Coding for kids: how MIEO Bot checks a child's blocks as they build

• The starting hat block is missing.
• A block is not on the canvas yet. MIEO Bot says which category to open and where the block goes.
• A block is on the canvas but not snapped into the stack.
• The wrong block is in a spot. MIEO Bot says which block belongs there.
• A round or hexagon slot is empty.
• A dropdown is set to the wrong choice. For variables, MIEO Bot tells the child to create the variable first.

The checker is also forgiving. Extra blocks are allowed, and so are the child's own numbers and words. MIEO Bot only checks the choices that matter for the current step, which leaves room for a child to experiment, change a value or add something of their own without being marked wrong.

Explaining any block

A child can ask about a block in three ways: drop it onto MIEO Bot, type a block name or a goal, or click a block and press Explain my block. The guide covers what the block does, its settings, a Try this example and some ideas, along with tips, similar blocks and the lessons that use it. The page says the guides cover all 283 blocks, including the extension blocks and the MIEO board's own blocks.

125 lessons across four levels

The lesson library has 125 guided lessons. By level there are 31 Beginner lessons, 37 Explorer, 38 Maker and 19 Pro. By track there are 34 block coding lessons, 56 extension lessons and 35 MIEO robot lessons. Examples named on the page include Move Forward at Beginner level, a Catch Me score game at Maker level, Line Follower in the robot track and Voice Controlled Robot in the lessons that combine the robot with AI. Several robot lessons link to full Robolab projects, which gives a child a way from a guided lesson into a longer build.

The extension lessons draw on 13 add-on block sets, such as Face Sense and Speech Sense. The app's AI blocks run on the computer rather than in the cloud.

English and Malayalam

MIEO Bot works in English and in a mixed English and Malayalam mode. In the mixed mode, lesson steps, hints, praise and block settings are explained in Malayalam, while block names, categories and buttons stay in English, along with common coding words. A child can follow the explanation in the language used at home and still learn the words they will see on screen.

Private by design

MIEO Bot runs entirely on the computer. The page says it needs no internet or account and sends nothing anywhere, so a child's code and questions stay on the machine. For a parent, that means no sign-up form and no data to think about. For a school, it means the app works in a lab with weak or blocked internet.

Using it with a class

For teachers, the page describes MIEO Bot as a patient helper for each child. While one child is waiting on a missing hat block and another is stuck on a dropdown, the tutor covers both, and the teacher can go to the children who need a person. RobolaB also offers schools lab setup and teacher training; see our STEM and robotics training for how that works.

Getting started with coding for kids at home

The app is free, so a parent can try it before buying anything. Download it for your computer, open the lessons, and let your child choose a Beginner lesson. Sit nearby for the first one, then step back and let MIEO Bot do the checking. When your child is ready to move from the screen to a physical robot, the MIEO kit, for children aged 8 and up, is the next step; read more on our RobolaB robotics kits page. Note that the forklift, gripper and Cosmo builds need parts from the MIEO Pro kit, so the MIEO kit alone does not build them.