Self-Driving Cars Lab

A 12-week, screen-light robotics-foundations curriculum for ages 8–13.

Students explore how autonomous vehicles sense, follow rules, plan routes, and improve through testing. The emphasis is on hands-on systems thinking and evidence—not advanced coding.

Format: 12 weekly sessions; about 90 minutes per session. Designed for one learner or a small group with a parent, teacher, or other adult facilitator.

See what’s inside Self-Driving Cars Lab

Watch the full unboxing to see the current books, facilitator materials, activity cards, route and test boards, tiles, scene markers, and two model-car kits included in the Lab.

What is included in the box

• 1 printed full-color Student Book
• 1 printed full-color Student Workbook for worksheets and reflection
• 1 printed Parent & Facilitator Guide
• 1 printed curriculum overview
• 1 ultrasonic obstacle-avoidance car experiment kit
• 1 line-tracking car experiment kit
• 1 60-card curriculum deck covering obstacles, people safety, routes, road clues, actions, rules, destinations, test cases, and reflection
• Printed capstone test-track board, route tiles, traffic and safety markers, obstacle and pedestrian pieces, and other cut-apart components
• 1 pair of scissors for preparing the cut-apart materials
• Printed assembly instructions for both car kits

Optional digital access: 8 QR-linked companion videos and a digital completion certificate at edreal.org.

What students do

Build and test two robot-car systems, compare sensor behavior, write and test if/then rules, plan safer routes, record results, debug weak spots, and present a capstone safety track.

Important to know

• This is a robotics-foundations program, not an advanced coding course.
• The two car models arrive as experiment kits and require assembly and adult support.
• Battery boxes are included; the batteries required to power the cars are not. Follow each kit’s instructions for battery type and installation.
• Small parts, cutting, assembly, battery installation, and moving cars require adult supervision.
• Actual kit parts, printed materials, and scissors are shown in the product photos.

You provide: pencils or pens, the batteries specified in the kit instructions, a clear testing surface, and an internet-connected device only if you want to use the optional digital materials.

Quick answers

Who is Self-Driving Cars Lab for? It is designed for ages 8–13 and can be used by one learner or a small group with adult facilitation.

Does a student need a coding account? No. The core sequence uses physical car models, printed rules, route challenges, observation, and testing rather than a student coding interface.

Does the Lab teach full autonomous-vehicle engineering? No. It is a supplementary robotics-foundations curriculum that makes selected sensing, decision, routing, and safety ideas visible with simplified models. The completion certificate documents participation; it is not an academic credential.