Ari the interactive Ozobot robot brings science and math lessons to life through movement, storytelling, and hands-on exploration. With built-in animation, color code paths, and thoughtfully designed lesson plans, Ari helps students connect with STEM concepts in a playful and meaningful way.
Teacher Hilary Statum recently tried Ari with her students across multiple grade levels. From pre-K to 5th grade, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Here’s her Teacher Picks review and why she recommends Ari as a powerful tool for bringing engagement and ease to the classroom.
What ages do you think Ari and Ozobot are best suited for?
My 2nd and 3rd grade students completed the Pollination Garden lesson and the Meet Ari: Color Codes Activities sheets. I also introduced Ari to a variety of grade levels during our after-school program. From pre-K kids to 5th graders, Ari had them all completely captivated! I would definitely use Ari with my pre-K students with some guidance, and my 5th graders would be able to complete most of the activities independently.
How did you use Ari in your classroom?
The 2nd and 3rd grade students completed the Meet Ari: Color Codes Activities and the Ari’s Pollination Garden activities. My after-school students tried creating their own paths for Ari after watching Ari on the Color Code paths and in the Garden.
Have you used Ozobot before? How is this one new or different?
I have not used an Ozobot before so this was very exciting for me and my students. My students were visibly impressed, with their mouths open, oohing and ahhing! They giggled when Ari would slow down and a snail would move across the screen, and they laughed when he spun in a circle like a tornado. I think it is extremely engaging for students.
How did your students react to the Pollination Garden lesson?
My kids were thrilled to choose the colors of their flowers and what animal would be the pollinator. I really appreciate the opportunity for my students to choose from among those options. They cheered as Ari moved around to the different flowers and they loved the different scenes shown based on the pollinator chosen. Each child was able to complete Activity Sheet 2. We enjoyed reviewing the greater-than and less-than symbols and comparing the amounts. The kids absolutely loved this entire activity!
How would you sum up your overall experience with this program?
Ari was a welcome addition to our classroom. I was able to easily integrate math and science. My kids were engaged, even at the end of the school day. They were giggling and talking to Ari as if he were alive. “Hang on, Ari!” “I’ll get you out of the tornado!” “Slow down, Ari!”
It was really sweet to see them calling their friends over to watch how Ari might respond with a smile, swirls, or a sleepy face. Without prompting, they started to use the markers to see how they could make Ari move. I found the lesson plans thorough yet easy to follow. I did need to spend some time watching the videos beforehand, but once I had played around with Ari for about 30 minutes, I felt confident using it. From that point on, I think teachers would find the lessons to be low-prep, which is something we are always looking for. For example, for this activity, I just needed to print the activity sheets and gather the art supplies needed. I would highly recommend Ari to other math and science teachers.
What did you love most?
I would definitely say I love how engaging this lesson is. It is really difficult to hold all of your students’ attention at the end of the day, yet my kids were ALL engaged the entire time. I really appreciated how easy it was for me to work on two subjects at once as well.
What makes Ozobot’s Ari unique?
I don’t think many students where I work have encountered anything like Ari. We loved the clear, crisp display screen. His sweet expressions, fun turns, and the detailed lesson plans are all so helpful and make this resource a winner.
How does this save you time or make teaching easier?
Creating lesson plans takes teachers hours and hours of time every single week. Having these detailed lesson plans is so appreciated! The videos were very helpful too. My students are already asking when they can use Ari again—interest and engagement is huge for me.
How do you plan to use Ari or Ozobot again in the future?
I intend to try the other lessons, such as the Life Cycles, Moon Phases, and the Self-Driving Cars activities. My students are excited to create their own paths using the markers. I plan to let a variety of grade levels work with Ari.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Honestly, I was a little nervous about trying this because I was afraid it might be difficult to figure out, but I was blown away by how much fun we all had. It was also really neat to see how excited my pre-K kids were and how my 5th grade students couldn’t wait to try working with Ari. The videos of the hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies were beautiful. We also really enjoyed the facial expressions and felt like Ari was alive. I loved the videos and lesson plans. Those are so helpful and appreciated! The lesson topic is of high interest to students as well. Fantastic job creating something teachers and students will adore!
Check out Hilary’s video review, and see Ari in action below!
Teacher Picks is a sponsored program available from We Are Teachers. All opinions shared in the review are honest and based on the teacher’s direct experience. To learn more about our guidelines and review process, click here.