While winter break is fun and festive, it can be hard for parents to see kids' hard-earned knowledge melt away faster than a snowman in the sun. Don't let the winter break become a learning-loss holiday! We've got fun and engaging STEM activities for winter break that will keep kids’ brains sharp and ready to tackle the new year. Whether you're a parent looking for at-home inspiration or an educator planning post-break lessons, we've got you covered.
Winter Break Activities for Students and Parents
During the quieter days of the winter break, kids can easily slip into idleness — often without realizing it. TV and cell phones are a major temptation, especially when it’s cold outside, and other kids in the neighborhood are busy with their own family plans. That puts a lot of pressure on parents to come up with indoor activities for winter break (that don’t involve eating chocolate).
Here we look at some at-home winter break activities that kids and teens can try using Sphero coding robots and other tools.
Coding Robot Activities
Sphero coding robots, from early learning robots like indi to more advanced coding tools like RVR+, make excellent educational gifts over the holiday season and can form the bedrock of indoor STEM activities. A single RVR+, for example, supports one to two learners from 5th grade and up.
For younger learners enjoying their winter break, indi can provide a break from TV and other tech thanks to its screenless mode. Kids can program their robot with colored tiles, following challenge cards to achieve clear objectives.
For kids in grades 3rd -12th, we recommend BOLT+/ BOLT Programming Fundamentals activities. Spanning everything from Beginning Text to Advanced Block, these journeys cover our Draw, Block, and JavaScript Canvases. Beyond giving the gift of a robot, it can be a fun holiday bonding experience for families to sit with their kids and learn something new together.
Blueprint Engineering Challenges
Sphero designed Blueprint to allow students to quickly build, test, and learn engineering concepts in the classroom. However, a single Blueprint Engineering Kit is also suitable for at-home learning and play, containing enough resources (355 mechanical parts and 17 electrical Bits) to serve one or two learners. Students can design and build working, powered prototypes, either via freeform experimentation or following one of Sphero’s challenge cards.
Some of our favorite Blueprint challenges for chilly winter days include:
- Control Systems: Take Blueprint to the next level with power, sensors, and motors! Blueprint Bits allow students to bring simple control systems to life. In this unit, students will explore fundamental aspects of circuits and control systems through hands-on builds and data collection.
- Machines in our Food System: Technology and machines play crucial roles in our food system... all the way from the farm to the table. In this unit, students will design and build various machines that help farms, transportation companies, stores, and waste removal industries. Challenge cards for these activities and more can be found at the Blueprint resources hub in Sphero Central.
Art Projects with Robots
Did you know that kids can use ball-shaped Sphero robots like BOLT+ to make art using paint or pencils? In a world where the disciplines of engineering and art are becoming more and more interwoven, activities that combine the two help kids develop skills in both.
To paint with a coding robot, make a solid frame around a canvas using toy bricks or blocks, dollop some mixable colors onto the canvas, then program the Sphero to roll around the canvas and spread the paint. The BOLT+ makes a great “brush” because its shell is waterproof and easy to clean.
A less messy option is to use a robot to make spirographs or Spherographs. Instead of using paint, place an upturned plastic cup over a ball-shaped robot, attach a pencil, pen, or crayon (or several!) to the cup with a rubber band, then program the bot to move and draw over a piece of paper. Group Challenge: see who can draw the most accurate shapes.
After Winter Break Activities for Educators
When the winter break is over and students return to the classroom, energy levels will be high, but concentration levels may not be there. With that in mind, educators should plan their back-from-winter-break activities in a way that harnesses the positivity of the festive season while helping guide the class back into a learning mindset. Robotics are a helpful bridge between toys and tools, easing students out of leisure time and into learning time.
If you’re just starting out with Sphero BOLT+, we recommend the Programming 1.0 lesson series. Following the four lessons will introduce students to problem solving sequencing and pseudocode. If you’re already using BOLT/BOLT+ in the classroom, the BOLT/BOLT+ Math Lessons are a great way to reinforce math principles for students between 3rd and 5th grade. And if you have a competitive group of robotics enthusiasts (which we love), check out our SGC Competition Ready BOLT/BOLT+ lessons that can help train your squad for the upcoming season.
Back to School with Sphero
By staying mentally stimulated — even if it’s just by doing a puzzle, going to a museum, or reading a book — students can keep their minds sharp over extended school breaks. Sphero robots and kits are not only aligned to regional and state academic standards, they’re also inherently stimulating, helping learners of all ages stay curious and engaged during academic downtime.
About the Author
The Sphero Team
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.
