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Wisconsin family-owned biz that sells lots of great kits and electronic parts. Their downloadable resources and printable sin Spanish and English are fantastic. If you want to order something from them consider calling and asking for Joshua. Mention TEC Center and being our TEC mentors program and he might be willing to give you a discount. He can also make your school or class customized kits.

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Overview Bristlebots are small robots made by combining a toothbrush head and vibrating motor. By changing the position of the pipe cleaner arms, Bristlebots wi

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A Scribbling Machine is a motorized contraption that moves in unusual ways and leaves a mark to trace its path. It's made from simple materials and demonstrates the erratic motion created by an offset motor.

We like using harvested motors and switches from discarded toys and electronics and everyday objects like strawberry baskets and milk cartons in our creations. Try changing the length and weight of the eccentric motors, testing various drawing tools, experimenting with materials used for the base, and increasing and decreasing the speed of the motors. You will be amazed at the different motions and patterns you can create.

Essential materials

Hobby motor
A good source iskelvin.com, which sells them with wires already attached so you don't have to solder them on. A range of 1.5 to 3V means they will work equally well with one or two AA batteries.
These little motors are often used when making models, and are usually found inside of mechanical toys, so another way to get a hold of one is totake apart an old mechanical teddy bear or dancing chicken, and extract the motor you will find inside!

Hot-melt glue stick
Online,amazon.com is your best bet, but any hardware store will carry this as well. Their weight works well in combination with the hobby motors to provide the right amount of motion, and they are pretty easy to stick on the motor's axle. But you can also be creative and use almost anything else as a weight: clothespins, popsicle sticks, bits of clay, etc.

Masking tape
We find that the Scotch brand has good adhesive properties, and you can find them online atOffice Depot, or in person in any office supply store or hardware store.

Other useful materials

Recyclable containers

Clothespins

Pipe cleaners

Popsicle sticks

Nuts, washers, or other small weights

Googly eyes

Large sheets of paper

What are the qualities that we value in this activity?

New use for everyday objects

This is a playful and inventive way of using harvested motors and switches from discarded toys and electronics.

Exploring variables

Each Scribbling Machine is unique, because everyone is investigating different methods for changing the variables: the length and weight of the eccentric motors, methods of drawing, materials used for the base, the speed of the motors, etc.

High tech/Low tech

This exploration is a good example of a low-tech activity that works well on its own, but can be made more complex and interactive utilizing the microcontrollers and sensors.

Make Scribbling Machines @ Home

Here is a list of useful parts if you want to experiment with Scribbling Machines at home. You can also download a free PDF with more ideas.

Try it!

We are passionate about sharing our work and developing a community of people interested in these activities, practices, and ideas. The guides below are free to download and use to help you get started with tinkering, whether it's at home, or in your school or educational institution.

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A Scribbling Machine is a motorized contraption that moves in unusual ways and leaves a mark to trace its path. It's made from simple materials and demonstrates the erratic motion created by an offset motor. We like using harvested motors and switches from discarded toys and electronics and everyday objects like strawberry baskets and milk cartons in our creations.

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Directions in Spanish and English are available

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Build | Bristle Bots . DESIGN SQUAD GLOBAL | PBS KIDS

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This hands-on activity introduces kids at home or school to engineering concepts and the design process.

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Fun making playdough mazes for our Hexbug Nanos. See more here: http://intheplayroom.co.uk/2015/06/21/hexbug-mazes-with-playdough/

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Hex Bug Spider & Tarantula Battle Ground Tower

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Can the Hex Bug make it through ?? Hexbug is a brand of toy robot developed and distributed by Innovation First, Inc. Hexbug was inspired by BEAM robotics, and uses many elements of it. Originally released in the US through Radio Shack, it is now sold in most major retail stores.

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Designed for 6th graders, but with some changes could this work for 3rd graders? https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxyb2JvdGljc3Nqc3xneDozMzY1NjMxYTdjZjc2M2Q5

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1st-3rd grade?
some of the links don't work which is a bummer, but there are some good ideas in here for bringing together nature and robotics, video and drawing that could be made into different plans depending on goals, time and ages

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1st-3rd grade: Straw Maze

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In this STEM challenge, kids will create a Hexbug maze using straws, tape, and posterboard! It's a super easy STEM activity to set up and gives children the opportunity to plan, build, and problem solve.

In my most recent science class for first grade and second grade, I gave my students a STEM challenge- to build a maze or set of obstacles for their Hexbugs using straws. It was tons of fun watching all the different ideas they came up with, and I especially loved hearing the kids express their ideas and predict why things worked and didn't work. The room was just filled with excitement and learning! (This post contains affiliate links.)

If you've never heard of Hexbugs, they are basically micro robots that are super fun to play with and provide all kinds of learning experiences. (We used them in this preschool and kindergarten STEM activity.) You can buy them as singles or in sets of five.

Materials for Hexbug Maze STEM Challenge

Directions for Hexbug Maze STEM Challenge

1. Give each student one sheet of posterboard. (I bought this pack of 25 to use for my class.)

2. Demonstrate how to attach straws to the poster board using tape. Bendy straws ( similar to these) were our favorite because they could be angled. I also showed the kids how to cut the straws to whatever lengths they needed.

3. Invite students to work individually, in pairs, or in small groups to create mazes and/or obstacles for their Hexbugs using the provided materials. (I also provided markers for the kids to use to add any details or illustrations to their posterboard. Some kids drew all kinds of scary creatures for their Hexbugs to avoid, while others created gardens and pathways for their Hexbugs to enjoy.)

4. I also had popsicle sticks available for the kids to use for building. We would also use the popsicle sticks to nudge the Hexbugs along if they got stuck.

What the Kids Created

Many kids used the straws to create colorful mazes and paths for their Hexbugs. They set goals of trying to get their Hexbug from one area to another and would adjust their straws as needed to accomplish their goals.

This group created their own battle bot game. They built a game board with two boxes at either end. They'd put all three of their Hexbugs in the center to battle. (They had a whole set of rules they had created to determine which Hexbug was eliminated.) The eliminated Hexbug was placed in one of the boxes as the two remaining Hexbugs continued to compete.

This student cut his poster board to create a whole new shape for his maze.

Not only was this STEM challenge super fun to do together as a class, but it would also make a fun and easy activity to do at home on a rainy day. The kids were busy for 45 minutes and could have easily kept going had our class not ended!

Find more STEM activities in our ebook! Learn more about it here, or buy it now here!

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STEM Challenge for Kids: Build a Hexbug Maze Using Straws - Buggy and Buddy

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In this STEM challenge, kids will create a Hexbug maze using straws, tape, and posterboard! It's a super easy STEM activity to set up and gives children the opportunity to plan, build, and problem solve. Follow our STEM and STEAM Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

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Ages 3-6 Great video example!

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In this STEM activity, children use various loose parts and play materials to create mazes, structures, and obstacles for their Hexbugs. This activity is an absolute hit with kids and promotes all kinds of learning: planning, problem solving, engineering and building, creativity and more!
(This post contains affiliate links.)
Have you heard of Hexbugs? If not, you must must must try them out. Hexbugs are basically micro robots that kids go crazy for. There are different creatures available (like a spider or a scarab). In this activity we used play materials like Lego bricks, Magna-Tiles®, and even old wrapping paper tubes to create mazes and obstacles for the Hexbug Nano.

I am not exaggerating when I say this is the BEST activity to do with your children at home or students in the classroom. (It would also make a great rainy day activity.) The amount of learning taking place is enormous, and the kids are fully immersed in the activity.

For this activity you'll just need a Hexbug Nano (which you can also buy in packs of five) and some toys you already have in your home or classroom (like blocks, Lego bricks etc.). And if possible, you'll want to add some cardboard tubes from wrapping paper rolls. (Those were the biggest hit with the kids!)

Invite your children or students to create mazes and structures for their Hexbugs. I tried this activity at home with my preschooler and also in the classroom with my kindergarten enrichment class. It was definitely a meaningful and fun activity for both age groups!

Creating Hexbug Mazes and Structures in the Classroom

My kindergarten enrichment class couldn't get enough of this activity! The kids used all kinds of materials to build mazes and structures for their Hexbugs.

Some students started by combining the cardboard tubes into one long tunnel to see if their Hexbugs would make it through.

Later they combined their tunnel with another group's maze made of Magna-Tiles ®. They'd have the Hexbugs go through the tunnel and come out into the maze.

This activity really inspired all kinds of cooperative learning and teamwork. The kids excitedly shared their ideas with one another and helped each other problem solve and create!

Creating Hexbug Mazes and Structures at Home

At home, Theo (age 3) used his Duplo set to build a structure for his Hexbug. I started by helping him build a small barricade, and he excitedly released his Hexbug inside.

Theo loved watching it travel all around inside his structure and soon wanted to make the area for his Hexbug even larger. He extended the area with even more Duplo blocks and later even built up! He was so immersed in this activity, and I was so excited to see him planning out his design and problem solving when he encountered things that didn't work as he'd planned.

I can't say enough about how much kids just LOVE this activity! Theo has been playing with his Hexbug daily and shows no signs of stopping!

Love awesome, hands-on STEM activities? Check out our newest book, STEAM Kids with over 50 science, technology, engineering, art, and math activities to instill a love of learning and creativity in your child or students!

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STEM Activity for Kids: Creating Hexbug Mazes and Structures - Buggy and Buddy

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In this STEM activity, children use various loose parts and play materials to create mazes, structures, and obstacles for their Hexbugs. This activity is an absolute hit with kids and promotes all kinds of learning: planning, problem solving, engineering and building, creativity and more! (This post contains affiliate links.)