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Lost Rover Recovery

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Grades K-230-45 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Young engineers plan a step-by-step route to guide a lost rover home around obstacles. It's an unplugged coding challenge that builds sequencing and problem-solving through a rescue mission.

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Prep: 8 minActivity: 30 min1 session~$1/groupOne table or a small area of floor spaceBeginner-friendly

Setup

Gather grid map, arrow cards, toy rover and clear a small work surface. Read the Lost Rover Recovery mission aloud, then place the supplies where children can choose and compare them safely.

Activity

  1. Study the grid map and predict a safe path for the rover to reach home base.
  2. Arrange arrow cards into a step-by-step program that will guide the rover along that path.
  3. Run the rover through the sequence and discover it crashes into an obstacle or misses a turn, then debug the cards.
  4. Celebrate the rover's successful homecoming by walking a partner through the final working program.

Done when: Children complete the core mission and the rover's successful homecoming by walking a partner through the final working program.

Materials

Masking tape for a floor grid, a wind-up or rolling toy rover, arrow direction cards, small blocks as obstacles

Shown for the Quick Start version — switch tabs above to see what changes.

Disclosure: Materials links below go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Steps

  1. Study the grid map and predict a safe path for the rover to reach home base.
  2. Arrange arrow cards into a step-by-step program that will guide the rover along that path.
  3. Run the rover through the sequence and discover it crashes into an obstacle or misses a turn, then debug the cards.
  4. Celebrate the rover's successful homecoming by walking a partner through the final working program.