An inside look at LEGO Club
An Important Role Model
Throughout my life, I have always had many different role models. There has always been someone there to teach me different skills and help me when I’m stuck. A role model is very important in any kid’s life. Role models lead and teach but most importantly, set an example for how a kid should act and what a kid should do. Some of my role models include my teachers, my parents, and friends, but the ones that had some of the biggest influence on me were my robotics mentors. I always appreciated how they were patient, kind, and understanding. Those mentors have given me a love for robotics, and I doubt that I would still be in robotics without their help. Because of their help, I was excited to be able to also mentor younger kids and teach them the joys of robotics.
Giving Back
I’m trying to help by mentoring Lego Club, which is a robotics program for 4th-6th graders and teaches them robotics skills but also teaches them a love for robotics. Since its creation a few years ago, our Lego Club has consistently had kids circulating through it and learning robotics. The kids use a LEGO Mindstorms kit to build a robot. Each team has two or three kids on it and each team is mentored by a Breakaway member. The kids have to design a robot that will hold up to five ping-pong balls and will dump them in a raised vent to be able to score. Alternatively, they can dump them in holes in the corners of the field. At the end of the year, we will have an original competition called LEGO Club Cup where the kids will showcase their work. The kids this year have truly embraced the goals of robotics and have built genius designs using ingenuity, simplicity, and incredible designing that absolutely shocks me. When given the opportunity, these kids flourish working with robotics. I am very excited to see all of their futures with robotics and STEM.
Success For All
The more that I think of it, I realize that all kids have the skill to be able to succeed with STEM, but some just don’t have the opportunity. I am very glad that we have a Lego Club to be able to tap into the potential that so many of these kids have. I am very proud of my kids and the progress that they have made in Lego Club and I am excited to see what they do in the future. I am proud to be able to help give these kids a new opportunity. I am proud to be a mentor of Lego Club.
**Note: Pictures taken Pre-CoViD
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