All year:

Dance -  Whether with legs or wheels, can you make a dance-bot?  Figure out how you want your robot to move, find out what limitations your robot may have and find ways to do the dance with either wheels or legs.  You'll find many limitations especially with legged robots and the lack of servos or stronger motors.  You'll also find out the balance and weight affects your robot's movements a lot.  Study your body movements compared to the robotic movements.  Idea, can you make your robot do a new kind of dance?  Can you make every single robot do this in your class?  Can you have a dance competition?  Can you make every robot do a mass show, dancing in the same way at the same time?  Can you make your robot(s) move to the beat of a song?

Fall:

Halloween:

Blind as a bat - Use only an ultrasonic sensor corded to your RCX or NXT.  You will have to program your sensor to respond to close objects.  If you are too close to an object (object avoidance) it should warn you with a beep or sound.  Then, with your partner, one will be blind folded and using your device will have to navigate the room with your partner helping.  You should then switch places.  

Racing with crawlers - Build the crawler bot from the Constructopedia (first bot with legs).  You will have to program this to move forward.  Race this forward and then race it back.  Is it possible to make the robot turn?  Is it possible to make it go forward, turn, and then make its way back and then stop? 

Halloween town - Be creative!  Your mission is to build a Halloween town (use paper, color markers, tape, etc.).  On a 4' x 5' or 5' x 5' white board, set up the town and with black electrical tape, tape down a path that represents the vehicle that will take passengers (monsters) from a pick up point to the big monster party.  You can make the course hard or easy, depending on the group.  Make the scene fun and put other kinds of challenges like creating fun rides, or making a haunted house with pop-up things (this is a robotic thing that needs to be programmed).   Make a graveyard with pop-up things.  How about a witch that goes from one place to the next using a vehicle who travels a course.  You can attach a wire with a witch and broom suspended from the wire.  You can even give the witch a task.  See how many moving things you can create that deal with Halloween using the robotic set.  You can even create automata.

Thanksgiving:

Turkey hunt - That turkey is giving you a hard time this year, and every year this occurs.  The idea is that one team will build a vehicle that will represent the turkey.  The turkey has to keep itself from being caught.  The other team will be the hunters.  There are no guns or projectiles.  Your hunter has to be a vehicle as well that's able to grab or snag the turkey.  The rule, the turkey has to be able to stop when fully caught by the hunter. (this will be done by receiving a message or by touch sensor).  The hunter has to fully stop as well after catching the turkey.  Again, the stop happens after sending a message or by touch sensor).  All hunters and turkeys must be in a pen.  The pen will be electrical tape that outlines the perimeter (4' x 4' board).

Deliver a turkey - Partial line follower and being able to navigate on its own, this turkey deliverer will have to find its way from kitchen to table.  The vehicle has to be stable and, without dropping the turkey, be able to deliver the turkey by finding three colors of electrical tape leading from kitchen to table.  There will be big breaks between the lines.  The deliverer has to make its way back to the kitchen and do that task two more times.  The shortest time wins (at least two of three times has to be the shortest times).

Winter:

X-mas (the tradition not religion):

Mouse - Create a vehicle that is sensitive to light and dark.  You will want to test light and dark settings around the room.  Your vehicle will have to move toward the light or the dark.  It will have to be able to navigate around.  Not just follow a straight line.  Dress the mouse for X-mas.  Mr. Mouse's mission is to not get caught.  

Stop by my house and sing a tune -  Use the rotation sensor and sound coming from your RCX or NXT. Your creature or vehicle has to travel a certain distance and play a tune.  Plot out where each house will be and use your RCX or NXT with the rotation sensor to measure out each distance to put into the programming.  The objective is to stop in front of each house and play a turn.  Try and program a X-mas tune.  Have a band or music teacher help for this project.

X-mas town - Have fun with this one!  Your mission is to build a X-mas town (use paper, color markers, tape, etc.).  On a 4' x 5' or 5' x 5' white board, set up the town and with black electrical tape, tape down a path that represents the vehicle that will take passengers (elves) from a pick up point to the Santa's workshop.  These elves must create those toys before Santa leaves.  You can make the course hard or easy, depending on the group.  Make the scene fun and put other kinds of challenges like creating fun rides, or making Santa's workshop with pop-up things (this is a robotic thing that needs to be programmed).   Make the launching area for Santa's sleigh and reindeer with moving scenery.  How about a Santa that goes from one place to the next using a vehicle who travels a course.  You can attach a wire with a Santa and his sleigh (with reindeer) suspended from the wire.  You can even give Santa a task.  See how many moving things you can create that deal with X-mas using the robotic set.  You can even create automata.

Valentines day:

Gift -  Create a mechanical device for someone you love.  Make sure it is something that would help them.  If you love your mom, you might create a new kind of house cleaning device that would help her around the house.  This not really to take home, but a good concept and good gesture.  Take pictures or make a movie of your device and present the pictures or movie to your loved one.  Be sure to include an explanation of the device, why it represents your love for that person, and how it works.

Spring:

Easter:

I want to know if you don't yell first - Create a robot with a sound sensor and it will represent a rabbit in a house.  When the sound sensor picks up a whisper, it will put its head out as if to listen.  When the sound sensor picks up a loud noise, the rabbit will go back in the house.

Easter delivery - Create a vehicle or rabbit that is sensitive to light and dark.  You will want to test light and dark settings around the room.  Your vehicle will have to move toward the light or the dark.  It will have to be able to navigate around.  Not just follow a straight line.  Dress the rabbit or vehicle up for Easter.  Mr. Rabbit's mission is to not get caught and be able to deliver eggs at certain points your teacher designates. 

Summer:

Bumper car- Be very careful in this one.  Build good bumpers and do not play sumo with this.  The carts have to avoid each other after one bump.  this will require a front and back bumper.  You should also allow for a new direction (turn) as it drives backward. 

Summer fun - Come up with a device, vehicle, ride, that deals with summer and fun.  Whatever you build should be functioning and programmed properly.  You could build robots that can play their version of Nerf volleyball.