It’s February, and love is in the air! Instead of plain old word searches and coloring pages, why not spice up your Valentines Day activities with some robotics? Here are 5 simple suggestions for Valentines Day activities using the Finch Robot, the Hummingbird Robotics Kit, and the Owlet Elementary Math Tools Collection.
Create a Robotic Valentine Box with the Hummingbird Kit
If your class is exchanging Valentines this year, why not step things up a notch with a robotic Valentine Box? Customize a Valentine rover to wander around and collect cards, or incorporate a crank to create a container that opens and closes when triggered by a sensor. Or just add some LED lights to brighten things up! No matter what you create, students are sure to love using robotics to animate their creations.
Use Math to Build Heart-Filled images in GlowPix
Give your elementary math activities a little extra heart with Glow, from our Owlet Elementary Math Tools Collection! In the GlowPix app, students can write math equations to create pictures on Glow’s LED array. Each correct equation lights up one light. Students can create a plan for their design and answer equations to build it, or, because the GlowPix app communicates in real-time, reflecting students’ work, they can design as they go. You can learn more about GlowPix – including a sample script for introducing this activity to your students – in the free Glow Teacher Guide. What kinds of Valentines images can they create?
Throw a Valentines Day Dance Party
What’s a Valentines Day celebration without some love songs? Get your Finch Robot in on the action with a robot dance party! Students can program their Finches with a dance sequence and then show off their best moves on your classroom “dance floor”. You can even let students DJ the shindig, provide specific dance challenges (Finch Hokey Pokey, anyone?), or ask students to add a light show to their routine. Or for a big challenge: How about a synchronized dance? The possibilities are endless!
Send a Secret Valentine Message
Are your students into secret messages? Challenge them to deliver valentine messages to a friend with the Finch Robot through the Special Delivery activity! Send messages with letters, images, or even have your class come together to create a secret code. There’s no wrong way to send a positive, uplifting message to a classmate!
Host a Community Valentine Parade
Create your own classroom or school holiday parade! This activity could use either the Finch Robot or the Hummingbird Robotics Kit. Using the Finch Parade Float or Hummingbird Rover build, students can create their own Valentines Day-themed parade floats. Base them off of the history of the holiday, Valentine traditions around the world, people or things in their lives that they love, or even anatomically correct hearts (now THAT would be a fun parade float)! Invite the school and parent community to see the parade in action, or display finished parade floats in a busy place (like the school or public library).
No matter how you celebrate, we want to hear about it! Share your robotics creations with us on social media using the links below!