The newly-released LEGO Education SPIKE Essential is still raising some question marks for parents and educators who have just heard about the set.

LEGO Education robotics enthusiasts and users are more familiar with the MINDSTORM EV3, WeDo 2.0 and SPIKE Prime.

Simply put, here's how the sets works.

Robotics for Ages 4 - 10 years old

WeDo 2.0 (Production phased out in 2021 but app is functioning) >> SPIKE Essential (Introduced in 2019)

Robotics for Ages 10 - 16 years old

EV3 MINDSTORM (Production phased out in 2020 but app is functioning) >> SPIKE Prime (Introduced in 2021)

 

The Difference

We've created a straightforward table to detail the main differences between the SPIKE Essential and SPIKE Prime apart from the age recommendation.

 

SPIKE Essential vs. SPIKE Prime

Factor/s	SPIKE Essential	SPIKE Prime
What It Looks Like
Age Range	4 - 10 years old	10 - 16 years old
Coding Language	Icon-based Block Programming	Text-based Block Programming or Python (Full-text programming)
No. of Pieces	449 pieces of bricks/elements	528 pieces of bricks/elements
Available Lesson Plans	40 Lesson Plans Click here to view	29 Lesson Plans Click here to view
Competition Level	FIRST LEGO League Explore www.firstlegoleague.sg	FIRST LEGO League Challenge www.firstlegoleague.sg
Price	SGD$535.95 (incl. GST) Buy here	SGD$686.54 (incl. GST) Buy here

 

Both sets are part of the LEGO Learning System and meant to help the robotics and STEAM Learning tools be seamless as students progress from one level to another.

 

You can read more about the LEGO Learning System here: https://ducklearning.com/blogs/parent-and-educator-resources/what-is-lego-learning-system-lls

If you need more information or a demo session of the sets, please feel free to drop an email at learn@ducklearning.com or call 6747 4236 to make an appointment at our office.