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Thanksgiving Robotics Activities for Kids During Fall Break

The extended Thanksgiving break in many US schools presents a unique challenge: keeping kids entertained while the adults prepare for the holiday feast. Luckily, Sphero coding robots and kits can help families have a more relaxing holiday by keeping kids busy while the turkey roasts in the oven. With the Sphero Mini or BOLT+ robot you can give the gift of education and entertainment for the holiday season. Check out the ideas below on how to use Sphero robots and tools for Thanksgiving activities for kids. 

Macy’s Robot Parade 

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a grand tradition, and while constructing a 40-foot, Macy’s-style balloon is probably out of the question, kids can use a Sphero robot like the Mini or BOLT+ to make a mini movable Thanksgiving parade float. Challenge them to come up with different float designs with materials like balloons, cardboard and string, and then extend the activity with a programming challenge to map the parade route. Your choice if they run it during the actual parade, or as entertainment over the last slice of pie at night. 

 

 

Obstacle Course for Robots 

Making an obstacle course is a fun Sphero activity that doesn’t require too much adult supervision or preparation. 

First, kids can make an obstacle course using any objects they have on hand. Cups, toys, wishbones… anything solid will do. Once the course is set up, they can program their Sphero robot — using Draw, Blocks, or Text mode depending on their skill level — to navigate the obstacle course without crashing into anything. Larger groups of kids can take turns competing for the best time (and challenging the grownups to beat them)! 

Robot Tractor Pull 

Freshly harvested produce like yams, squash, corn are a major part of Thanksgiving. With that in mind, kids can put themselves into a farmer’s boots by turning their Sphero coding robot into a tractor. 

Suitable for learners in grades 3rd–8th, our Tractor Pull lesson can be reworked for at-home learning by cutting out some of the technical aspects. The main objective is to find out how adding weight to the tractor (kids can load it up with real veggies if they like!) affects its speed over a fixed distance. This will likely require more adult hands-on help, so see the full activity instructions here.  

Thanksgiving Gifts for Kids 

Most of us save our gift giving until December, but there’s no hard rule against providing a little extra generosity during Thanksgiving. Sphero robots and STEM kits make excellent gifts for kids and teens, so why not mix cornbread with coding this November? 

Sphero BOLT+, indi, and Mini.

Some of our favorite Thanksgiving gifts include: 

  • indi: The car-shaped indi learning robot is designed to introduce early learners (Pre-K and up) to the fundamentals of computational thinking, STEAM, and computer science principles in a fun and exciting way. Kids can program their robot with colored tiles (no device needed!), following challenge cards to achieve clear objectives.  
  • Sphero Mini: Our smallest coding robot, the Sphero Mini is a great choice for a holiday gift because it’s perfect for at-home activities and can be set up quickly for learners of all ages. 
  • BOLT+: While there are plenty of all-ages activities you can do with BOLT+, it offers the opportunity to learn more advanced STEM concepts for the older kids in your life (and the adults who never grew out of curiosity).  

Best Things for Kids to do During Thanksgiving Break 

At Sphero, we understand that parents need to find challenging, constructive activities for kids over the holidays, ensuring they’re stimulated and keeping their minds active. Keep your kids entertained during dinner preparations and beyond with these fun Thanksgiving activities and our wide range of programmable robots and STEAM kits for early learners to high schoolers. 

 

About the Author

The Sphero Team

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The Sphero Team is comprised of current and former educators, education content and curriculum writers, product designers, engineers, executive leadership, and other experts in their fields. Learn more about who we are and what we do at https://sphero.com/pages/about-us.

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