Geometry Floor Sweeper
Source: Stemoto Original
Tape large 2D shapes (Triangle, Square, Rectangle) onto the floor. Place bottle caps at every corner (vertex). Students program Botley to drive along the tape lines and 'sweep' the caps, counting corners to prove that a triangle has three and a square has four.
Categorisation
Props & Materials Required
- •Botley 2.0
- •Masking tape
- •Plastic bottle caps or small blocks
- •Large floor space
Step-by-Step Instructions
Tape the Shapes
Using masking tape on the floor, create large versions of a triangle, a square, and a rectangle. Make them big enough for Botley to drive along.
Place the Caps
Put a bottle cap at every corner (vertex) of each shape. Triangle gets 3 caps, square gets 4, rectangle gets 4.
Program the Route
Starting at one corner of the triangle, program Botley to drive forward along the first side, turn at the corner to sweep the cap, continue to the next corner, and so on.
Count and Verify
After Botley completes the triangle, count the swept caps: 3 corners! Now program it for the square: 4 corners! How many sides did Botley travel along each time?
Shape Detective
Tape a mystery shape on the floor. Without telling the child what it is, have them program Botley to trace it and count the corners. 'Botley swept 6 caps — it's a hexagon!'
Why It Works & Notes
Kinesthetic learning of abstract geometric properties. Instead of being told 'a triangle has 3 sides and 3 vertices,' children physically trace the shape with a robot and count the corners by collecting them. The body learns what the mind memorizes.
NEP Alignment: Kinesthetic learning of abstract geometric properties. Curriculum Mapping: Math (2D Shapes, Vertices, Counting). Target Level: Class 1 & 2.