I think (not sure) that BOE-Bots are recomended for kids middle-school age or above. The Scribbler Robot was designed for younger children (not as much assembly, and it has a flow-control like GUI programming interface, which is much easier for a younger child to grasp).
But each child is unique, it depends on thier intelligence, level of interest,·and ability to focus on whether a BOE-Bot is suited for them.
Yes, it says "perfect for beginners age 8 and up", also Parallax is running a special holiday deal where if you buy a BOE-Bot you get a Scribbler for free! Perfect to get both, have them learn on the Scribbler, then move to the BOE-Bot when they are ready.
It depends on the level of "adult supervision" and support. My 5 year old has "helped" me with some simple projects, but obviously lacks the capacity to really understand what she is doing... The GUI download is also a great tool to "hide" the programming details. I would think that a smart, motivated 8, 9 or 10 year old has the manual dexterity to handle the assembly (with some help of an adult) of the BOEBot and can grasp the concept of the GUI tool. Look at the GUI Bot under the Additional Software section on the downloads page (http://www.parallax.com/html_pages/downloads/software/software_basic_stamp.asp)
Thanks for pointing that out Steve, if both are gotten, the GUI for the BOE-bot can fill a gap where the child can play more with the hardware, without having to learn the software (PBASIC) at the same time.
The Boe-Bot says suitable for ages 12 and up; the Scribbler for ages 8 and up. In my opinion, the Boe-Bot is excellent for anyone interested in electronics and building robots. The Scribbler seems great for anyone just interested in robotics, as there is no building involved, either mechanically or electronically. The scribbler comes pre-built, sensors and all. It's an entry level robot with the emphasis on programming. You can program the Scribbler with either the super easy point and click GUI IDE or the same PBASIC 2.5 editor used with the Boe-bot. And right now Parallax is offering a free Scribbler with the purchase of the Serial Boe-Bot - great deal and an opportunity to play with both and see which is right for you/your child.
12 to 14 years old is the perfect age for a kid/teen to start with a boe-bot...
I don't only speak for writting a code sample by reading a text but also understanding the code...
What every command represents and why it is there!!! Imagine interfacing a 74HC595 serial LCD with the basic stamp... Of course, Parallax modules are far more easy to understant because they use only the SEROUT ...
The point is understanding of what it is done!!!
It took me half a year to do this by reading a lot of samples!!! Patience is needed!!!
Provas, GReece
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ -Rule your Destiny- --Be Good. Be Bad.Be Provas--
How young depends on the child's individual experiences and maturity, and on her access to adult "collaboration" as needed (as determined by both the child and the necessarily-able adult collaborator).
Also recognize that any particular "kit" or collection of "stuff" has various intrinsic levels of involvement / learning / complexity / simplicity / etc to offer children of different ages. Again, it depends on the collaborating adult to know how to properly exploit the "right level(s)" for the particular child(ren) to be involved.
So, for example, my just-11-year old grandson knows about do-loops and for-nexts, why one servo's pulsout command requires a "forward"-going pulse and the other servo a "backwards"-going pulse in order to the BOE-BOT to go straight forward; how to take hints from the P-Basic Editor's text/syntax highlighting to notice that typos and other programming anomolies are present in a draft program. Etc.
He was "into" biology at a *much* earlier age, learning the vocabulary of insect and vertebrate anatomy and could recognize the body parts/organs; kids can learn at amazingly early ages if they are given the opportunity to do so at the right level(s). If you just want to hand them a kit and let them "at it", you'll need to be much more careful about picking the right kit; if you provide the mentoring and guidance, you can make a lot of a simple empty cardboard box, and/or with a complex whatchamacallit· --regardless of the child's age.
Comments
But each child is unique, it depends on thier intelligence, level of interest,·and ability to focus on whether a BOE-Bot is suited for them.
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·1+1=10
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·1+1=10
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·1+1=10
Cheers,
Steve
I actually had them set and tighten every screw- place every wire.
They Loved it - great kid/dad time.
The 10 yr old was able to use the gui software to do some very basic programing.·
I needed to do all of the programing from the book.
I don't only speak for writting a code sample by reading a text but also understanding the code...
What every command represents and why it is there!!! Imagine interfacing a 74HC595 serial LCD with the basic stamp... Of course, Parallax modules are far more easy to understant because they use only the SEROUT ...
The point is understanding of what it is done!!!
It took me half a year to do this by reading a lot of samples!!! Patience is needed!!!
Provas, GReece
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
-Rule your Destiny-
--Be Good. Be Bad. Be Provas--
Also recognize that any particular "kit" or collection of "stuff" has various intrinsic levels of involvement / learning / complexity / simplicity / etc to offer children of different ages. Again, it depends on the collaborating adult to know how to properly exploit the "right level(s)" for the particular child(ren) to be involved.
So, for example, my just-11-year old grandson knows about do-loops and for-nexts, why one servo's pulsout command requires a "forward"-going pulse and the other servo a "backwards"-going pulse in order to the BOE-BOT to go straight forward; how to take hints from the P-Basic Editor's text/syntax highlighting to notice that typos and other programming anomolies are present in a draft program. Etc.
He was "into" biology at a *much* earlier age, learning the vocabulary of insect and vertebrate anatomy and could recognize the body parts/organs; kids can learn at amazingly early ages if they are given the opportunity to do so at the right level(s). If you just want to hand them a kit and let them "at it", you'll need to be much more careful about picking the right kit; if you provide the mentoring and guidance, you can make a lot of a simple empty cardboard box, and/or with a complex whatchamacallit· --regardless of the child's age.
PAR