The Sphero Blueprint Build Kit is a tool made for kids in middle school and high school. It helps them understand basic engineering ideas by letting them design and make models that actually work. The kit is easy to use with parts that are simple to handle.
Plus, it comes with extra helpful resources. The Sphero Blueprint Build Kit makes learning about mechanical and structural engineering interactive, enjoyable, and easy for all students who want to be engineers.
Sphero is the #1 STEAM, computer science, and robotics education ecosystem that transforms the way students learn around the world.
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Sphero Blueprint Build Kit
My kids receive the Sphero Blueprint Build Kit to check out and play around with and my oldest son and youngest son love it the most.
My daughter wasn’t that interested after a little while (she would rather be shopping online, sigh) but my two sons were having a blast creating things with this fun and engaging kit!
I swear they were in the living room, quietly building things for about 3 hours! It was quite nice seeing my two sons getting along and sitting side by side doing something QUIET!!!
What I like about this educational kit is that my kids are able to create whatever it is they are thinking. There are a lot of pieces in this kit (320+ individual mechanical parts!) and so that goes a long way! Lots of building and thinking!
Key Benefits of The Sphero Blueprint Kit
*Easy Prototyping Blueprint Build’s modular parts are easy to assemble for rapid prototyping due to their practical size and visual and technical simplicity.
*Relevant Learning Flexible and standards-aligned unit plans to help teach students about simple and compound machines and calculating mechanical advantage.
*Hands-On Problem Solving Solving problems is the foundation of engineering. Blueprint Build allows students to quickly design, build, and test mechanical and structural engineering concepts in the classroom.
*Engineering & Beyond Students explore cross-curricular concepts in engineering and design while learning critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.
Sphero Blueprint Build Class Pack
Lessons & Unit Plans Included
The Blueprint Build Class Pack comes with 50+ hours of in-depth, standards-aligned lessons and unit plans and an in-depth Educator Guide.
For each level, you will find a teacher’s guide, lesson slides, a student handout, and build instructions. So you have everything you need to build these things.
Build in CAD
The Blueprint Build Kit supports various CAD certification curricula with free Blueprint Onshape documents, as well as Solidworks and STEP files for CAD software support.
Activity Examples Include (There Are 20!!!)
Introducing The Inclined Plane
In this lesson, students will build inclined planes to explore their mechanical advantages and use in the world around them.
Animal Motion Profiles
In this final lesson of the simple machine unit, students will use Blueprint to create a model that represents the motion profile of an animal or living organism and make it come to life in the classroom.
Unit And Lesson Structure
Each Blueprint unit consists of three types of lessons. These can be completed in any order you’d like.
Level 1: Foundational
*designed for one class period
*introduction to an engineering concept
*quick builds with instructions
Level 2: Exploration
*designed for one to two class periods
*in-depth exploration of engineering concepts
*open-ended builds with some support to get started
*content connections to historical engineering, emerging tech, and career connections
Level 3: Creation
*designed for up to one week of class time
*connections between multiple engineering concepts to serve as an end-of-unit project
*open-ended building using the engineering design process
Watch Our Video Of The Sphero Blueprint Build Kit!
Educator Resources
Their goal is to give you the tools and support you need to create an environment where students excel through experimentation, problem-solving, and play-based learning.
The downloadable resources include:
*Educator Guide Book: Blueprint makes engaging with mechanical and structural engineering hands-on, fun, and accessible to all. This guide walks you through Blueprint’s features and best practices for your classroom.
*Challenge Cards: Start using Blueprint right away in the classroom with fast, fun, and engaging challenges that can help students with the design process and introduce them to Blueprint.
*3D Printer Support: For classrooms with 3D printers, Sphero offers resources to build printable models for Blueprint Builds. This guide provides tips to enhance Blueprint Builds with 3D-printed parts.
*Free Support: CAD Support: The Blueprint Build Class Pack supports various CAD certification curricula with free Blueprint Onshape documents, as well as Solidworks and STEP files for CAD software support.
Standards Alignment
Using Blueprint alongside the engineering design process provides for rich and meaningful standards alignment in STEM and Engineering classes and beyond.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
The Sphero Blueprint Engineering Design Process adheres closely to the eight Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) identified in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The SEPs are essential for helping our students “investigate the world and design and build systems.”
Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (STEL)
The International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) recognized that STEM education efforts frequently promote science and math instruction over technology and engineering, and developed their own set of standards.
The Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (STEL) focus less on discrete facts and more on knowing, thinking, and doing.
Cross-Curricular Integration
While working through open-ended engineering design problems with Blueprint, students will utilize and develop skills across disciplines.
Language Arts
Reading and writing about engineering problems and their solutions.
For Example: students conduct research to better understand a problem and relevant background information, then use their written and oral communication skills to explain and share their solutions with others.
Math
Applying grade-appropriate math to better design, define, and describe their engineering solutions.
For Example: students use ratios to calculate the mechanical advantage of a simple machine to describe the change in the magnitude of force required to complete the movement.
Science
Integrate concepts from across the science disciplines from physical to environmental sciences.
For Example: in designing simple machines students deconstruct how energy changes form in mechanical systems through hands-on exploration.
What Is Included In The Sphero Blueprint Build Kit?
*1 kit engages 2–3 students with 320+ individual mechanical parts
*Storage bin for easy organization
*Quick Start Guide
*5 Foundational Engineering Challenge Cards
*Units & Lessons (digital only)
*CAD curriculum support with SolidWorks, Onshape (digital only)
This kit retails for $179. You can preorder the Sphero Blueprint Build Kit here! It ships in the fall of 2023!
What Is Included In The Sphero Blueprint Build Class Pack?
*5x Blueprint Build Kits with 320+ parts per kit
*Bonus mechanical build parts + storage
*Educator Guide Book
*Quick Start Guide
*5 Foundational Engineering Challenge Cards
*Units & Lessons (digital only)
*CAD curriculum support with SolidWorks, Onshape (digital only)
The class build kit retails for $999. You can preorder the build kit here. It will start shipping in the fall, of 2023!
Buy
You can pre-order the Sphero Blueprint Build Kit online on their website. It retails for $179! Sphero also has an Amazon Storefront that has a lot of products there too. So be sure to check it out!
Cindy Peterson says
Kim, Thank you for finding these great items and sharing them through giveaways!
Kim says
You bet! Thank you for being a loyal reader of my blog 🙂