We’re thrilled to tell you all about a brand new curriculum created specifically for the Hummingbird Kit by our friends at TERC and the Center for Engineering and Outreach at Tufts University:
BioRobots – Designing Biomimetic Robots!
Designing Biomimetic Robots is an interdisciplinary learning curriculum that integrates science, engineering, and computing to engage students in biomimicry design challenges.
In Designing Biomimetic Robots, students:
- study the natural world to learn how animals accomplish different tasks, then design and build a robot inspired by what they learned.
- learn how to build and program a robot
- practice computational thinking, scientific reasoning, and engineering design skills.
One Hour Activity
In this one-hour activity, students learn about animal adaptations and about biomimicry, the study of nature to inspire design.
To learn more and download the One Hour Activity, click here.
Curriculum and Resources
The Designing Biomimetic Robot curriculum contains four modules, designed to engage middle school students in using ideas from animal structure and function to build a biomimetic robot.
The modules include
- approximately 15 hours of classroom activities
- building guides
- links to multimedia resources
- printable student worksheets
- a list of materials needed
- and teacher tips throughout
To learn more and download the curriculum, click here.
Learn from the Experts
We were lucky enough to have the chance to sit down with the team of brilliant scientists behind the Designing Biomimetic Robots curriculum to learn more about biomimicry, inquiry-based learning, the inspiration behind the curriculum, and more. We also had the chance to ask why, with all of the different STEAM products on the market, they chose the Hummingbird Kit to compliment this cutting-edge curriculum. Watch the full interview with Dr. Debra Bernstein, Dr. Gillian Puttick, and Dr. Kristin Wendell below.
Thank you to the TERC team for creating this incredible curriculum and sitting down to talk with us about it. Learn more about TERC via their website, TERC.edu.