How To Use Programmable Toys Effectively In The Foundation Stage

How to use programmable toys effectively in the foundation stage

Controlling programmable toys (such as Roamer or Pixie – see below) gives children experience of estimating, predicting, experimenting and observing the effects of their commands. Counting and number recognition are rehearsed in the context of purposeful activity.

In the Foundation Stage, the use of these toys can be embedded in play and story weaving. This activity makes use of programmable toys to explore direction, distance and sequencing in an imaginary context based on a well-loved story.

Activity

The starting point for this activity is We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. First read the book with the whole class. This could involve encouraging the children to make appropriate sounds for each leg of the journey. Next, take the children into the hall or playground and begin to explore direction with them. Instruct them to move forwards and backwards. Children can also take turns to give instructions. As an extension, introduce specific numbers of steps into the directions.

With the children, design and make a layout for the journey through the long grass, some muddy ground, the river, a snowstorm, the forest and the cave. Represent each stage of the journey with a different colour, for example, green, brown, blue, white, black and grey. Enhance the borders by using of a range of textured materials such as tissue paper, cellophane and cotton wool. Use a shoebox to make the cave and place a teddy bear at the end of the journey.

Activity

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The length of each step may be one Roamer/Pixie length or can be adjusted according to the learning needs of the children. The Pixie Grid or Pixie Playground (see below) could also be used as a starting point.

Set children to work in small groups either with adult supervision or by themselves, depending on their previous experience. Children new to Roamer/Pixie will need repeated experience of the sequence of key presses necessary to control the toy. They should also be reminded of the need to clear the memory prior to inputting the next instruction.

Label each side of a die with a stage of the journey or a colour to represent each location. Ask the children to roll the die and direct the Roamer/Pixie to that location.

As a later extension to the activity, you can give oral instructions to the children. For example, ‘Can you get to the forest?’ Children can then give instructions to each other. If you are using the Pixie Grid or Pixie Playground as the basis for the work, find and laminate pictures of locations in the story. Prepare two sets and Blu-tack one set on to the grid at random. Place the other set of pictures face down. Turn over the top card and ask the children to match the location on the card to the location on the grid. The children then have to program Pixie to travel from the house to that location.

Ask the children to verbalise the commands that they give to the programmable toys. Discuss which ideas did and didn’t work and encourage them to use a trial-and-error approach to achieve their goal.

Assessment:

Key questions to assess awareness of use of instructions to program a Pixie or other programmable toy include:

 How did you make the Pixie move?  Which number do you need to press to get to the river?  You are in the forest. How many to get back to the start?  You are in the snowstorm. How many more to get to the cave?  Which number comes before?  Which number comes next?  What is one more than 2?  Did the Pixie always travel to the mud (for example)?  What did you do when the Pixie did not travel to the river?

Observe the children sharing the journey to see whether they are using appropriate vocabulary to describe instructions and position.

Linked work  Plan instructions and program the Pixie to go on a journey incorporating several locations.  Program the Pixie to travel to locations in a given sequence. Place numbers on the Pixie grid or match picture cards to number cards to order the locations. Develop children’s use of ordinal numbers by asking questions such as ‘Where did the Pixie travel to first?’  More experienced Roamer users might be able to use the pause command. Give them instructions such as ‘You go to the muddy ground but get stuck before you can move on the river.’

Early Learning Goals

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

 Observe, find out about and identify features in the place they live and the natural world.  Find out about and identify the uses of programmable toys to support their learning.  Ask questions about why things happen and how things work. Mathematical Development

 Use everyday words to describe position.  Say and use number names in order in familiar contexts.  Recognise numerals 1 to 9.  Use language such as ‘more’ or ‘less’.  In practical activities and discussion, begin to use the vocabulary involved in adding and subtracting.  Find one more or less than a number from 1 to 10.  Use everyday words to describe position.

Resources Pixie and Pip are manufactured by Swallow Systems, 134 Cock Lane, High Wycombe, Bucks HP13 7EA. Tel 01494 813471. The website provides full specifications and operating instructions for the robots as well as ideas and supplementary resources for using them in the classroom (including the Pixie Grid and Pixie Playground). Roamer is made by Valiant Technology, Valiant House, 3 Grange Mills, Weir Road, London SW12 0NE. Tel 020 8673 2233. In the 'Free Stuff' section of their website you will find a full Roamer manual and two other books full of support materials and teaching ideas. Case study material on how other teachers have used floor robots in the classroom may be found on the website of MAPE – a charity which supports the effective use of ICT in primary education. Look in the ‘Curriculum Support’ section under ‘Developing Skills’ for an article entitled Getting the Roamers out of the cupboard.