Show roamer to children
Switch on and show set program

Roamer can go forwards
Roamer can turn left
Roamer can sing
Roamer can turn right
Roamer can go backwards
Roamer can stop for a while

Ask children to point forward

Clarify
It's the way you are looking

Ask children to point backwards

Clarify

Show that roamer has eyes

Which way is forwards and backwards for roamer?

Show arrow pads and numbers on roamer top

Clarify

Do forward - go - roamer complains

Clarify with number of steps

Go
Do backwards

Number of steps
Roamer goes forwards then backwards

Show list of instructions/things to do

Roamer remembers what you tell it

Show cm

We can make roamer forget
Listen to the sounds
Press go - roamer doesn't move - he's forgotten

Each child has turns making roamer forget and making roamer go forward x amount of steps
Talk about getting roamer back to where it started
Each child has turns making roamer forget and go forward then back x amount of steps
Hand pairs of children selection #1 of programs and race roamers

Which will get back first?
Why is this one first and this one last?

At this point children will want to be doing it on their own so leave them for a while forgetting and going backwards and forwards
Introduce turn

Left and right
90 - the magic number #1
How many times must we press go to make roamer face the way it started?
Leave children to find this out
These are corners like in a square or rectangle
Turn 180 - magic number #2

Turns roamer around
Doesn't matter about left and right
Forwards x turn 180

Another race (selection #2)
Leave them to it for a while
Remind children of turn 90
Program roamer to move in a square

What shape is roamer making?
Does roamer turn the same way each time?
Show picture of square

How many sides?
What is special about them?
How many corners?
How do we make roamer do a side?
How do we make roamer do a corner?
Build up list of things to do underneath the picture

Make roamer forget
Program roamer to move in a square in their pairs with your supervision - go!
Leave children with roamer and list of things to do
Bring back after a while
How can we make the square bigger or smaller?
How can we make a rectangle?
Leave children to it for as long as possible
At end of session compile list of things roamer can do

I can make roamer....

Selection #1 consisits of three cards,
the first card showing symbols for forward 2 & backwards 2,
the second, forward 3 & backwards 3 and
the third, forward 4 & backwards 4.
Selection #2 consists of three cards,
the first card showing symbols for forward 2, right 180, forward 2 & right 180,
the second, forward 3, right 180, forward 3 and right 180,
the third, forward 4, right 180, forward 4 and right 180.

Stockwell Infants Home Page

Nicolas Mitchell
stockinf@rmplc.co.uk