There’s a reason why littleBits has helped so many students achieve STEAM success—actually, there are quite a few. One of those reasons is that, no matter which kit they are using, there are guided and detailed projects that come with each of them and help kids hone in on key STEAM skills while they playfully build inventions. At some point, however, students might run out of new invention ideas to try and, now, that’s okay! Why? Because littleBits recently released four expansion packs—two for the Code Kit and two for the STEAM Student Set. And, for this week’s Eduporium Experiment, we’re getting into the Code Kit Expansion Packs, the additional components they include, and the bonus projects students can make!
For starters, there are two expansion packs for the Code Kit that are now available. They are the Computer Science Expansion Pack and the Technology Expansion Pack. Obviously, these focus areas make up two of the important pieces of the STEM puzzle and they include project ideas that allow students to practice the computational thinking needed to solve some increasingly puzzling challenges. The Computer Science Pack is designed more for use by elementary students in grades 3-5, whereas the Technology Pack is a bit more complex and intended for use by students in grades 6-8.
Each of the kits comes with additional littleBits lessons and projects that are intended for the ages and abilities of students in those grade ranges. Students can also use previous littleBits inventions they may have made and build additional components or functionality into them with the additional components that come in the expansion packs. In the Computer Science Pack, for example, the new projects align with CSTA standards and computer science content. The new Bits students have access to help them recognize coding principles based on the specific inventions they’re able to build.
There are six projects that can be done specifically with the Computer Science Expansion Pack: Hungry for Fractions, Digital Pet, Invent a Digital Assistant, Let’s Get Random, Monster P-ART-Y, and ArtLab. Guides for each of these projects can be found on the littleBits site. Since these inventions are programmable, students also need to make sure they have access to the Code Kit app, which is compatible with Chromebooks, Macs, 32-bit Windows computers, and 64-bit Windows computers. On this same page, educators can also find some helpful resources for using the Computer Science Expansion Pack in the classroom with their students.
As for the Technology Expansion Pack, students can do more with engineering and technology using the additional pieces that come inside. Using the coding and engineering knowledge they have built by working with littleBits kits in the past, it becomes easier for students to solve the open-ended challenges that are included. Again, students could remix or build upon previous littleBits inventions they’ve built and up to three students can work together using the littleBits modules, which include 13 new Bits and four new accessories. Ultimately, the lessons that are a part of this expansion pack will help students bolster their computational thinking skills and strategies as well as amplify their technological literacy.
Like the Computer Science Expansion Packs, the Technology Pack comes with new projects for students to create. It also includes 13 additional Bits and four accessories for them to use when doing so. The Code Kit app can still be downloaded on the devices mentioned above and the same types of educator materials are available for instructors to download. The lessons include covering inputs and outputs, loops, logic, variables, and functions while the sample projects include Tug of War, a Rockstar Guitar, Hot Potato…of Doom, and Ultimate Shootout.
If you ask us, any of these projects is great for capturing the spirit of invention, but an office favorite tends to be the Rockstar Guitar. The additional Bits make it easy for more than one guitar to be played at the same time and getting it put together is a pretty fun experience! We should also note that the Code Kit itself does not come with either of these expansion packs—it is just the additional Bits and accessories specific to each kit.
If you would like to order one of the expansion packs for the littleBits Code Kit, they can both be found on our store. As always, keep checking in on our blog to remain up to date with the latest news and product releases from littleBits and all of the top EdTech brands on our store. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram as well and like us on Facebook to ensure you never miss a thing.