Building A Better Robot
Camp gets kids excited about STEM education
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
As students’ robots continued defeating each other, the brackets narrowed until Logan Anderson’s robot was on top and he claimed the tournament championship.
Afterward, every student took their robot to a larger platform for a battle royal. The robots all ended up in the middle, pushing against one another.
(See free, short videos of the final battle and the battle royal on the Times-Union website under videos at www.timesuniononline.com)
The sumo-wrestling competition and the battle royal of the robots was the culmination of the Science Central Lego® Robotics Camp, hosted by Warsaw Community Schools at Edgewood Middle School.
JoElla Smyth, Edgewood principal and WCS summer school coordinator, was impressed not only with the first-year one-week camp, but also with the two dozen students who signed up.
“It’s amazing, these minds,” Smyth said.
The camp was a nice way, she said, to get younger kids to learn design and programming and to come together.
“It’s been a great partnership” with Science Central, Smyth said. “... The kids are actively engaged the whole time.”
She said Edgewood started participating in a Legos® robotic competition several years ago. Now, the high school is offering robotics classes and clubs, and the elementary schools also are getting into them.
Smyth said it’s all part of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.
Camp volunteer Ben Truman, who also will be a teacher at Lakeview Middle School this fall, said the robotics camp started Monday.
On the first day, the camp students all got their boxes with their robot parts in them. Nothing was put together.
“The first three hours, we put them together,” Truman said. “The first day was super basic programming.”
Tuesday and Wednesday, he said the robots were built up. Students learned how to make the robots go forward then stop. Then forward, stop and turn.
Each day, students were given a couple of challenges. As the robots were built up, the challenges got more sophisticated.
On Thursday and Friday, Truman said they started planning for the sumo wrestling.
“From day one, they were so into it,” Truman said.
Putting together the basic programming, Truman said they were absolutely excited about it. Once they got it, the excitement waned a bit, only to grow again for the challenges.
“They were so into it, there were no discipline problems. The last couple of days, they were looking forward to (the sumo wrestling),” Truman indicated.
Jessica Turner, science specialist with Science Central, Fort Wayne, said the camp at Edgewood was Science Central’s introduction to its Lego® Robotics Camp. Students are given a guide to build their robots, but through the week they can modify and change their robots as they want.
Then students learn the basics or programming, like how to make their robot move. They also learn about sonic, touch and color sensors. The sumo wresting contest is always students’ favorite part of the week.
For a number of years, students from Warsaw have traveled to Fort Wayne for Science Central’s robotics camps.
“Science Central has been wanting to expand, so this seems like a great opportunity. We’re delighted to partner with Edgewood,” Turner said.
Students also get STEM education, though they may not realize that’s what is going on because they are having so much fun, she said.
“It’s a great opportunity to introduce technology at an early age, build engineering skills at an early age and have science be fun. I don’t think a lot of them realize they are learning those skills,” Turner said.
The Lego® Robotics Camp was one of many camps offered during the last three weeks of WCS’s summer camp. Last week, there was a Young Engineers camp, Smyth said. Students could take cooking camps, art camps and even a rocket-launching camp.
Also new this year was a preschool camp for kids 3 to 5 years old. The program was designed to help children whose speech is developmentally delayed.
“It’s been an adventure, but I would definitely do it again,” Smyth said.
Warsaw Education Foundation provided 15 scholarships for kids to attend a camp. Private donations also allowed all kids who wanted to attend a camp to be there.[[In-content Ad]]
As students’ robots continued defeating each other, the brackets narrowed until Logan Anderson’s robot was on top and he claimed the tournament championship.
Afterward, every student took their robot to a larger platform for a battle royal. The robots all ended up in the middle, pushing against one another.
(See free, short videos of the final battle and the battle royal on the Times-Union website under videos at www.timesuniononline.com)
The sumo-wrestling competition and the battle royal of the robots was the culmination of the Science Central Lego® Robotics Camp, hosted by Warsaw Community Schools at Edgewood Middle School.
JoElla Smyth, Edgewood principal and WCS summer school coordinator, was impressed not only with the first-year one-week camp, but also with the two dozen students who signed up.
“It’s amazing, these minds,” Smyth said.
The camp was a nice way, she said, to get younger kids to learn design and programming and to come together.
“It’s been a great partnership” with Science Central, Smyth said. “... The kids are actively engaged the whole time.”
She said Edgewood started participating in a Legos® robotic competition several years ago. Now, the high school is offering robotics classes and clubs, and the elementary schools also are getting into them.
Smyth said it’s all part of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.
Camp volunteer Ben Truman, who also will be a teacher at Lakeview Middle School this fall, said the robotics camp started Monday.
On the first day, the camp students all got their boxes with their robot parts in them. Nothing was put together.
“The first three hours, we put them together,” Truman said. “The first day was super basic programming.”
Tuesday and Wednesday, he said the robots were built up. Students learned how to make the robots go forward then stop. Then forward, stop and turn.
Each day, students were given a couple of challenges. As the robots were built up, the challenges got more sophisticated.
On Thursday and Friday, Truman said they started planning for the sumo wrestling.
“From day one, they were so into it,” Truman said.
Putting together the basic programming, Truman said they were absolutely excited about it. Once they got it, the excitement waned a bit, only to grow again for the challenges.
“They were so into it, there were no discipline problems. The last couple of days, they were looking forward to (the sumo wrestling),” Truman indicated.
Jessica Turner, science specialist with Science Central, Fort Wayne, said the camp at Edgewood was Science Central’s introduction to its Lego® Robotics Camp. Students are given a guide to build their robots, but through the week they can modify and change their robots as they want.
Then students learn the basics or programming, like how to make their robot move. They also learn about sonic, touch and color sensors. The sumo wresting contest is always students’ favorite part of the week.
For a number of years, students from Warsaw have traveled to Fort Wayne for Science Central’s robotics camps.
“Science Central has been wanting to expand, so this seems like a great opportunity. We’re delighted to partner with Edgewood,” Turner said.
Students also get STEM education, though they may not realize that’s what is going on because they are having so much fun, she said.
“It’s a great opportunity to introduce technology at an early age, build engineering skills at an early age and have science be fun. I don’t think a lot of them realize they are learning those skills,” Turner said.
The Lego® Robotics Camp was one of many camps offered during the last three weeks of WCS’s summer camp. Last week, there was a Young Engineers camp, Smyth said. Students could take cooking camps, art camps and even a rocket-launching camp.
Also new this year was a preschool camp for kids 3 to 5 years old. The program was designed to help children whose speech is developmentally delayed.
“It’s been an adventure, but I would definitely do it again,” Smyth said.
Warsaw Education Foundation provided 15 scholarships for kids to attend a camp. Private donations also allowed all kids who wanted to attend a camp to be there.[[In-content Ad]]
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