Wiggle-Bots are motorized contraptions that are designed and built entirely by kids.

Wiggle-Bots are more than a fun activity - they truly inspire. Watch eyes widen as wires are connected and Wiggle-Bots start to move. See how understanding and design evolves through experimentation and tinkering. Appreciate the challenge of going beyond step by step instructions and creating something completely new and innovative. It's an incredible experience. How will you wiggle? Your Wiggle-Bot can be designed to do many cool things.

Make it Scribble: Create a marker-holding Wiggle-Bot that draws crazy and fun patterns on a sheet of paper. The patterns will change, based upon your Wiggle-Bot design; make it roll, hop, vibrate, spin, or go crazy. It's up to you!

Race It: Create a Wiggle-Bot that can get somewhere in a hurry. Compete against other Wiggle-Bots, or go for a personal record. Race it straight, or through a wandering course. You've seen vibrating robot bugs in the toy stores. Now you can design and build your own. This can be an elementary, secondary, or university level activity.

Hack It: You can use Wiggle-Bot components to make your own inventions. We've used them to make a fan, paddle boat, motorized puppet and other cool things.

Print It: Wiggle-Bots play well with 3-D printers. If you have one, you can download or design components for them. Wiggle-Bots allow you to develop/prototype ideas that can be replaced by or enhanced with 3-D printed parts.

For ages 12 and up, click here

If you are working with ages 5-11, you can choose how to complete the Wiggle Bot Activity below:

• Choice #1 Without Labs: Go straight from the Build Guide to the Engineering Challenge, skipping the Optional Lab. This option works well when you’re doing the activity outside of a classroom, in a Makerspace, as a self-directed activity, or just for fun.
• Choice #2 With Labs: Start with the Wiggle Bot Lab to learn how electricity works as you start building your Wiggle Bot. You move on to redesign your Wiggle Bot to make waves, and learn about frequency and amplitude. Then, move on to improve your design in the Engineering Challenge. This option works well when you want to teach this activity to a class or during a class visit to a Makerspace.

MS Word or PDF - Which document format should you download? Always download the PDF document, unless you want to edit/change it. If you want to edit/change the document, download the MS Word (Microsoft Word™) version.

     Build Guide     

Start by creating your Wiggle-Bot using the Build Guide. This will be a great design to get you started. You’ll start to create your own amazing designs during the engineering challenges.

• Build Guide: PDF or MS Word -- Use this Guide if you’ve purchased the Wiggle- Bot.
• Super Wiggle Bot Build Guide: PDF or MS Word-- If you’ve purchased the Super Wiggle- Bot, use this Guide.

     Optional Lab     

Learn about the flow of electrons while using a battery phenomenon occurs as you build your bot. Then move on to begin building your scribble bot to learn more about the relationship between waves, frequency, and amplitude. (Suggested Grade Levels: 3-5)

• Wiggle Bot Lab: PDF or MS Word
• Answer Key: PDF-- Password Protected.

     Engineering Challenge     

Now you're ready to take it to the next level and redesign your bot to out race the competition.

• Engineering Challenge: : PDF or MS Word

     Optional Resources     

• Wiggle Bot Overview: PDF- or -MS Word-- For Classroom use, a brief overview of TeacherGeek documents, activity procedure, educational alignment standards, concepts, vocabulary, background information, and supplementary resources.

Download the Engineering Notebooks

Available at two different learning levels, the TeacherGeek Engineering Notebook is designed to help students cycle thru the Design & Engineering Process and help them innovate and invent new designs. Use an Engineering Notebook page for each iteration of design. It is recommended that extra pages are printed and on-hand during activities.

• Engineering Notebook: PDF
• Simple Engineering Notebook: PDF
• Example Wiggle- Bot Engineering Notebook: PDF
• Wiggle-Bot Idea Sheet: PDF

 

STEAM Market-It Challenge

Add the STEAM Market-It Challenge to any completed TeacherGeek activity to teach students how to turn their TeacherGeek design into a retail product. Students will learn the 4 'Ps' of marketing - Product, Placement, Price and Promotion. Students have the option of completing a commercial, a billboard or retail packaging as a summative assessment.

•  STEAM Market-It Challenge: PDF or MS Word

For ages 5-11, click here

If you are working with ages 12 and above, start with the Build Guide, then move on to the Engineering Challenge.

MS Word or PDF - Which document format should you download? Always download the PDF document, unless you want to edit/change it. If you want to edit/change the document, download the MS Word (Microsoft Word™) version.

     Build Guide     

Start by creating your Wiggle-Bot using the Build Guide. This will be a great design to get you started. You’ll start to create your own amazing designs during the engineering challenges.

• Build Guide: PDF or MS Word -- Use this Guide if you’ve purchased the Wiggle- Bot.
• Super Wiggle Bot Build Guide: PDF or MS Word-- If you’ve purchased the Super Wiggle- Bot, use this Guide.

     Engineering Challenge     

Now you're ready to take it to the next level and redesign your bot to out race the competition.

• Engineering Challenge: : PDF or MS Word

     Optional Resources     

• Wiggle Bot Overview: PDF- or -MS Word-- For Classroom use, a brief overview of TeacherGeek documents, activity procedure, educational alignment standards, concepts, vocabulary, background information, and supplementary resources.

Download the Engineering Notebooks

Available at two different learning levels, the TeacherGeek Engineering Notebook is designed to help students cycle thru the Design & Engineering Process and help them innovate and invent new designs. Use an Engineering Notebook page for each iteration of design. It is recommended that extra pages are printed and on-hand during activities.

• Engineering Notebook: PDF
• Simple Engineering Notebook: PDF
• Example Wiggle- Bot Engineering Notebook: PDF
• Wiggle-Bot Idea Sheet: PDF

Yep, we just just said it... "Wiggle Who". We promise to use better grammar from here on out.

Wiggle-Bots are a "Rock Star" activity for:

• Kids: Ages 5-18
• Classrooms: 2nd-12th Grade, Elementary, Science, Technology, Engineering
• Clubs & Troops: Scouts, 4-H, Maker, etc.
• Birthday Parties

Ages 5-11 should be supervised by or work with an adult

You've probably already figured it out; Wiggle-Bots are all about getting kids/students to innovate. True innovation is a big deal. It's the difference between following and leading; or copying and creating. Wiggle-Bots set out to inspire the innovators of tomorrow.

Wiggle-Bot components and resources are all specifically design to facilitate innovation. Wiggle-Bot's use Teachergeek™ components, which allow kids to easily experiment, change their designs, and integrate other materials (recycling bin or other materials you have available).

When kids innovate, they engage like never before. They take pride and ownership. Solving the challenge brings them a tremendous feeling of success and accomplishment.

Wiggle-Bots do not get old, like many other activities, because designs can always be modified and improved. Kids/students learn far more from their design revisions than they do from their original design.

Here's what comes in a regular Wiggle-Bot Pack:

Here's what comes in a Super Wiggle-Bot Pack:

Gear Transmission Using Super-Wiggle-Bot Components:

Component colors will vary. You'll need a few other materials to make your Wiggle-Bot. You should have them laying around.

• Tape
• AA Battery
• 2 to 4 Markers (if you are building a scribble-bot)
• Recycled Materials (food packaging, cardboard, etc)

Wiggle-Bot components are designed to work with your recycling bin (used food packaging). They allow you to turn recycled materials into working contraptions.

What tools will you need to build a Wiggle-Bot?

Process	Process Description	Recommended Tool	Alternate Tool
Cutting/Snipping	Cut components, straight or at an angle.	Multi-Cutter (optional)	Shears, utility cutter (optional)
Tapping/Pounding	Tapping/placing components together or into holes	Mini Hammer (optional)	Hammer, Hands
Holding, Tightening, Twisting	Holds and tightens components and hardware in place	Pliers (optional)	Pliers
Positioning	Positions and holds components in place for tapping or otherwise	Tapping Block (optional)	None