Kitronik Lesson in a Box - Mai-Z the MouseBot for micro:bit

Smart, playful, and packed with potential, meet Mai-Z The MouseBot, the ultimate programmable robot buggy for young coders aged 8–14! Whether it’s drawing shapes, following paths, or responding to motion, your young learners are in the driver’s seat, literally!

Our Lesson in a Box® for Mai-Z for BBC micro:bit is a complete class-based solution, designed for teachers with a limited coding background to allow a full exploration of all of Mai-Z’s features. The Lesson in a Box (Mai-Z) is a complete set of electronics and teaching resources to enable successful cross-curricular lessons with minimal teacher effort. The kit and teaching resources have been developed to save you precious time. The Lesson in a Box – Mai-Z the MouseBot for BBC micro:bit is supplied in a sturdy and convenient Gratnells tray, with a lit, for safe storage.

The kit is supplied with an extensive set of teaching resources that are aligned for both US & UK teaching, consisting of; Teacher/Technician/Classroom Assistant instructions, Scheme of learning, lesson plans & presentations, Student instructions & slideshows, Exclusive digital versions of resources & code examples. Each Kit comes with 11 x Mai-Z The MouseBot Floor Robots & USB-C Charging Cables, 11 x Double-sided A1 Map/Line Following Posters, 2 x A2 Features Posters, 4 x STOP:bits & accompanying switched battery holders, 11 x Sharpies, 6 x Table Tennis Balls.

Designed for hands-on learning, the Kitronik Mai-Z is a versatile educational robot built for the BBC micro:bit. Whether you’re diving into coding with MakeCode’s block-based editor or exploring a world beyond monitor screens with our exclusive Screen-Free Programming add-on pack, Mai-Z makes STEM learning intuitive and fun. It’s even fully compatible with MakeCode CreateAI, allowing gesture-based control and AI-powered coding right out of the box. Aligned with UK and US curricula, Mai-Z empowers both learners and teachers to master core computing concepts through interactive, project-based activities.

In developing this box, we wanted it to be affordable, useful and robust enough for teachers to use time and time again. The teaching resources cover many curriculum specifications and have ample opportunities for personal development by encouraging pupils to view traditional STEM/STEAM activities as having value across their curriculum.

All of the teaching resources are set out in a teacher-friendly’ way, including lesson plans, presentations, and printable worksheets. These are supplied in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint formats as well as PDFs, which can be copied, modified, and printed to suit your teaching style.

Features:

• The Lesson in a Box – Mai-Z the MouseBot for BBC micro:bit is a complete set of electronics and teaching resources to enable successful cross-curricular lessons with minimal teacher effort.
• No soldering is required for technicians or students.
• The kit and teaching resources have been thoroughly tested to work in your classroom.
• The kit includes technicians’ notes, lesson plans, resources and workbooks or worksheets.
• The kit has been designed to be used over and over again, all component parts were chosen/designed with this in mind.
• Packaged in a sturdy reusable Grantnells tray that will keep the kits together and safe in between uses.
• It’s fun to teach and fun to learn!
• The kit and resources have been designed for both UK and US alignment.

Contents:

• 11 x Mai-Z The MouseBot Floor Robots & USB-C Charging Cables.
• 11 x Double-sided A1 Map/Line Following Posters.
• 2 x A2 Features Posters
• 4 x STOP:bits & accompanying switched battery holders.
• 11 x Sharpies
• 6 x Table Tennis Balls
• 1 x Gratnells Storage Tray
• 1 x Lid for Gratnells storage tray.

Lessons:

This kit has a dedicated secure downloads page, where all of the lessons and teaching resources can be obtained. Previously, this material would have been supplied on a removable drive. These pages are only available to customers/schools that have purchased the kits. Details of how to access these resources will be included with your purchase. The lessons are listed below, and each lesson includes; Word, PDF, Code Examples, and PowerPoint docs where appropriate.

• Start Here.
• Introductory Lesson.
• Drawing with Mai-Z.
• Townscape.
• Maze Escape.
• Line Following.
• Collision Avoidance.
• AI Gesture Radio Control.
• Song and Dance Routine.
• Remote Control.
• Connectivity.

Video:

Requires:

• 11 x BBC micro:bit.

Resources:

• Mai-Z Specifications Sheet.