Botley - the coding robot

I had my eyes set on Botley, a coding robot enabling children to learn through play without the use of screens. As soon as I noticed it in the Prime sale, I purchased it, and I am extremely happy with my decision. 

Botley, the coding robot by Learning Resources, comes with a 77 piece activity set. So what's it all about? Taken directly from the manual, it simply is:

'Coding is the language we use to communicate with computers. When you program Botley using the included Remote programmer, you are engaging in a basic form of 'coding'. Beginning with the very basics of sequence programming is a great way to get started in the world of coding. So why is learning this so important? Because it helps teach and encourage:

1) Basic coding concepts
2) Advanced coding concepts like If/Then logic 
3) Critical thinking
4) Spatial concepts
5) Collaboration and teamwork' 

Coding is a huge part of education, and just like maths and English, children are taught coding concepts from primary age onwards. As someone who grew up before the 'coding' era, I need all the help I can get, be it via toys or books. Henceforth, this was the perfect buy for me. Not only does it allow me to facilitate the learning, it's also helping me immensely understand the concepts. 

What is included?

With this set you receive:

• Botley the coding robot
• a Remote programmer 
• Detachable robot arms
• 40 coding cards
• 6 boards 
• 8 sticks
• 12 cubes 
• 2 cones
• 2 flags 
• 2 balls
• 1 goal
• 1 striker sheet

That is a lot of pieces included, and for the price paid, I honestly believe it is well worth every penny!

How does it work?

In simple terms, you use the Remote programmer to code Botley. Botley has two settings, code or line (with the power switch, under the robot), it also has a stop button (on top of bot). The remote Programmer is the 'real' deal, with 9 buttons, it is what you need to get coding. The Remote Programmer has the following buttons:

• forward -simply moving Botley forward
• turn left - simply rotating Bottles 90 degrees left
• turn right - simply roasting bottles right 90 degrees
• reverse - moving Botley 1 step back
• object detection - Enabling Botley to detect objects
• loop - to repeat a step or sequence
• sound - changing between high, medium to low sound
• clear - clear all programming 
• transmit - To send the code from the Remote Programmer to Botley 

The instruction manual has a clear guide on how to start programming Botley. Botley needs to be set on 'code' in order to work with the Remote programmer. Our first goal was to understand simple programming, so following the instructions, at first we sent easy short codes to Botely and watched (in amazement) the robot do as we programmed! Simply making it move forward, left, forward, forward and right was amazing! The children were intrigued and the added sounds from Botley made it even more fun. 

From simple programming the manual introduces 'loop'. Loop simply is when a code or sequence of codes are repeated, it is efficient as it reduces the need to reenter codes, instead you use loop. The loop definitely got Botley dancing! We went through various steps, such as adding the loop at the beginning of the program or in the middle. 

I wasn't aware of 'If/Then' programming, so it was great to see that included and explained. Object detection is part of 'If/Then' programming, and Botley has an object sensor. This was tested to the maximum in this house as the children found it incredibly fun to watch how Botley avoid objects! The Remote programmer is used as before to program the code, and you set what you would like Botley to do when an object is detected (turn left, right so on). 

Included with this set are boards, and one side of the boards has a black line. To test Botley and his sensor, you simply lay the boards out, switch from code to line on Botley and watch it whizz around following the black line. You don't need the Remote programmer for this, as you simply press the same button for stop to start the sensor (on Botley). 

40 coding cards are also included in this set. They will need to be used in order to track each step in the coding program when longer programs are used. The cards are colour coordinated to match the buttons on the Remote programmer, making it much easier. 

The manual moves onto coding challenges, lots of fun filled challenges to undertake. Botley has detachable arms, which are used to move the balls provided. Challenges vary from simple challenges of following a path (using the coloured side of the boards), programming Botley to move and place a ball in a certain spot. There are more complex challenges such as using the LOOP and Object detection to get Botley from one space to another (make sure there are objects in the way). 

What do we think?

I would be lying if I said this was an ok educational toy, it is in fact an amazing learning tool. The children have played with it endlessly and there is no sign of stopping. Little person has been able to try his skills at coding, and has been trying as many sequences as he can. 

I absolutely love this, not only are we covering coding, we are learning screen free, and that is a huge plus for me. Screens are important, and we do use screen time for educational purposes, but being able to go screen free is a positive. 

Not only is Botley fun to play with, but the sounds add so much more fun, Botley will say 'hi', 'you- hoo' and much more. 

I have not been disappointed purchasing Botley, and am glad I finally did so. I feel the pressure of trying to introduce coding has lessened, as we can now use Botley to really understand the basics; and once you have grasped the basics, the building blocks are there to move on to more challenging ideas and concepts. 

Botley and accessories provided feel sturdy, and I can see this lasting for many years to come, providing lots of entertainment! 

For purchase info, click here