KinderLab Robotics has expanded its award-winning KIBO robotics curriculum to include grades 3–5 lessons and activities with Exploring with KIBO. Offering 60 hours of standards-aligned lessons tailored to upper elementary students, the curriculum provides a seamless progression of screen-free, hands-on learning for children from early childhood through 5th grade.
The curriculum provides standards-aligned lessons and activities supporting cross-curricular integration with math, science, social studies, and English Language Arts to help upper elementary students to build their computational thinking and computer science skills. Resources include detailed lesson plans, background information, and scripting to support educators.
Exploring with KIBO features engaging activities that use KIBO’s playful extension sets, such as the Marker Extension Set, Free Throw Extension Set, and Advanced Coding Extension Set for students to engage in more advanced programming capabilities.
With the expansion of KIBO’s usability for all elementary-aged students, schools can now provide a consistent, engaging robotics experience to a larger pool of students. Whether students are programming KIBO to simulate animals interacting with habitats in science, charting voyages using maps in social studies, or racing their robots in math and engineering challenges, the curriculum fosters hands-on, screen-free learning that blends creativity with critical thinking.
Formats/platforms used:
Exploring with KIBO utilizes a hands-on, screen-free approach. Students program the KIBO robot by arranging a series of wooden programmable building blocks. When the coding sequence is complete, the robot scans the blocks and then the robot acts out the sequence. The sturdy robot and its variety of extension sets inspire students to engage through physical interaction and programming.
Primary website URL:
https://kinderlabrobotics.com/
Problem solved:
Exploring with KIBO allows students in grades 3–5 to expand their computational thinking and computer science skills by utilizing KIBO and its playful extension sets to engage in cross-curricular activities to build their computational thinking and computer science skills. Sample lessons include programming KIBO to reenact historical journeys, measuring speed and energy transfer, and analyzing random number data—all designed to foster creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration.
The expansion of the curriculum also helps schools and districts make the most of their investment with a robot that can now be used by a wider range of students.
Grade/ages range:
Exploring with KIBO is designed for use in grades 3-5
Standards:
Exploring with KIBO is aligned with national and state standards in computer science, math, science, social studies, and English Language Arts, offering a cross-curricular approach that supports the development of computational thinking and STEM skills while reinforcing core academic subjects.
Lesson time needed:
The Exploring with KIBO curriculum includes 60 hours of standards-aligned lessons and activities specifically designed for upper elementary grades, with 20 hours of instruction per grade level.
Pricing model:
The Exploring with KIBO curriculum costs $67. To preorder the curriculum, visit https://kinderlabrobotics.com/exploring-with-kibo
Additional services included or needed:
No additional services are required, but KinderLab does offer a range of virtual and onsite professional development workshops.
What makes KinderLab unique?
Grounded in more than 20 years of early childhood development research, KIBO has proven efficacy in helping kids learn STEAM through hands-on exploration, developing their computational skills while inspiring creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. Developed specifically for teachers by Dr. Marina Umaschi Bers from Boston College, KIBO is currently used in 70+ countries to help kids in pre-K through 5th grade take a playful, screen-free approach to learning STEAM concepts.
Characteristics:
The durable robot and extension kits are rugged enough to survive years of play, and the wooden programming blocks allow students to learn coding concepts without an additional device, which simplifies lesson planning and minimizes screen time.
What users are saying:
“I love this [Animals and Habitats] lesson! I can't wait to do this one with my students in the spring! It's perfect for 3rd grade.”
—Lisa Wagoner, library media specialist, Woodward School, The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough, MA
“All of these lessons are clearly written, easy to follow, and adaptable to many different classrooms and teaching styles. I particularly like the map lesson and the animals lesson because they bring in opportunities for art and creation. I really appreciated the ELA extension tip in the maps lesson too because it gave kids the chance to engage in storytelling.”
—Jennifer Redford, youth services consultant, Idaho Commission for Libraries, ID
“I love the lessons you've shared [from Exploring with KIBO]. They have a lot of high-quality instruction within them and the cross-curricular elements will make it more likely that teachers can make time for such lessons. I can see this being something that classroom teachers are excited and confident implementing. Teachers have a hard time sometimes seeing the cross-curricular potential of computer science lessons, but this [curriculum] makes that connection obvious and fun."
—Brittney Tarr, STEM specialist, Thomas Metcalf Laboratory School, IL
