“I made a robot! What’s not to love, dude?”
By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News
“I made a robot! What’s not to love, dude?” asked a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Robotics Camp attendee in response to my question “How are you liking camp so far?” It’s true there was definitely a buzz in the air, yet the gym of the old elementary was nearly silent. An occasional giggle or “wow” was heard from the campers as they were exceptionally focused on a stack of LEGOS and a laptop.
The Tulalip Homework Support Program hosted STEM Robotics Camp this summer for the youth of the community. The camp, held August 8 through 12, provided the kids with the opportunity to build robots from scratch. The camp required no experience and had two groups, beginners and advanced.
The beginners group made a monkey robot (“No, it’s an ape!” corrected a young camper) comprised of LEGOS. The campers first made their ape and then learned how to program and operate their creation with WeDo software, created by LEGOS. The advanced group created a variety of robots, some looked like Transformers, others looked like BattleBots. This group designed, coded, programed, and operated their robots and the excitement was hard to hide while the youth worked intensely on their projects.
With how fast technology evolves it is important to teach this upcoming generation about coding at a young age. Margarita Huston, Homework Support Assistant, stated that the program follows a unique curriculum and throughout the program the youth work in groups while learning problem solving skills and patience as they participate in fun hands-on activities. The program allows kids to sharpen their vital skills, master their math skills, and build confidence through group work and presentations.
At the end of the program campers presented their robots, and if they chose to, challenged their fellow campers to a robot battle. Robotics camp is such a fun event that campers could easily forget they’re studying the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. I believe that with programs like Robotics Camp, the beginning of a futuristic tomorrow has arrived. But for now I can only hope that hover boards, flying cars, time machines, and teleportation aren’t too far away.
