"Our KIBOs take on some important jobs. In one lesson, students program them to rescue baby bears that are lost in deep dark caves. (Our caves are constructed with old cardboard boxes, the imagination of the students dresses them up.) They love to train KIBO to navigate the twists and turns of our caves. Most of all, they love programming with the light sensor and the light - if the cave gets dark and scary, then KIBO should turn on her flashlight!"
Accomplished link
Studies published in peer-reviewed education journals from Universities such as Tufts report improvements in STEM skills and attitudes about STEM.
Corporations can get involved by donating KIBO Classroom Packages to elementary classrooms in their headquarters city. This could appeal to corporations in STEM industries. A typical classroom package costs $5,600.00 and includes robots, teaching materials and professional development. In the case of large scale donations KinderLab could inscribe a corporate logo of the contributor onto each KIBO. For large scale operations KinderLab could train schools and corporations to collaborate in a STEM fair.
Funders and PartnersGrants:
National Science Foundation:
Equity Investors:
The programs in this database clear a high bar. STEMworks reviewed each program against the Design Principles for Effective STEM Philanthropy.
Identify and target a compelling and well-defined need.
Use rigorous evaluation to continuously measure and inform progress towards the compelling need identified.
Ensure work is sustainable.
Demonstrate replicability and scalability.
Create high impact partnerships
Ensure organizational capacity to achieve goals.
Offer challenging and relevant STEM content for the target audience
Incorporate and encourage STEM practices.
Inspire interest and engagement in STEM.
Identify and address the needs of under-represented groups.