# Lesson 277: Explore robots that clean oceans or plant trees

💡 TECHNOLOGY & FUTURE SKILLS (40 Lessons) • 🟠 E. Future and Innovation

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## Objective

I can talk about robots that help the Earth, like robots that clean oceans or plant trees. I can explain that people design and guide robots, and I can share kind, safe ideas for Earth-helper robots.

## Materials

- Plain paper or a notebook page
- Pencils, crayons, or markers
- Optional: pictures or short clips of robots helping the environment (adult chooses and previews)
- Trusted adult helper (parent, carer, or teacher)

## Mini-lesson — Robots that help the Earth

Some robots are made to help take care of the Earth. People design these robots to do jobs that are hard, messy, or take a long time.

Examples of Earth-helper robots

- A beach robot that rolls along the sand and picks up small bits of litter.
- An ocean robot that helps collect plastic floating on the water.
- A tree-planting robot that makes little holes and drops in seeds or tiny plants.
- A garden robot that gently waters plants using just the right amount of water.

People are in charge of robots

- People decide the rules for what robots should do.
- People tell robots where to go and when to stop.
- Robots help with jobs, but they do not get to make big choices alone.

Robots and safety

- Engineers think about safety rules when they design robots.
- Robots should be kind to people, animals, and nature.
- If a robot makes a mistake, people fix it or turn it off.

Robots do not replace good habits

- Even if robots clean, we still need to put rubbish in bins.
- Even if robots plant trees, people still need to care for plants.
- Robots are helpers, not magic tools that solve every problem.

Adults can say: "Some robots help the Earth, but people are the bosses who choose kind and safe ways to use them."

Picture strip: "Robot helpers for the Earth"

## Guided Practice — Talk about Earth-helper robots

Use this talk-and-draw activity to help your child think about robots that help the Earth.

1. Ask: "Where does the Earth need extra help?" (beaches, parks, forests, seas).
2. On paper, draw two boxes and label them: "Clean oceans" and "Plant trees".
3. In the first box, help your child draw a simple cleaning robot near water or sand. Talk about what rubbish it might collect.
4. In the second box, draw a tree-planting robot. Talk about how it could gently drop seeds or small plants.
5. For each picture, ask: "Who tells the robot what to do?" Guide your child to answer: "People do."
6. Circle kind and safe actions, like picking up rubbish or planting more trees. Cross out any ideas that could hurt people, animals, or nature.
7. Say: "Robots can help us care for the Earth, but humans choose the rules and still need to make good choices."

Tracing Pad
Lines
Trace
Pen

## Practice — My Earth-helper robot

Use this page to help your child plan one robot idea that helps the Earth.

1. On a new page, write the title: "My Earth-helper robot".
2. Ask your child to choose one main job: cleaning oceans, cleaning parks, planting trees, or watering gardens.
3. In the middle of the page, help them draw their robot doing that job.
4. Under the picture, write: "My robot helps by ______." (for example: "picking up plastic" or "planting new trees").
5. On the next line, add: "People tell the robot what to do and when to stop."
6. At the bottom of the page, write: "We still use bins, recycle, and take care of nature every day."
7. Read the page together and celebrate your child’s kind, Earth-friendly idea.

## Quick Check — Robots that help the Earth

Answer each question about robots that help the Earth and who is in charge.

1) Which is a job an Earth-helper robot might do?

Make more rubbish on the beach. Pick up litter from sand or water. Push people into the sea.
Some robots are designed to help clean up litter.

2) What could a tree-planting robot do?

Cut down every tree it sees. Paint trees bright purple for fun. Make little holes and drop in seeds or small plants.
Tree-planting robots can help start new plants in the ground.

3) Who decides what robots should do?

People, like engineers, leaders, and families. The robots decide all by themselves. The waves and the wind.
Humans choose the rules and jobs for robots.

4) Why do people use robots to help the Earth?

So people can throw rubbish anywhere they like. To help with big, hard jobs like cleaning and planting. To make the world more messy.
Robots can help with hard or repeated jobs, like cleaning or planting.

5) What should an Earth-helper robot idea always be?

Secret and sneaky. Designed to scare people. Kind, safe, and helpful to nature.
Good robot ideas are kind, safe, and helpful.

6) Which sentence is true?

People can turn robots off if something is wrong. Robots are the boss of people. Robots can do anything they want.
Humans stay in charge and can stop a robot if needed.

7) What should we do even if robots help clean?

Throw more rubbish on the ground. Put trash in bins and recycle when we can. Never help clean ourselves.
Robots help, but people still need to make good choices every day.

8) Which is a good Earth-helper robot idea?

A robot that pushes trees over. A robot that makes loud noise all night for fun. A robot that gently waters new trees in a park.
Helping trees grow is kind and Earth-friendly.

9) What should you do if a robot idea seems unsafe or unkind?

Tell a trusted adult and choose a different idea. Keep it a secret and feel worried. Use it anyway because it looks cool.
Adults can help you find safer, kinder ideas.

10) What is the big idea of this lesson?

Robots should control people and the Earth. Robots can help the Earth when people guide them with kind, safe rules. We do not need to care for nature if we have robots.
We are learning that robots can help the Earth, but people stay in charge and still care for nature.

## Assessment (parent/teacher)

Student can name at least one way a robot could help the Earth. Student understands that people design and guide robots, not the other way around. Student can give an example of a kind, safe Earth-helper robot idea. Student knows that robots are helpers and do not replace everyday good habits. Student knows to tell a trusted adult if a robot idea seems unsafe or unkind.

## Exit ticket (student)

😀 I can explain how robots might help the Earth and remember that people are in charge. 🙂 I know some Earth-helper robot ideas but still need practice explaining them. 😅 Thinking about robots that help the Earth still feels a bit tricky for me.

#### Next time I will practise…

Thinking of kind, safe robot ideas Remembering that people guide what robots do Using bins and recycling to help the Earth every day
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