What Happens When You Cross Eleven Fourth Graders and Three Robots?
Martin_H
Posts: 4,051
Answer: One tired den leader.
Today I had eleven WEBELOS I doing some robotics for their engineering and mathematics achievements. They are a bit too young to write programs yet, but I showed them how and we did object following using IR and wall following with the Ping))). I also explained math in the context of robots and programming. We also did a bit of the metric system and measured parts of the robots using metric.
They had a good time and no robots were harmed during the den meeting. I told them that if they stick with Scouting we'll revisit robotics for their Boy Scouts merit badge.
Today I had eleven WEBELOS I doing some robotics for their engineering and mathematics achievements. They are a bit too young to write programs yet, but I showed them how and we did object following using IR and wall following with the Ping))). I also explained math in the context of robots and programming. We also did a bit of the metric system and measured parts of the robots using metric.
They had a good time and no robots were harmed during the den meeting. I told them that if they stick with Scouting we'll revisit robotics for their Boy Scouts merit badge.
Comments
For that, you deserve a badge of some sort. Maybe two.
Calm in the face of overwhelming odds?
Bravery in the face of almost certain insanity?
I've watched some of the local elementary school teachers do their thing and I am always awed by their ability to keep their cool.
Just kidding, of course. Good on ya, Martin! The hope for this country's future rests in its youth and the early influences they receive. If you spark just one of them to follow a science or engineering path, you will have succeeded abundantly.
I'm glad there are folks like Martin that can do stuff like that. In his situation, I'd be balled up in a dark corner, clutching my cat, waiting for the din to subside.
-Phil
You could be helping to form the erco's of tomorrow!! (you did show them the flaming BOE-bot, right?)
I mentioned how metric is the international system, and one of the scouts said "the US is too awesome to use the metric system, so we need our own system!" So the US may yet be safe from this fiendish system.
I've told my wife that she has no idea how much energy, enthusiasm, and noise a bunch of grade school boys have.
For younger couples, such experiences can sometimes work as a form of birth control.
No flaming BOE-bot video as I save fire for the Fall model rocket launch. That's Newton's laws of motion and me trying to keep scouts and flames ten feet apart at all times.
Girls can make lots of noise, too. Just use my cone of silence! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTd49iyQky8
I can appreciate what kind of effort it takes to prepare, share, and clean up the demos after working with kids - let alone the actual show-and-tell itself. This Spring I've put about 60 hours into a middle school program - and starting Thursday I will start to support the high school program. I'm actually skipping the BS2 and going straight to Propeller on the Boe-Bot.
Be careful because the word spreads that Martin knows something about microcontrollers and robots. Today we're at Maker Faire and it seems we're surrounded by children again.
I'm looking forward to June more than the most exhausted teacher.
My younger son (10) worked three full days in the S2 badge soldering station between the Parallax Expo and USA Science Festival. When he was all done he told me he "didn't really want to work with people anymore for a while". He had to desolder many battery holders and LEDs that were installed backwards. One participant even smacked him lightly on the head with a newspaper as a thank you for his offer to replace his S2 badge battery holder. Though he did an amazing job with a great spirit, he was truly exhausted from the whole thing. He must have healed because he wanted to join me at Maker Faire today but he got sick - for certain he's had an overdose of Parallax this Spring.
Most importantly, the sharing exposes these kids to a future interest. Where else would they get the experience? Even with the large uptake of robotic education, it's hardly anywhere in the school system even though we have many popular programs in this country: PLTW, USFIRST, etc.
Thanks for sharing. Welcome to the support group!
Ken Gracey
I know it's a lot to ask but.... It would be awesome if someone who was doing a function could 'rent' say 10 BOE-Bots from Parallax with a deposit, and then return them when done. I'm sure it could be packed so that the shipping isn't too much. Then the person doing the event could register the event with Parallax and provide some pics etc of the event. If parts were broken of course it would be on the person renting. I'm not saying start renting out thousands of bots either, you could 'award' the rental to specific events.
That would generate lots of interest, and also the kits would pay for themselves eventually being rented out. I'd gladly pay the price for one kit, plus the entire shipping to have 10 kits for a weekend. So if 10 people in the world did that the kits would be paid for and you'd still own them. Sounds like it might work, I'd love to see something like that.
That's the way Ken... get'em working from a young age! Our kids all worked in electronics while at school. Gives them a good base for later.
My daughter told me during latter high school that she didn't like electronics even though she came 2nd in the year. Obviously something sank in.
You're welcome Ken. My son is the same age as yours and loves building snap circuits, but I haven't let him solder yet. When we solder I let him place the parts on the board and I use the iron while he flows the solder. Perhaps he's old enough now that I can let him do the whole thing.
Erco, that's more of a loudener than a silencer.