Remember to press and hold the oval yellow button to
clear the mouse’s memory before a new set of commands.
Otherwise, the mouse will remember previous commands and perform them along with the new
commands. Children need to see each movement in isolation. Pressing Clear before entering new steps
will ensure that the mouse moves exactly as programmed.
Set up a maze and complete a programming sequence, as follows:
• Snap together the maze pieces to form a 4 x 4 grid.
• Select the first activity card; position the mouse, cheese, and maze walls as shown.
• Help the child count the number of spaces between mouse and cheese.
• Lay out the coding cards. Explain that these cards help map the mouse’s path. Work together
with the child to find the correct cards (two forward) and place them side by side.
• Ask the child to program the mouse to reach the cheese. Does the child press forward twice?
If the child easily grasps this concept (i.e., programs the mouse to match the coding string), try adding
1–2 more spaces between mouse and cheese, placing additional maze walls on the grid, or even
integrating a turn for the mouse to make before reaching the cheese. At this age, multi-step
sequences can be very difficult for young learners to remember, although the coding cards help. Begin
with short series of moves, before gradually adding in turns and building different maze configurations.
Most of all, keep it fun!
Basic Operation
Colby the Mouse is rounded on top and flat on the bottom. Let’s start with the bottom. The area on the
bottom
is flat but there
are
things that need
to
be
known
about the
bottom.
There
are
wheels on
the
left side
and
right side
of
the
flat space.
Up
near
the
pointed
part of
Colby
is a
small roller
ball.
The
wheels
and
the roller
ball
help
Colby
the Mouse move around
the maze.
Remember
that
Colby
the
Mouse
has
a
rounded body.
His tail end
is rounded
too.
There
is a
raised
area
on
the
back
end
that
is
his tail.
Colby’s front end
gradually
slants down
to
a
point.
The
front end
has two
raised
areas that are
his ears.
Between
his ears are
three
tiny
slots;
this
is
a
speaker for
the
noises Colby
makes.
Further
down
are
Colby’s eyes.
Everything
comes down
to
a
point where
his nose
is.
There
are
seven
buttons
on
top
of
Colby
the
Mouse.
When
you
press each
button,
Colby
does something
different.
Each
button
on
Colby's back
has a
color.
There
is
a
round button
and surrounding it
are
four arrow-shaped buttons.
Behind
each
mouse
ear
is an
oval shaped
button.
The
next part of
Basic Operation
will
go
over
what
the
Power
Switch
can
do
and
the
purpos
e
of
each
colored
button
on
Colb
y the
Mous
e's back.
POWER -
The
Power
Switch
is on
the
bottom
of
the
mouse
near
the
tail.
When
the
Power
Switch
slides
over
to
the
left,
Colby
the
Mouse
is off.
When
the
Power
Switch
slides to
the
right,
Colby
is ready
to
be
programmed!
SPEED -
On
the
Power
Switch,
there
are
two
speeds.
When
the
Power
Switch
slides to
the
left it is OFF.
When
the
Power
Switch
slides to
the
middle,
Colby
is on
in
Normal Mode.
Colby
will make
a
chirping
sound.
Slide
the
Power
Switch
all the
way
to
the
right and
Colby
is in
Hyper
Mode.
Normal
Mode is
best
for normal
use
on
the
maze
board.
Hyper Mode
is
best
for playing with
Colby
on
the
ground or other
surfaces.
FORWARD
(Blue
Arrow Button)
-
The
FORWARD
Button
is the
top
blue
arrow shaped
button.
Pressing
the
FORWARD
Button
moves Colby
the
Mouse
forward
one
step.
One
step
is equal to
five
inches (5")
(12.5 cm).
REVERSE
(Yellow Arrow Button)
-
The
REVERSE
Button
is the
bottom
yellow arrow shaped
button.
Pressing
the
REVERSE
Button
moves
Colby
the
Mouse
in
reverse
or
backward
one
step.
One
step
is
equal to
five
inches (5")
(12.5
cm).
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