{"id":1387,"date":"2017-12-17T00:12:38","date_gmt":"2017-12-17T06:12:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learningtostem.com\/?p=1387"},"modified":"2017-12-30T22:44:57","modified_gmt":"2017-12-31T04:44:57","slug":"lego-boost-everything-you-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learningtostem.com\/lego-boost-everything-you-need\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need to Know About Lego Boost"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lego Boost is an impressive 840+ piece robot kit that allows kids to build, code, and play with a robot that can do a laundry list of activities and turn into five different models. At a MSRP of $159.95, it\u2019s a bit more pricey than some of the kits we\u2019ve reviewed<\/a>, but it\u2019s also cheaper than the other popular Lego robot kit, Mindstorm. Lego Boost performs at a rate that\u2019s well worth this price, and kids will no doubt have fun and learn a lot while using it.<\/p>\n

CONTENTS<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Boost kit contains 847 pieces, which is admittedly a lot. But they\u2019re all packaged neatly in baggies within the larger box. Boost features two motors and a color and distance sensor as part of the included parts and a mat for kids to use to help design programs. The kit does not contain batteries (six AAA batteries are needed); a tablet is also needed to to download and use the Boost app to code and access step-by-step instructions.<\/p>\n

HOW IT WORKS<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Boost has five different robots that can be built:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Vernie the robot<\/li>\n
  • Frankie the cat<\/li>\n
  • Guitar 4000<\/li>\n
  • M.T.R. 4<\/li>\n
  • Auto Builder<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \"All<\/a><\/p>\n

    Each model has one thing in common: the Move Hub, which is the centralized hub that contains the batteries, bluetooth connector, and sensors, as well as a couple ports that will become connected with wires during the building process.<\/p>\n

    Kids build each model one by one. The app instructs them what to do, and once the model is complete, the app will walk them through coding the robot. There\u2019s a lot of room for personalization and each model has a variety of commands it can follow. Boost uses a drag-and-drop programming language that is simple and easy-to-use. Once kids are finished programming a command, they\u2019ll press a \u201cplay\u201d button and watch the robot run the command. It\u2019s also possible to run several programs at once.<\/p>\n

    Kids work through several challenges with each robot. Altogether, there are about 60 challenges across the five models. The app used is simple and contains no words, so kids who don\u2019t know how to read yet can use it. For those who wish to write their own programs from scratch, you can go to the Coding Canvas mode and work on custom programs.<\/p>\n

    A gridded mat is also included to help kids space out how far the robot needs to be programmed to move forward or turn (for example, three spaces forward instead of two). This is especially helpful for kids who build the robots with no adult assistance; the mat gives them a visual idea of how far the robot should be programmed.<\/p>\n

     Watch this video to see a time lapse of all 5 builds:<\/p>\n