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We've had some success with the robot kits from OWI... Most require no
soldering or programming, so a little simpler than Mindstorms... Though
there's always one @#$^&*! Gear that's a pain to get in there.

Or if you want a reallly simple model that even young kids can assemble
easily (no tools needed), this one will do: 
http://www.electronickits.com/robot/CK21670.htm

I'll add that robot camps like this seem to be as close as you'll get in
the science center biz to having a license to print your own money.

And now, to assert my status as biggest nerd on the listserv.... Has
anyone ever tried constructing a robot activity similar to the board
game RoboRally? In the game, you program your robot (not a real one,
just a game piece, alas) in an attempt to hit targets, but it has to
wind its way through an obstacle course of conveyor belts, rotating
gears, holes, gates, the other robots. 

A live action version would be cool, even if you had to leave out the
missiles and death rays that the robots in the game shoot at each other.

Jonah Cohen
Outreach & Public Programs Manager
The Children's Museum


"Complimentary and alternative medicine" is the technical term for
"something your hairdresser saw on Oprah".
         -Newsweek

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