This week I was able to get started on my kit collection survey along with going to Miller Hill, a nearby school, and assisting with a Lego robotics 4-H program.
I started the kit surveying by putting out a bio to the counties about who I am and the work that I am doing this summer. I received one email about the kits that that county has currently and has had in the past. I was able to add this information into the spreadsheet where I am tracking all of the data I revive. I hope to receive some more information in the coming weeks. I am also talking to YNOE about their kits and will be including those in my final kit information.
The Lego robotics program was really helpful to me as I got to see one of these informational kits in action. I was able to see the youth interacting with the kit and learning about the basics of robotics. They were all very fascinated with the technology and the fact that they were able to get legos to move with a little bit of building and a few clicks of a button. We were able to teach kids not only about the importance of gears and pulley systems along with how they are applied in the context of robotics and in real world situations. I was very glad to be able to meet each child as we had small groups with no more than 16 kids in the classroom at a time. This enabled me to talk to each kid individually and hear about their experiences using the kit. They all seemed to really enjoy using the kit and seeing what activities they could potentially do with this kit in the future. They will be able to design their own project next week and were all very excited to now have the basics of the program down and are ready to expand using that knowledge.
