Robot Explorations: Where Curiosity Meets Creativity in STEAM

At NoireSTEMinist®, we believe robots are more than machines. They are tools for curiosity, creativity, and confidence. That belief comes to life in the Robot Explorations children’s book series—a collection of stories about kids and their robots, learning how to think like scientists and engineers while solving real problems.

Rasheedah lays on her bedroom floor to figure out what's the matter with her robot, Orbit

This series is designed to meet children exactly where they are: curious, imaginative, and ready to explore.

Robots as a Pathway to Thinking Like a Scientist and Engineer

Each book in the Robot Explorations series models how kids naturally engage with the scientific method and the engineering design process. Through story-driven problem solving, young readers see characters:

• Identify a problem or need

• Ask questions and form a hypothesis

• Brainstorm possible solutions

• Design and build a prototype

• Test their ideas and collect data

• Evaluate results and make improvements

These steps are not presented as rigid formulas, but as everyday thinking tools that help kids make sense of the world—and their robots.

Solving Problems in the World and on the Robot

In Robot Explorations, robots are not just helpers; they are partners in learning. Kids use robots to:

• Solve problems they see around them

• Debug and improve their robot’s behavior

• Experiment, fail safely, and try again

This approach reinforces an essential message: engineering is iterative, creative, and human-centered. Mistakes are not failures—they are information.

STEAM Through Storytelling

The goal of the Robot Explorations series is simple and powerful:to show kids that robots are a joyful way to explore STEAM—Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

Art and creativity sit alongside coding and mechanics. Observation sits alongside imagination. Story becomes the bridge that makes technical thinking accessible, relatable, and fun.

What’s the Matter with Orbit?

One of the first stories in the series, What’s the Matter with Orbit?, follows Rashida, a young Black girl, and her robot, Orbit.

Rashida plays with Orbit every day—until one morning, something feels off.

Orbit’s songs drag .Its lights are dimmer than usual. Its color-selection code starts making mistakes.

Rashida works on her robot, Orbit.

Instead of giving up, Rashida leans into curiosity. She asks the most important engineering question of all: What’s the matter with Orbit?

Using observation, questioning, and problem-solving, Rashida works through the engineering design process to diagnose what’s wrong and figure out how to fix it. Her story shows young readers that they already have what it takes to think like an engineer.

Why This Series Matters

Robot Explorations centers:

• Black children as thinkers, builders, and problem-solvers

• Robots as accessible tools for learning and self-expression

• STEAM as something kids do, not something they wait to be invited into

This series is about changing who gets to see themselves in STEM stories—and showing that curiosity plus persistence can take you anywhere.

Explore. Question. Build. Repeat.

The Robot Explorations series invites young readers to explore their interests, trust their thinking, and see robots as companions on their learning journey.

Because the next great engineer, artist, or inventor might already be asking the right questions—and just needs a robot to explore the answers.

What's the Matter with Orbit? available in the NoireSTEMinist® shop and everywhere that books are sold.