| CARVIEW |
The 10 Best Lego Mindstorms EV3 Books
Updated October 17, 2020 by Sheila O'Neill
1. The Lego Mindstorms EV3 Discovery Book
- Good introductory text
- More than 150 challenges
- Easy for kids to understand
2. Learning Lego Mindstorms EV3
- Delves into labview and robotc
- Thorough explanations of concepts
- Contains simple and complex codes
3. The Lego Mindstorms EV3 Idea Book
- Covers basic mechanical principles
- Lists all required parts
- Encourages readers to customize
4. The Lego Mindstorms EV3 Laboratory: Build, Program, and Experiment
- Topics are well organized
- Instructions for 5 complete models
- Doesn't assume access to a pc
5. The Art of Lego Mindstorms EV3 Programming
- Lots of debugging techniques
- Teaches good programming practices
- For ages 10 and up
6. Classroom Activities for the Busy Teacher: EV3
- Introduces the core set basics
- Comes with multimedia presentations
- Great for homeschooling
7. Winning Design!: Lego Mindstorms EV3 Design Patterns
- Covers hardware and software
- Presentation tips
- Good choice for novice fll teams
8. Lego EV3 Robotics: A Guide for Educators
- Tips for classroom management
- Good for parents and tutors as well
- Outlines student learning outcomes
9. Hacking Your Lego Mindstorms EV3 Kit
- Covers wireless control methods
- Focus is on using external hardware
- Not authorized by the lego company
10. Maximum Lego EV3: Building Robots with Java Brains
- Information on hacking the os
- Teaches arm theory and balance
- Can be too complex for young kids
Editor's Notes
October 14, 2020:
In this update, we removed STEM by Design because its black and white illustrations made the instructions difficult for many to follow. We replaced it with Lego EV3 Robotics: A Guide for Educators. As the name suggests, this book is geared toward teachers, parents, or coaches who are looking to teach robotics. Understanding that educators come from a variety of different backgrounds and may need to learn core concepts themselves, the book clearly outlines technical terms and provides thorough explanations throughout.
When choosing a book, it's important to keep your goal in mind. If you're looking for ideas for competitions, Winning Design!: Lego Mindstorms EV3 Design Patterns is a good choice. If you want to use programmable robots to teach coding to students, consider Classroom Activities for the Busy Teacher: EV3 or Lego EV3 Robotics: A Guide for Educators. If you're familiar with the basics already and want to think outside the box and get creative, then Hacking Your Lego Mindstorms EV3 Kit might be right for you.
The projects outlined in these books all require Lego Mindstorms EV3 parts. Make sure you have all of the required parts before starting a build, as different sets have different components.
March 27, 2019:
The robotics and programming industries are two of the fastest-growing career fields, so it is important to expose children to them at a young age and, hopefully, foster an interest in learning more. That's where these Lego Mindstorm EV3 books can help. They are designed to make it easier for kids to wrap their hear around intimidating subject matter and enjoy themselves at the same time. If your child is just getting started and has never built any contraptions before, you'll want to consider The Lego Mindstroms EV3 Discovery Book, The Lego Mindstorms EV3 Laboratory: Build, Program, and Experiment, and The Art of Lego Mindstorms EV3 Programming. These all start with the basics and build a reader up to more complex projects. The Lego Mindstorms EV3 Idea Book is ideal for someone who has already worked through many of the basic builds and is looking for more creative ways to use their set, but wouldn't yet consider themselves an expert. If you are ready for some serious challenges and want to push the boundaries of what Lego Mindstorms EV3 sets are capable of, then you need Winning Design!: Lego Mindstorms EV3 Design Patterns, which is designed for competition-level builders, and Hacking Your Lego Mindstorms EV3 Kit, which teaches you how to incorporate third-party software and hardware.
Sheila is a writer and editor living in sunny Southern California. She studied writing and film at State University of New York at Purchase, where she earned her bachelor of arts degree. After graduating, she worked as an assistant video editor at a small film company, then spent a few years doing freelance work, both as a writer and a video editor. During that time, she wrote screenplays and articles, and edited everything from short films to infomercials. An ardent lover of the English language, she can often be found listening to podcasts about etymology and correcting her friends’ grammar.