Last month, I joined Gabriel Carrillo on the EdTech Bites podcast to talk all things drones and food—from how drones have redefined agriculture to live drone deliveries.

Now, we’re keeping the culinary CoDrone theme going with a Thanksgiving twist. It’s harvest time, and this little drone is joining the feast prep!

This month, turn your classroom into a STEM farmyard where drones use sensors, logic, and code to identify crops, harvest them, and deliver them to the Thanksgiving table.

Students will use their drones to “harvest” colorful crops and deliver them to the Thanksgiving table. This lesson is structured to allow students of all ages to participate. Choose the level which will engage and challenge your students, or have them move through the lesson to see how they do with progressively more complicated programming! 

Looking for more? Explore our free CoDrone EDU curriculum in our new lesson portal, learn.robolink.com.

Lesson Overview

Difficulty: Varies
Time: 45–60 minutes
Grades: 4 – 9+

Learning Goals

Students will be able to:

• Pilot and navigate CoDrone EDU to take off, land, and fly to specific zones.
• Use sequencing to complete a step-by-step harvest mission.
• Program CoDrone EDU to perform tasks based on sensor input.
• Use the color sensor to detect and identify different crop zones.
• Use print statements to display which crop is being harvested.
• Import color data from the color sensor to represent new crops.
  
  

 What You’ll Need

• 1 CoDrone EDU per group

• Colored paper or mats to represent crops. Some ideas:
  
  

• 🟨 Yellow = Corn

• 🟥 Red = Cranberry

• 🟩 Green = Green Beans or Collared Greens
  
  

• Tape to mark the fields and a Thanksgiving Table Zone (a paper plate works great!)

• A device to program CoDrone EDU (student laptop or TI calculator)

• Clear classroom space for takeoff and landing
  
  

Part 1: The Simple Harvest (Beginner)

For the first round, your students won’t use any sensors — just their eyes, creativity, and navigation skills.

Mission:
Fly your CoDrone EDU to each colored mat, hover or land to “harvest” the crop, and return to home base or the Thanksgiving table after each trip.

Set Up:

1. Place colored mats or paper around the classroom.

2. Label them as different “fields” (Pumpkin Field, Corn Field, Cranberry Bog).

3. Mark a “Thanksgiving Table” as the final delivery zone.

Goal:

• Take off safely.

• Fly to each color mat.

• Hover or land for a few seconds (simulate “harvesting”).

• Fly to the table and land (simulate “delivering” the food).

Challenge Extension:
Add timing! See which team can complete the full harvest with the best time without crashing or skipping any crops.

Part 2: The Smart Harvest (Intermediate)

Now that your students can navigate confidently, it’s time to make the harvest smarter with sensors.

Mission:
Instead of choosing which crop to harvest visually, your CoDrone will use its color sensor to detect which color field it’s over and act accordingly!

How It Works:

• Fly the CoDrone land on a field.

• The color sensor will “read” the color below.

• Based on what color it detects, the program can identify which crop is ready.
  
  

Student Challenge:
Program your CoDrone to:

1. Take off and land on each colored field.

2. Detect which color is underneath. Use Lesson 3.7 for instructions on using the color sensor.

3. If piloting, scroll through the controller screens to determine the color being detected by the color sensors. If programming, use print statements to “announce” which crop it harvested.

4. Deliver the crop to the Thanksgiving table.

Challenge Extension:
Students use custom messages in the print statement. Rather than just printing out the color that the sensor is detecting, use conditional statements to have it print out the crop that is associated with the color. Use Lesson 2.4 for guidance.

Part 3: The Creative Harvest (Advanced)

Now that students understand how color-based harvesting works, let them get creative!

Mission:
Add your own Thanksgiving crops and include them to the harvest mission.

Step 1: Determine new crops to add to the Thanksgiving harvest. Some ideas:

• 🟧 Orange = Pumpkin

• 🟨 Yellow = Squash

• 🟥 Red = Beets

• 🟩 Green = Peas

• ◻️ White = Mashed Potatoes

• 🟦Blue = Blueberries

• 🟪 Purple = Sweet Potatoes
  
  

Step 2: Program your CoDrone to recognize and respond to your new foods by uploading a new color data set. Use Lesson 3.7 for guidance.

Step 3: Add your new fields to the classroom layout and update your flight plan to include them.

Challenge Extension:
Host a “Drone Harvest Festival!”
Each team presents its unique harvest mission — with new foods, custom field designs, and drone routines.

Wrap-Up: Gratitude in the Air

As your students finish their harvest and fill the Thanksgiving table, take a moment to reflect.

Discussion Prompts:

• What did you learn about precision and planning?

• How does technology make farming or delivery more efficient?

• What are you thankful for in your classroom team today?

Then, gather everyone around for a “Grateful Group Photo” drones and all! Be sure to tag @robolinkinc on all socials. 

Additional Lesson Ideas:

• Math Connection: Estimate and compare flight distances between each field.

• Science Connection: Discuss how drones are used for crop monitoring and data collection in real-world agriculture.

• Art Connection: Design decorative “mini floats” or drone accessories inspired by the Thanksgiving parade!

The CoDrone EDU Thanksgiving Harvest is more than a seasonal project — it’s a celebration of curiosity, creativity, and community. Your students will not only learn how drones use sensors and logic to navigate the world — they’ll also experience how STEM can bring people (and turkeys!) together.

Continue to engage students with CoDrone EDU with our new lesson portal, Robolink Learn, at learn.robolink.com, where you’ll find ready-to-teach lessons, interactive coding challenges, and tons of classroom project ideas.

Happy Thanksgiving, and happy flying!