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Teacher Plan

Robotic Animals

SPIKE Prime SPIKE Essential mBot 3D design Laser cutter
The Robotic Animals series invites students to explore the fascinating world of biomimicry through hands-on building and programming. Each lesson focuses on constructing a different animal — birds, insects, mammals and more — showing how nature’s designs can be recreated with LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime or mBot2 robots.
Every project is explained step by step, making it approachable for beginners while still exciting for more advanced learners. These lessons encourage creativity, logical thinking, and teamwork, turning the classroom into a dynamic environment where technology and biology meet.
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Lessons available in the Teacher and School plans.
Contents Requirements
  • extensive introduction illustrated with graphics and animations,
  • detailed instructions for building robots,
  • downloadable ready-to-use templates for laser cutter,
  • detailed instructions on how to design 3D elements for 3D printing,
  • step-by-step programming guide,
  • useful cross-sections of the construction,
  • access to additional teaching resources.

Lesson plans

PENGUIN
Meet your penguin assistant. It chirps, displays text, and responds like a tiny friend. Use Python to script your own playful dialogue.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime (#45678) and SPIKE programming app (Python).
BUTTERFLY
Look upon the beauty of nature and spread your wings. Select one of the most beautiful butterfly species, then print and color its paper wings, so that you can finally bring this robotic specimen to life.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime (#45678) and SPIKE programming app.
BUTTERFLY 3D FUSION 360
Use your imagination to design the most beautiful wings for this robotic butterfly. Try changing the filament color when the wings are being 3D printed for even more interesting results. Build and program a colorful robotic butterfly!

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime (#45678), Autodesk Fusion 360, and a 3D printer.
BUTTERFLY 3D TINKERCAD
3D design and printing will help you spread your wings, literally! Design and 3D print mesmerizing wings for this robotic butterfly. Find out how to change the filament color during the printing process for more colorful results.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime (#45678), Autodesk Tinkercad, and a 3D printer.
BUTTERFLY
Create a robotic butterfly with laser-cut wings! Watch it flutter as you program its movement and explore the beauty of robotics.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE Prime (#45678), SPIKE programming app, xTool laser cutter and software.
FLYER
Create an owl model with laser-cut wood and strings. Use a crank mechanism to bring it to life and see how it flies.

Robot designed for: Makeblock mBot 2, mBlock programming app, xTool laser cutter and software.
CHATTY ALIEN
How to talk with someone from another planet? Can you reach mutual understanding? This Chatty alien really wants to talk to a human. Help them: build an expressive face and create a language by using an advanced program.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential (#45345) and SPIKE programming app.
RESOLUTE GOAT
This robotic goat is determined to reach its goal, no matter how many tries it takes. Follow his example, especially when it comes to learning how to program. Start experimenting with the tilt sensor and write a program for this Resolute goat.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential (#45345) and SPIKE programming app.
GORILLA
This robotic gorilla goes where the bananas are. He's clearly hungry - let him have a snack! In this lesson, you'll build and program this friendly great ape. Use a tilt sensor and learn more about these endangered, wonderful animals.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential (#45345) and SPIKE programming app.
DRAGONFLY
Did you know that dragonflies have been around since the time of the dinosaurs? These insects are very interesting and worth learning more about. You know the best way to do it? Build your own robotic dragonfly and program its chaotic flight!

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential (#45345) and SPIKE programming app.
OWL
Do you know which birds flap their wings the fastest, or which ones spend almost all their lives in the air? And what exactly makes birds fly? Find out all this by building a model of an owl - the fearless night hunter - from bricks and paper.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential (#45345) and SPIKE programming app.
3D PARROT
Whoever fails to prepare, prepares to fail, which is why this Parrot practices various maneouvers on the ground, even if it cannot fly yet. Design its 3D wings, then print them out by using a 3D printer. Help the Parrot reach its goal!

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential (#45345), Autodesk Tinkercad, and a 3D printer.
PUPPY
This robotic Puppy is very intelligent and well-behaved, but it learns all the tricks exclusively by means of programming code. Find out whether you can take good care of pets and if you can speak their language.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime (#45678) and SPIKE programming app.
PARROT
Whoever fails to prepare, prepares to fail, which is why this Parrot practices various maneouvers on the ground, even if it cannot fly yet. Build its beak, assemble wings, attach blue wheels, and program the motors. Help the Parrot reach its goal!

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential (#45345) and SPIKE programming app.
NEST
How do robotic nestlings know when to ask for food? Thanks to their sensors! Young birds need nutrition to grow and these two demand it by chirping and jumping. Build, code and learn what homes other birds live in.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential (#45345) and SPIKE programming app.
HORSE
This horse is living any horse’s dream - running all day long. And you can learn a lot from building it, too. For example, you will learn the intricacies of pistons and how they turn rotational motion into linear motion.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential (#45345) and SPIKE programming app.
CRAB
They walk sideways, can measure from a fraction of an inch to 12 feet, and they used to know dinosaurs! Crabs are really incredible animals. Learn more about them, then build and program your own model of this charming crustacean.

Robot designed for: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime (#45678) and SPIKE programming app.