Lego CAMP- what a great week!

So, we just finished our first Lego fundraising camp ever. What FUN! This week has been so great, I know we'll do this camp again next year!
Here are some of the highlights from this week-

Day 1 - Getting it to move, motor and squeak :)

Ezra helps some of the campers understand what the robots are doing.

Abby concentrates on H's first program!

The team showed up everyday to help the kids, just a few younger then themselves, learn to the essential skills to programming Lego Mindstorm NXT.

From day one, the campers were were able to make the robots move by themselves and programmed them to successfully move through a maze!

Day 2 - Sound and motion- let's DANCE!

J's gets his groove on :)

Using the sound sensor to program the robot to dance to the beat of clapping, the students were introduced to the ideas of wait buttons. The motor and touch sensors were used for the afternoon maze.

Day 3- Sumo wrestling- Are you ready to RUMBBBLLLEEEE?


The robots had augmentations that added to their success.

The campers learned about "parallel programming" and distinguished between programming prowess and operator efficiency. Because all the programming was the same, the campers experimented with different engineering ideas to see how the robots reacted and conquered each other on "The Dojo of Doom!"

This was a favorite project of the campers.

Day 4- Light sensors- Follow the "black tape" road.

The light sensor is a wonderfully simple sensor. It sends out a light and measures the reflected light shot back to test the threshold of the surface. White sends back 100% of the light (theoretically :) while Black absorbs all the light and gets as close to 0 as possible. By setting the light sensor to go left when it detects black and goes right when it sees "not black". The light sensor can't really "see" color, but can detect how much light it senses, and the programmers used "switch blocks" to help the robot switch between actions.

Day 5- The fun must end- but the programming never stops.....

S's gets a big smile as his robot finished the "ultrasonic" maze. The ultra sonic used the same switch programming that allowed the light sensor to follow the line.

Not all programs went smoothly, but with a little perseverance-every programmer succeeded! Then it was off to free build and outfit the sumo wrestlers for the parents show.

The morning and the afternoon camps did to interact for a while- half hour instant challenges were a favorite of many of the parents, who got to stay and watch the kids work out unique building and drama challenges.

"Camp 2" works on building the longest bridge competition.

All the campers improved their communication skills and agreed the last challenge, a mere 5 days later, was much more fun because of the increased skills they gained and their ability top work together made the challenges more enjoyable. Each team chose a ruler keeper, idea solicitor, and a time keeper for each challenge.

We had a great week! Thanks to our hard working team members and moms:) Here are 4 of the 6 hard workers below!