The Sphero SPRK Edition Robot Changes the Way Kids Learn

Learning Today:

It never ceases to amaze me when I see children working on computers and playing games on smart devices who tend to know their way around these devices better than their parents.  To be fair, many of us didn’t grow up with computers and smart phones have only been out about ten years now.  I think it is just so fantastic though that our kids have these devices at their fingertips because it brings learning to a whole new level.

Sphero SPRK – changing the way kids learn:

The new Sphero SPRK Edition is an app-enabled robot that will change the way kids learn and play.  Together, the Sphero SPRK Edition and the SPRK app are designed to inspire a love of robotics, coding, and STEM principles while teaching the power of cause, effect, and conditions in programming. My daughter announced to her first grade class a few years back that she wants to design games when she grows up.  When the teacher asked her what type of games she shrugged her shoulders and said “you know, games that inspire creativity and learning”.

Provides Interesting ways to learn STEM Principles:

Because she is interested in games and programming, I have made it my mission to find games, educational programs and even interviewing people in the gaming industry a priority for us. I really like how the Sphero SPRK Edition inspires kids to learn STEM principles while having fun.  I mean, look at how cool it is!  We especially love how you can see the inside of the Sphero and see how it works.  It encourages kids and adults to think and generate new ideas for what’s possible between a program, a robot and the physical world using their imagination.

One of the things I like about the Sphero SPRK is that is easy enough for beginners to figure out (me) but challenging enough for more seasoned programmers.  On their video you can see a range of ages playing with the SPRK – from children to adults playing games with it.

My daughter and I built a LEGO track and maneuvered the SPRK around the track. My daughter absolutely loves the SPRK and named him “Disco” because he changes color like a disco ball. She says it is the best toy ever and we had to drag her away from it tonight to go to soccer practice.  I think the shape has something to do with it and it is quite cute, plus you can program him to do all these really cool things!  You do feel like it is a little robot who thinks. But little does she realize she is learning some really great tools like visual-based programming, as well as sharpening math skills, science, art and critical thinking.

The Sphero SPRK is for all ages:

For older kids (ages 7-12) you will have them exposed to text-based programming and for kids between the ages of 15-18 they are working with object-oriented programming.  But this can also be enjoyed by little ones (5-7 years of age) because they will learn about shapes, colors and procedure.

Other SPRK App Features include:

Teach Your Robot Combine simple commands like roll, flip, spin, and color change to create more complex instructions for your robot to follow.

Text-Based Code Viewer After combining commands, see the code and use this as a foundation to learn more about programming.

Accessible for all Ages The SPRK app is designed to appeal to everyone – approachable for beginners yet sophisticated enough to challenge seasoned programmers.

Block-Based Programming Transform ideas into code by using visual blocks that represent Sphero’s C-based language, OVAL.

This robot is inspiring our future innovators and inventors!

Sphero SPRK Edition is available at www.sphero.com and at select retail partners for $129. The new SPRK app is free and available for download in the App Store for iOS devices and Play Store for Android phones and tablets.

–   Website:  https://www.sphero.com/

–   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GoSphero

–   Twitter: https://twitter.com/sphero

–   Instagram: https://instagram.com/GoSphero

–   Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/sphero/pins/

–   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/gosphero

Note:  I am an Orbotix Ambassador. This post is part of a sponsored campaign. I received compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are my own.

Have you experienced the Sphero robots yet?