book for a 5 year old

[aerotd]

My son and I received an NXT for xmas.  I am looking for some book recommendations with ideas/plans he can follow.  He has a little trouble with the programming (and I am slowly learning) but is great at building the actual robot.  I ordered the Zoo book but it is not expected for another month.  Are any of the other books geared more for younger kids?  I found a website with great building instructions and downloadable programs but I think a book would be easier (then he won't be messing with my laptop unassisted :-) ).  Are tere any more modules available for the included software with the step by step instructions and help?
Thanks,
Beth

[JimKelly]

Beth,

5 years young is probably pushing it with the current book collection.  I've seen 8 and 9 year olds use my Mayan Adventure book, but I have no information about anyone younger.

Most of the books out there (and I own almost all of them) require at least a basic level of computer skill as well as some logic and math.  This isn't to say that a smart 5 year old can't get a robot to do some basic stuff like move forward, turn left and right, respond to the Sound sensor or Light sensor, etc., but I would guess that the real fun from building and programming robots would come from giving it some interesting decision-making abilities and I think a lot of this comes with age.

I think the simple fact that playing with the kit and building some robots with your son is probably going to generate a lot more success than leaving him on his own.  nxtprograms.com has some really neat robots that can be built by following the visual instructions (photos) and a lot of them might appeal to a 5 year old such as the recent robot built that mimics a lawnmower. 

Your question is a good one, and I'm going to post an edited version of it up on our blog and invite our readers to comment there as well as ask them to join the conversation here in the forum.  Thanks for the question!

Jim

[aerotd]

Jim,
Thanks for the reply and I hope others have some ideas.  He does not play with the NXT alone.  I am always there to help him (at least in the room watching).  I don't want him accidentally breaking my toy.  :-)  The site you mentioned is what we found.  We built the claw car together and he loves it.  He wants more controls though so I need to figure out the programming better to help him add another sensor to the controller.  I also would love to figure out how to use a bluetooth controller (or old style RCX remote) with it so we can build an R/C type car to drive around the house (without the cables tying us up).  I realize he is a little young for most of the books.  He is very advanced on the building though.  He can build any Technic set completely alone just following the LEGO directions.  He loves the Exo-Force line and has nearly every set (we're only missing a few from the 1st year and some of this years' new ones) He's not quite up to designing much on his own though so the books are great starters for us. 
Thanks for the ideas!
Beth

[LEGOmom]

I would suggest David Purdue's book "An Official Guide." I'm working with a 7.5yr old and a 4.5yr old. The 7.5yr old can do David's book alone. He has both created the programs from the book as well as downloaded the program from David's website. The 4.5yr old is working through the NXT-G Educational version  tutorial. He can follow instructions to build alone. He writes his own programs which generally work - amazingly enough. David's book has robots that I think are appealing to younger kids such as Tag Bot and Guard Bot. Plus you can download the programs and then your son can  tweak it to make it do different things and learn programming but having that immediate gratification that young kids need.

Looks like you and I have something in common....my 4.5yr old and I received an NXT for Christmas. I never got much hands-on time w/ my DS7.5yr old's NXT. I thought given that my other son was only 4.5, I'd give more hands on time with the second kit. So far that's not the case as he took off it and starting building and programming.

Also, the NXT-G educational version has a step by step, increasingly more difficult building and programming instructions. It's more of a learning environment where as the retail version is more of a "hey, build these cool robots and program them." Do you know anyone w/ the edu version to look at the software? It's $19.99 through LEGO Education.  My 4.5yr old is working through the tutorials on his own. I know it doesn't solve your computer problem.

Also, for some Technic building + remote control functions, you might try LEGO's new Power Function motors. It won't involve programming though. BUT you can also use the Power Function motors w/ the NXT later.

LEGOmom

[DaveParker]

Hi Folks,

I am the author of nxtprograms.com.  5 years old is quite young, nice to hear that he is doing it (with some help)!.  As you can see, I rarely but occasionally resort to words to help with some of the steps on nxtprograms.com, but from what I can tell, most younger kids can do it anyway without the words (or with a little help from the parents to confirm what they already figured out!).  I use my 8-year old as a test case, but he is very good with LEGOs too, so I try to make it easier than he would need. 

One challenge you have touched on is that the expectations of younger kids for what the NXT set should be able to do (e.g. sophistication of the remote control) is often higher than that of older kids, who understand better that this is a complex kit that is designed to require programming to get anything interesting to happen (and even then, pretty simple things), not a remote controlled toy that you build.  The capabilities of a modern remote controlled toy are amazing nowadays, and they are hard to "compete" with as far as expectations go.  If you are looking to build RoboSapien and the like with your NXT, you will be disappointed...  Neverthless, I design a lot of simple remote-controlled models for the web site, because they are more fun to play with without needing to do any further programming.  Unfortunately, limited to only the sensors that come with the base NXT retail set, you can only do so much.

LEGO clearly has a marketing problem with this.  Look at the picture they put on the box (android).  Younger kids think this looks really cool, but many are actually disappointed once they build it.  And a lot of NXT sets go sadly to the shelf soon after that.  Then many older kids start thinking that LEGOs aren't "cool" anymore, around the same time they start listening to Nickleback on their iPod...

Personally, I don't think it's so much a matter of age as the engineering mindset, that determines whether someone thinks the NXT set is cool and fun, which is something that some kids have and some kids don't.   When I was in college, we were tickled pink when we could get the number 7 to appear on an LED display, because we were engineers.  Our non-engineering friends would have thought we were nuts...

Anyway, I hear your request for printed instructions (a book), so that your son doesn't need to be on the internet, and I will be looking into that in the future.  I would be interested in your (and anyone's) feedback on which of the following you might be interested in:
   1. Full color book with all instructions, even if it was, say $40.
   2. Black and white book with all instructions, with a reference to the web site if you have trouble following some of the steps due to print quality.
   3. Black and white book with all instructions plus a CD with all the color instructions.
   4. Small color book with instructions for a few models, plus all models on CD.
   5. A way to easily and legally print the instructions on your own printer, including access to any updates on the web site as they arrive.
   6. CD only, with color instructions, basically the web site on CD, no internet required
   7. Software program on CD designed for kids with kid-friendly interface to full color instructions.

Thanks for your input (and anyone who wants to chime in) on this !

Dave Parker
www.nxtprograms.com

[aerotd]

Dave,

Thanks for the reply.  I think the instant gratification thing is right on.  He just doesn't understand that it is complicated and I can't "make" it do anything he wants.  He does like the models that do something best.  Your site is the first place we go when looking for a new idea.  He's definitely got the engineer mind working overtime though.  I guess it runs in the family since Grampa and Mom are ex-engineers and Daddy is a software designer.  Makes life tough when you are only 5 and most of the cool science toys are for bigger kids.  I wish I could find a First Lego League team around here that would take him.  They finally started a class in our local Parks and Rec program but it is for 9 and up only (no exceptions). 
As for the book idea, I would buy a full color book for sure.  Though black and white would be fine too and probably easier to sell as I'd think it would be cheaper.  Though, just a CD with all the directions and programs would be great too.  He can use the computer but I don't allow internet if I'm not right there with him.  I doubt I would print the instructions myself (too much paper/ink and time when we could just get it off the web).

LEGOMom,

I will look into the Educational Version software.  I assumed it was the same as the retail kit but it might be easier for him.   I think I have seen that book at the library too.  If he likes it, I'll order one for Easter.  I can't wait until our Zoo book arrives.  I think we'll love it.

We're off to go see if we can figure out how to use the Ultrasonic Sensor as a trigger. 
Beth

[LEGOmom]

Beth,
To give you an idea about NXT-G education version, here are the sections.
1. Play sound (learn what a sound block does)
2. Use display (display imagine on the NXT brick)
3. Drive forward
4. reverse
5. accelerate
6. curve turn
7. point turn
8. drive in a square
9. my block 1
10. parking bay
11. action replay
12. detect sound
13. sound control
14. detect distance
15. distance control
16. detect dark line
17. follow a line
18. detect touch
19. sensor bumper
20. hit red ball

21. Speed control
22. react to dstance
23. react to light
24. rotation sensor
25. reset rotation sensor
26. reaction time
27. NXT buttons
etc

These are done w/ a nice compact easy to build robot called Tribot. You add things to it as you go along.

[albbk]

I also have a five year old who is an extremely good builder. He certainly understand the concepts of programming and sensing but he's never asked to sit down and program one of his creations.

I had not seen nxtprograms.com before. Nice pictures! It would be nice to see the building and programming ratings on the main page with the full list.

Does anyone know if there are programs which can be run on my PC and communicate via bluetooth to simulate a sort of remote control of the robot, ie Motor power functions and sensor triggering?

[LEGOmom]

Dave Parker,

I don't like the idea of having to print them. printers are cheap but I eat through color cartridges like candy and it adds up. I like the CD idea w/ or w/out a b/w book to keep cost down. But, knowing myself as I do, I'd pay $40 for a great color version of a book.

[petern]

Hi there,
my 5 year old is too increasingly interested in "programming" the robots, probably because daddy is doing this for a living and it sounds cool to do the same. Anyway, I am impressed by how fast the kids grasp the basic concepts and can execute the whole programming loop.

nxtprograms.com is really nice, especially the creations probably appeal to smaller kids. Now, if the colors etc could be a bit lighter and the site a bit cleaner, I think the kids would browse it themselfes. Good work!

/peter

[DaveParker]

FYI, A CD version of the projects on www.nxtprograms.com is now offered on the web site, for those who don't mind their kids using their computer but aren't ready to connect them to the internet yet.

Dave Parker
www.nxtprograms.com

[aerotd]

Dave,
What a great idea.  We'll have to think about ordering a CD.  Right now, we have 4 new books to work through though so it will be a while.

Thanks,
Beth