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Hexbug Maze

Guest blogger: Bilge Cerezci

In this activity, we will create a Hexbug maze using straws, popsicle sticks, tape, and poster board! This fun activity not only allows young children to deepen their understanding of spatial relationships by connecting words, actions and symbols, but also gives them opportunities to build and problem solve. Many young children understand concepts related to position and spatial relationships before they have the language to describe them. In this game, we are going to explore spatial relationships by connecting words (before, after, behind, inside, outside, under) with actions.

If you’ve never heard of Hexbugs, they are basically very affordable micro robots. You can buy as singles or in bulks (depending on where you are purchasing from).

Hex Bug

Materials:

  • Hexbug Nano
  • Poster board
  • Some cardboard tubes from wrapping paper rolls.
  • Popsicle sticks
  • Straws
  • Tape

Directions:

  • Design a maze for your hexbug!
  • It needs to have one entrance, one exit, walls and several paths, one straight section, and few bends where the bug makes a large change in direction (makes a big turn).
  • Use either clothespins, popsicle sticks, or straws to create the walls and paths in your maze based on your design.
  • You can tape the materials you are using on the board when building your maze.

Once you build your maze based on the directions, it is time to put it to a test!

The Maze

To help children practice spatial relationships, encourage them to narrate hexbug’s movements. For example, you might say, “Look, he is turning right,” “It is going under the bridge,” “It is inside the tunnel now,” “It is going over the bridge.” You can take turns narrating the movements and directions the hexbug takes. To keep it interesting and fun, try revising your maze and see if you can use other other concepts related to position and spatial relationships.

Bilge Cerezci

Bilge Cerezci began her career as an educator in Turkey. After earning a bachelor of science degree in early childhood education from Bosphorus University in Istanbul, she nurtured the development of young minds as a teacher in Turkish preschools. Cerezci moved to Chicago in 2007 to pursue graduate studies at the Erikson Institute and completed her master’s degree in child development with an infancy specialization in 2009. She was awarded her PhD in applied child development from Loyola University Chicago and the Erikson Institute in 2017. During her doctoral studies, Cerezci worked for the Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative, which was launched in 2007 to enhance the quality of early math education by helping preschool and early elementary school teachers incorporate effective early math instruction into their classrooms. Her work for the Early Math Collaborative focused on the refinement of a new tool designed to measure the quality of mathematics instruction in preschools and elementary schools. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member in the Child Development Department of the City Colleges of Chicago and the Teacher Education Department at Loyola University. Dr. Cerezci now resides in New York City, where she shares her knowledge and insights with the next generation of educators as an assistant professor in the Curriculum and Instruction Department at St. John’s University.

Read more posts by Bilge Cerezci

2 Replies to “Hexbug Maze”

  1. I really love this idea for children. I think it is just so fun and creative and really will help them with problem solving and also with them using there words.

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