
Items Required
Parents will need the following things to continue this at home:
- An Internet Connection
- A Bluetooth capable device to run the Spike app
- The Spike Essentials or Spike Prime kit, with optional expansion set
Purchasing the Kit
The kits can be bought online directly from the Lego website or on third party websites.
The Spike Essentials kit is the smaller, more simplified kit designed for younger children. The Spike Prime kit is larger and designed for older or more advanced children. Spike Prime has the option of an expansion set. Here at SDM we use the Spike Prime set.
Spike Essentials Kit
Spike Prime Kit and Spike Prime Expansion Set
These kits cost from $300-$650 dollars.
The Spike App
There is a Spike app compatible with almost every type of device. with the exception of Amazon Fire tablets.
Users can download a version of the app on all five of the major operating systems (OS), listed in the image above.
It is important the device is relatively up to date. The app has minimum requirements of what version of each OS it can run on.
The Spike App is where children will find instructions and lesson plans. Users then create projects, connect the hub and add the code.
The “Hub” is the large brick that has a battery in it. This is where motors and sensors connect.
In a project in the Spike App, the “Connect” button in the top left will guide builders to connect the hub.
The code in each project can be simple block-based code, or more complex Python code. For beginners, use the block based code, which is similar to Scratch. For other coding resources click here and read our post about Coding for Kids.
If interested, give us a call and set up an appointment to learn more!
Additionally, If you have specific questions about how to do Lego Robotics at home, or if our terminology isn’t clear, please use our contact form to send us a message. Thank you!