1 Nephi 19:23 (complete and pass off)

Follow the directions below

1. Look up 1 Nephi 3:7

• read it twice to yourself
• read it once to me

2. Look up 1 Nephi 19:23

• read it three times to yourself
• recite it to me without looking.

3. Mark your progress on the chart

I Nephi 19:23 (fill in the rest of the word)

Write the remaining letters in each word.

And I did read many things unto them witch were written in the book of Mormon but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord there Redeemer I did read unto them that witch was written by the prophet Isaiah for I did liken all scriptures unto us that it might be for our prophet and learning

1 Nephi 19:23 (say it in your own words)

Read the scripture and then write the meaning in your own words.

And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.

This scriptures means

1 Nephi 19:23 (fill in the blank)

Fill in the blanks with large orange letters.

And I did read many things unto that were written in the books of moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the lord their reedemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all the scriptures unto us, that it might be for our prophet and learning.

1 Nephi 19:23

1 Nephi 19:23 is a wonderful scripture. Read it and then answer the following questions.

And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.

Who is talking?
niphi

Who is he talking to?
whoever is reading the book

What did he do to help teach the people of Jesus Christ (there are two things)?
he read from Isaiah and likened the scriptures unto them

What was the result of his efforts?
they will believe in Christ

1 Nephi 3 :7 (complete and pass off)

Follow the instructions below

1. Look up 1 Nephi 3:7
2. Read it to yourself 3 times
3. Read it aloud 3 times
4. When you think you have it memorized- come say it to me.

1 Nephi 3:7 (fill in the rest of the word)

Fill in the rest of each word.

And it came to past that I Nephi said unto my father I will go and do the things witch the Lord hath comandeth for I know the Lord gineth no comadnment unto the children of men save he shall prepare a way for them to accomplish that witch he comandeth them

1 Nephi 3: 7

1 Nephi 3:7 (fill in the blanks)

Fill in the blanks in this scripture with large green letters.

And it came to that I, nephi said unto my father: I will go and do and the things which the hath commanded, for I know that the giveth no commandment unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a for them that they may accomplish the thing which he hath comandeth them.

1:nephi 3:7

Scripture Picture 1 Nephi 3:7

Here is a picture I like that represents 1 Nephi 3:7.

How do you think this picture relates to this verse?

in this verse, nephi says: I will go and do hings which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

Do you think it is a good way to remember it?

yes because it probably wasn't easy to get that sheep but he still did it.

1 Nephi 3:7

One of the things I really love about Seminary is the Scripture Mastery program. The leaders of the church have selected 25 scriptures from each of the 4 standard works for Seminary students to read, memorize, be able to locate easily and explain. These 25 scriptures and the process of learning them is what makes up the Scripture Mastery program. Since these scriptures are important to all of us (not just seminary students) and since I am already spending a lot of time preparing to teach them, I thought we could spend some of our devotional time talking about and learning them too. So... today we start at the beginning with 1 Nephi 3:7

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

Of course, this is a scripture you already know but as you read it this time I want you to think about and prepare to answer the following questions:

Who is talking?
nephi

What is he willing to do?
go to get the gold plates

Why is he willing to do it?
god asked him to and he knows god's work is important

What are the consequences of his choice to obey?
god will help him get to the promised land safely

Daily Devotionals

It has been a long time since we have done daily devotionals at school- can you tell? I can. When we are consistent and disciplined about studying the gospel (even for a few minutes) and praying before we study- the Spirit can guide our study and enhance our ability to learn. Having the Spirit help us as we learn is an incredible blessing.



What are some things you can do to invite the Spirit unto you school study?
do not complain

What do you think will happen when you are filled with the Spirit as you do your school work?
you will get more done

Hybernating Bear Call Out Box

Spencer was given as assignment to write his own "call out box" for an article entitled, "Close Encounters of the Bear kind". The article is about what scientists have to do to safely learn about and follow hibernating bears. I loved that he chose to write from the bears perspective. His writing is short- but it is supposed to be. Here it is.

I was sleeping peacefully, when I awoke to a serious pain in my stomach. I knew that meat two things: 1) I was hungry and 2) hibernation must be over. I got up and looked around. But I may as well have looked around with my eyes shut because there was no light in my den. That was strange to me because I was certain I had poked an air hole through the snow before I fell asleep. I was confused. The only thing I could figure was that I didn’t eat enough before falling asleep and even though I was hungry it was not time to wake up yet. I started to go back to sleep but a blinding light shot through the den and hit me in the face. I looked up and saw a man standing in front of me holding a spear. I was frightened. I felt a pain in my shoulder and a tugging around my neck. But suddenly I was sleepy again despite the hunger and the pain and I fell asleep. I don’t remember anything after that.

Point of View "Fill in the Blanks" Poem

Spencer was given an assignment to fill in the blanks of this Poem from an animals point of view. His words are the words written in green.

I'm a nice dog, a small dog, a good dog, playing catch.
I'm a trained dog, a friendly dog, a smart dog playing fetch.
I'm a quite dog, an active dog, an outgoing dog, to let.
I love to sleep and I'm a good dog to keep as a pet.

I'll never be a big dog, a bad dog, a mean dog, a mad dog.
Being bad is not for me, I'm a good dog, not bad.
But other dogs are bad and mean and mad.

This was a very difficult assignment for Spencer. He said several times, that he thought it would be easier to just write his own poem. He felt very confined by the words that were given to him and did not like the rhythm of the poem. In the end I think it was a good exercise for him. And aside from the "to let" portion (because he simply COULD NOT think of anything made sense so he decided to at least make it rhymn) I think he did very well.

Strategy

I’ve come up with a strategy impossible to beat,
A person with this strategy you’ll never want to meet.
I’ve come up with a strategy and this time I will win,
I‘ve come up with a strategy now let the game begin.

I’ve come with a strategy the chances I have won,
Are rapidly increasing ever since the game begun.
I’ve come up with a strategy and your almost dead,
I’ve come up with a strategy prepare to lose your head.

I’ve come up with a strategy you do not have a chance,
I’ve come up with a strategy prepare as I advance.
I’ve come up with a strategy and you will never win,
And if we play another game, I'm sure I’ll win again!

I’ve come up with a strategy you’re almost in check - mate,
I’ve come up with a strategy prepare to meet your fate.
I've come up with a strategy I've almost won the bet.
A hundred million dollars is what I plan to get.

The game is almost over, pay up- I'm the boss,
I hope you learned your lesson ... Say what? OH NO - I LOST!

The Untied Race

There once was a runner named Chase,
Who entered a very long race.
He fell on his face, and lost the big race,
Because of his untied shoelace!

Driving

“Mom, can I drive the car?” I asked as politely as possible. “Of course not,” she said as if she was amused but then added, “don’t be ridiculous!” “Awe, come on Mom, please!” I said in a very whining voice. Conversations like this were common at my house. I was always asking my mom if I could drive and she was always saying no. Then one day she surprised me. We went golfing and she said I could have a turn driving the golf cart. I was thrilled.

Of course, my little brother was with us and he wanted a turn too - mom said, he could go first. I tried to be patient but his turn felt like it was taking forever. Finally it was my turn. Though I had never driven a golf cart before (or anything else for that matter) I thought I knew what to do.

I eagerly jumped into the seat and looked around. Hu? This wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. I looked down and saw what I thought was the gas pedal- I decided that was a good place to start. I hit the pedal and we shot off down the path.

We tore past fearfully looking golfers and narrowly missed a large oak tree. I had hardly caught my breath before a flying golf ball whizzed past the windshield. Just then I noticed a sharp turn ahead. I tugged on the steering wheel but the golf cart did not move. The curve was approaching fast and I was feeling scared. I pulled hard to the right- and just in time too. We flew around the curve. And though mom was holding on for dear life- she nearly flew out of the cart.

Mom yelled at me to stop, so I pressed on the brake. But to my surprise we started moving faster and faster. At first I could not figure out why but then it occurred to me… the brake was on the left and I had pushed hard on the pedal to the right. I pushed the pedal on the left and we came to a screeching halt. Man, I really wish golf carts had airbags - I think mom did too.

We stumbled from the golf cart and tried to recover. We turned in the keys and headed to the car. I guess mom didn’t realize how much fun we had because she refused to let me drive home. And I guess I’m kind of glad because driving isn’t as easy as it looks- even though it is lots of fun!

The Magic Prison

As you read this, keep in mind that this is an assignment and I wouldn’t be doing it if it weren’t. But I guess I have to. So here it is.

In the story “The Magic Prison” Prince Herweda learns an important lesson. He learns this: selfishness leads to sadness, service leads to happiness and they can’t coexist. Think of this, in the story the mirrors represent selfishness because when you look in them you only see yourself. The windows represent service because when you look through a window you see others. The more time you spend looking in mirrors, the less service you do and the less happiness you can have. So, the moral of this story is that focusing only on yourself will never lead to happiness.

General Conference

General Conference is this weekend- yeah! I love General Conference. In order for us to make the most of of General Conference we need to do more than just show up at church. Write about two things you hope to hear at Conference this weekend and two things you will do to help you prepare to receive the messages that have been prepared.

At General Conference I want to listen to Thomas S. Monson talk about when he was a kid. To prepare I can pray to feel the Spirit and to think about what I hear.

Options

The stories and quotes we read this week talked about lots of different ways to learn and become educated. We are so blessed to live in a world that offers so many wonderful options to those that really want to learn.

Explore three different educational paths you think you might be interested in. Explain what you will need to follow these different paths successfully.

1. be a robot builder.


2. collage professor for a technology class.


3. go to mars.

True Education

Elder David A Bednar of the Quorum of the twelve apostles said, " I have spend most of my life involved in education. What I was younger, I thought education meant going to to school, taking tests, and getting good grades. But as I grew older I began to learn the difference between doing well in school and becoming educated. True education is learning how to learn. Once I discovered that lesson, learning became fun!"

1. What is "true education"?

True education is... learning how to learn.

2. What is the difference between true education and going to school? (Hint... both require the same things outwardly... the difference is something inside of the learner.)

The difference between true education and going to school is... weather or not you actually learn.

More Than One Way to Learn- part 3

Read Service in the Service. Then Answer the following questions:

1. Elizabeth originally had a different plan for her life... how did she decide what course she would take? fasted and prayed.


2. What did she have to do to qualify for her job? finish school and enlist in the military

3. Elizabeth says there are two things that are important in choosing educational and career paths... what are they? fast and prayer.

4. How do you feel about Elizabeth's job? is It something you would want to do? maybe.

More Than One Way to Learn- part 2

Read Serving up Satisfaction. Then answer the following questions:

1. What "work" has Laya chosen for herself? cooking.

2. What inspired Laya to do what she does? an edible swan she saw when she was a girl.

3. Was it easy for her to get where she is now? no. What steps did she have to take to get there? she went to school and worked without pay and practiced a lot.

4. Would you like to do what she does? well, I think it is interesting and I like it but it is not what I want to do.

More Than One Way to Learn

Today read Choosing the Outdoor Life. Then answer the following questions:

1. What was it about the family farm that Talon loved so much? it was nice and quiet.

2. Is Talon's "work" easy? Is his work enjoyable and fulfilling to him? its hard but its enjoyable

3. What did he do to prepare himself to be the best farm owner possible? work hard and "just deal with it.''

4. Is Talon's work something that interests you? its interesting but i wont want to do it.

Dream

One of the things I love most about my Mom and Dad is that they allowed me and encouraged me to dream. They taught me to set goals and to work hard to accomplish the things I wanted to do. They taught me to enjoy the hard work that got me where I wanted to go as well as the joy of a job well done. My Mom and Dad always supported me in my dream too. They provided me with opportunities to make my dreams come true (and that often meant some sort of sacrifice on their part). They talked to me about my goals and helped me to refine them. They struggled with me when things got hard or I made bad choices. They rejoiced with me when I succeeded.

I want to be that kind of parent for you Spencer. I want you to know that it is safe to dream- that is okay to want something extraordinary for yourself. I want to help you reach your goals. I want to see your greatest dreams come true. I hope that I can do that for you.

Write about a dream you have.

When I grow up I'm gonna build robots that fight other robots then I'll sell smaller robots so I can make money $$

10 Study and Testing Tips

Read the following list ideas for improving your study and test taking skills. Pick one to work on this week.

10 Study and Testing Tips

• 1. Take good notes in class. Focus on the important points—one hint is to make sure anything your teacher writes on the board is in your notes.

• 2. Attend class every day, and pay attention.

• 3. Complete all of your assignments, and do them on time.

• 4. If there’s something you don’t understand in class, ask about it right then.

• 5. Try to set aside a study area in your home where you can be free from distractions.

• 6. Don’t wait until the night before a test to study. Make a schedule with time to study regularly during the week.

• 7. As you study, try making charts, graphs, diagrams, and lists from your notes and textbooks.

• 8. Try studying out loud. Read aloud, talk to yourself about the important points, even ask yourself and answer the questions aloud.

• 9. Get a good night’s sleep before exam day. Eat a good breakfast that morning, and take a few minutes to review your notes and charts. But remember, this should not be a “cram” session.

• 10. Check every one of your answers on quizzes and tests at least once.

Walking the Extra Mile

Read the article Walking the Extra Mile. Then answer the questions.

What did Tor do to help Stein?

1. Set a good example. Then he went all the way to Stein's house to invite him to seminary.

Why were Tor's actions so meaningful to Stein?

2. Because Stein could feel the spirit and he was prepared somehow to respond.

Has anyone every treated you the way Tor treated Stein? When?

3. No... but maybe it will happen in the future.

Have you ever treated someone else that way? Explain.

4. Yes. I used to invite my friend Tyler to church. I tried to be a good freind to him and a good example. Maybe someday he will join the church.

Education- helping us stay on the straight and narrow path

Tanner Tupou also shared some of his thoughts about getting an education. He said, " With education comes a better understanding. Your mind is more open and you will be able to make smarter, wiser decisions based on the knowledge you have gained. Education with assistance from the Holy Ghost will keep you on the strait and narrow path. Education will help you reach your goals."

How is it possible for education (the kind you get at school) to help you "stay on the straight and narrow path?"

1. Education can help us stay on the straight and narrow path by... helping us solve our own problems.

How will getting a good education help you reach your goal to be a Robot builder when you grow up?

2. Getting an education will help me reach my goals by... helping us believe in ourselves and helping us get the knowledge and skills we need to know.

Learning for the Love of it

Scott MacDermott, a young man from Walnut, California, shared his thoughts about education in a recent New Ear article. He encourages us to, "Enjoy learning and work for the pure expansion of your mind as opposed to working just to get good grades." He says, "It is important to learn always, not just when we go to school- to keep our minds working."

Do you think this is good advice?

1. I think Scott's advice is... because...

What things to you enjoy learning most?

2. I most enjoy learning about...

Education- Q and A

In the New Era one of the readers submitted the follow question to be answered by Church leaders and by other youth. He wrote, "Some of my friends are dropping out of school to get jobs. I don't really like school either, but I know education is important. What should I do?"

Before we read the answers given, write what do you think this boy should do?

1. I think this boy should... get a job that can give him an education.

The Church leaders wrote this is response to his question, "Work and education are both important. But they should be done in the order. This is the time in your life to focus mainly on study and learning. Finishing high school is necessary to get more education and good jobs later in your life. After high school, it is a good idea to continue your education. For many that will include attending college but other possibilities include going to a technical school, taking online courses or enrolling in community education.

What kind of education plan do you want for yourself after you graduate form High School?

2. After High school I want to... study mechanical engineering with an emphasis in Robotics. I want to practice making robots so that I can enter them into contest- like the Maker's Fair. After I study those things I want to get a job making robots that can be used for entertainment (like the Lego Mind Storm) and robots that can be used to help with everyday chores.

Seminary- helping you become

We have talked a lot about Spiritual and Secular learning. We have learned through the scriptures and living prophets that both are essential to our happiness and success in life. For now most of the spiritual learning you get takes place in personal and family scripture study, family home evening and church but when you are in ninth grade you will get to go to Seminary. Seminary is like "spiritual" school. Depending on where we live you will get to go to seminary every school day and the subject you study will be the gospel of Jesus Christ. Seminary is awesome! If you are careful and wise about your seminary experience it will prepare you for many things. It will prepare your heart and your mind for learning at school. It will help prepare you to resist temptation. It will help prepare you to serve a full time mission. It will help you prepare for college learning. Seminary will help you become the person you want to be.

Here is a quote about Seminary that I love, "The way to become the type of person you are isn't by just listening to or being able to explain gospel principles. Its to have them in your heart and to use them when you deal with your friends or when you face challenging situations."

How do you feel about attending Seminary? Do you think it can REALLY help you become the person you want to be?

1. When I think about attending Seminary I feel... unsure because I don't know what to expect.

Education- miricles happen

"When we put God's purposes first, He will give us miracles. If we pray to know what He would have us do next, He will multiply the effects of what we do in such a way that time seems to expand."

Do you think this kind of miracle is possible? Have you ever experienced it before?

1. I ... that it is possible for God to multiply the effects of what we do so that time seems to expand. I ... experienced this in my life when... I cant remember any specific times.


What do you need to do to receive the miracle of "expanded time" in your life?

2. To receive the miracle of "expanded time" I need to... pray to know what to do.

Just 5 Things

Read the article 5 Easy Ways to Make School Hard and 5 Hard Ways to Make School Easy by my friend Brad Wilcox. Then answer the questions below.

What are the 5 easy ways to make school hard?

1. The five easy ways to make school hard are... use your cell phone, blame the teacher, play too many video games, focus only on your grade and try to do it alone.

Have does it feel when you do these things?

2. When I do these 5 easy things I feel... that even though they are easy now that something bad will happen in the future.

What are the 5 hard things to make school easy?

3. The five hard things to make school easy are... read, keep a journal, ask questions, learn anohter language and keep the proper perspective.

Pick one of these things to do this week.

4. This week I am going to work on... keepinhg the proper perspective.

Why do I have to get my hair cut and comb it everyday?

Mom's Thoughts
In the book "Way to Be" President Hinckley explains that our bodies are a gift from Heavenly Father AND that the way we treat them is an outward sign of our understanding of this important gospel principle. He shares the scripture in 1 Corinthians 3:16 - 17 that reads, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?... The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." Through our dress and appearance we can show the Lord that we know how precious our bodies are.

In the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet we are taught that we should "avoid extremes in clothing, appearance and hairstyle". We are encouraged to always "be neat and clean and to avoid sloppiness in dress, grooming and manners." Keeping our hair cut and combing it everyday is one way that we can show the Lord that we value our bodies and respect Him. The Lord, through His prophet has promised that when we follow the standards of the Church we will, "be able to do our life's work with greater wisdom and skill and bear life's trials with great courage. That we will have the help of the Holy Ghost. And that we will feel good about ourselves and will be a positive influence in the lives of others."

Spencer's Thoughts
I think that when you cut your hair it is okay and that when you wash it it is okay too. But I don't like combing my hair because I don't think it looks good (even though some people think it does). I think it would be best if I could leave my hair alone and not comb it. I think not combing it is not necessarily sloppy, really- it is just kind of in the middle of neat and sloppy. If I keep it cut and washed it is closer to the neat side but not all the way there unless I comb it too. So... I guess I am saying I don't think it is necessary to comb it.

God Knows What you Need to Know

Part of the tragedy you must avoid is to discover too late that you missed an opportunity prepared for a future only God can see for you. "Your life is carefully watched over. the Lord knows both what He will need you to do and what you will need to know to do it. You can with confidence expect that He has perpared opportunities for you to learn."

What are some of the opportunities you feel God has prepared for you?

1. Some of the opportunities God has prepared for me are... home school in 2nd grade to prepare for 5th grade.


What can you do to utilize each opportunity to your best learning and growth?

2. To utilize each opportunity to its fullest I can... ask for help, use them and not waste time.

Education- finding the proper balance

Putting spiritual learning first does not relieve us from learning secular things. On the contrary, it gives our secular learning purpose and motivates us to work harder at it. "To keep Spiritual learning in its proper place, we will have to make some hard choices of how we use our time."

What are some things you can do to manage your time so you have time to focus on spiritual and secular learning?

1. In order to have time for both spiritual and secular learning I can... pray for help, give up free time and work smarter not harder.

Education- a blessing or a curse

President Henry B. Eyring of the first Presidency of the Church said, "The thirst for education can be a blessing or a curse, depending on our motives. If we continue to seek learning to serve God and His children better, it is a blessing of great worth. If we seek learning to exalt ourselves alone, it leads to selfishness and pride."

What can you do to make sure your motives for learning are always good? Need help answering this question? See Matt 6:23 for one good idea.

1. To keep me motivated to learn the right things for the right reasons I can... study the scriptures, volunteer and pray for guidance.

Education- defined

Brigham Young once said, "Education is the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world's work and the power to appreciate life."

Explain how education is each of these things.

1. Education is the power to think clearly because... you're smart so you know how to look at things.


2. Education is the power to act well in the world's work because... you have knowledge and skills so people will hire you.


3. Education is the power to appreciate life because... without it you couldn't really do anything.

How to Build a Robot

WHAT'S A ROBOT?
First, let's decide what a 'robot' is. In my opinion, a remote controlled car is not a robot since it has no brain of it's own. It has no way to make a decision on its own. If you want to build a machine that just responds to your remote control, then just use a remote controlled car or other toy. But I don't think you can call it a robot. Even if a robot has an on-board brain, it can still accept instructions from an operator and be called a robot

To be a robot, it should have the ability to think - make decisions. This may sound hard at first, but really any small computer can be programmed to make decisions. Here is an example of a decision that a small robot with a feeble brain could make:

IF FRONT LEFT WHISKER SENSOR IS ON THEN

STOP, GO BACKWARDS 2 FEET, TURN RIGHT, CONTINUE.

This is a very common 'IF-THEN' statement.

A machine that can perform this instruction is truly a robot. So, the conclusion is that to be called a robot, you really need an on-board brain and a way to program it.

---

HOW COMPLICATED IS IT?
I want to encourage you but I must be honest, building a robot is not easy. Now if you're talking about building a small base using legos and making it remote controlled, then that's pretty easy, but you can't call it a robot since it has no brain. Lego Mindstorms have a brain and we'll talk about that later.

If you want to build a robot from scratch you'll need the following:

Design and build a base. Locate and purchase drive and steering motors. Have access to drill press, band saw, sander (and often a milling machine). Design and build motor drive circuit(s). Design and build a micro controller. Design and build sensor circuits. Learn to program and write programs from scratch.

This is a task that would take a normal person several months or years. In fact, as past president of the Dallas Personal Robotics Group, I've known professional engineers that spent several years just to get a mobile base working.

I'm not trying to discourage you from taking the 'from scratch' approach, I just want you to know what size of project this is. If you are willing to spend many months, much money, and potentially disapointment and discouragement, then design and build your own robot from scratch.

---

HOW EXPENSIVE IS IT?
Most people believe that you can build a robot with parts found around the house and that is partially true. I think electric screwdrivers would be a good drive motor (assuming you could find a way to attach a wheel). But there are many things that you will have to purchase. Especially when it comes to the electronics, sensors and microcontroller parts. These items are simply not available in the bottom of a toybox or at your local WalMart.

Most robots built from scratch cost between $200 and $400 for a minimal mobile robot with a brain. Many people spend well over $1000 and some, much more. Almost all believed it would cost much less when they began.

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BUILD OR BUY?
So this becomes the big question: Should I build a robot from scratch or should I start with a kit and build on to it?

You may say, "If I buy it, then I can't say I built it". If you buy a robot in kit form, paint it, assemble it, then add your own sensors and program it, I think is fair to say "I built it".

Even if you build a robot from scratch, you'll still be buying pre-built motors, wheels and other items. So, the real issue is: at what level are you going to build your own robot? Are you going to mine the ore to make aluminum? Design your own chips? Of course not. It makes sense to buy certain items, but what items? That's the question you'll have to answer before you get started with robotics.

kit scratch

----------------------------------

cost same same

time less more

learning same same

fun more less

tools less more

design less more

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GOALS?
Your goals are probably like everyone else's: Have fun, build something I can call my own, learn about robotics, and leave room for future projects.

These goals can all be accomplished whether you build a robot from scratch (DIFFICULT) or build a robot from a kit and expand it (MUCH EASIER).

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BUILD FROM SCRATCH?
Only you can make the decision to buy or build from scratch. If you decide to build from scratch, here is a giant list of web sites that help supply you with information and parts:

http://www.arrickrobotics.com/robots.html Robotics Information Centeral at Arrick Robotics

And here are many robots built by others:

http://www.arrickrobotics.com/robomenu The RoboMenu

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START WITH A KIT
As you can probably tell, I would recommend anyone wanting to get into robotics to start with a kit. It's the fastest and least expensive way to have a working robot and to learn. If you decide to start with a kit, there are several available listed at:

http://www.arrickrobotics.com/robots.html Robotics Information Centeral at Arrick Robotics

If you think you would be happy with a more toy-like robot, then check out Lego Mindstorms and other plastic construction toys. They're great, but you may find yourself looking for more.

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AROBOT MOBILE ROBOT KIT
In order to make the introduction to robotics as simple as possible for many people I've created a mobile robot kit for experimenters called ARobot (pronouced A-robot) You can see the web page at

http://www.arrickrobotics.com/arobot ARobot Mobile Robot

ARobot comes in kit form, but the circuit board and cables are pre-built and tested. This allows you to get your robot working in a couple of hours instead of a couple of months or more.

ARobot is made of metal, not plastic or wood like some of the other robots out there. One of the first things you get to do is decide on a paint job for your new robot.

ARobot uses the Basic Stamp II controller which is very popular and very easy to program. There is plenty of expansion room on ARobot and an entire set of web pages that show you how to attach a digital compass, sonar range finder, light sensors and other devices at:

http://www.arrickrobotics.com/arobot/projects.html ARobot Projects

ARobot is VERY expandable. Here is my personal ARobot that has many cool sensors:

http://www.arrickrobotics.com/arobot/501c.html Roger's ARobot

ARobot is designed to be about the same price as a typical 'from scratch' robot but without all the hassle. You'll also find a gallery of images and a frequently-asked-questions section,

ARobot is also the subject of "Robot Building for Dummies" where the reader is shown how to add a temperature sensor, motion detector, video camera, and speech. You can find it at Amazon and at most book stores.

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FINAL THOUGHTS
I hope this article helps you without sounding like a commercial. I've been building robots ever since I was a kid!