Lego Robotics builds STEM skills

A class combining kids’ love of Legos with basic robotics recently came to a successful conclusion for students involved in Hamilton County 4-H. The Lego Robotics course, sponsored by Hamilton County Extension, was led by 4-H Educator, Emily Soll, who wanted students to become familiarized with robotics, an area of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) that hadn’t been covered before.
“Lego Robotics has happened all over the state, but this is the first time that it has been offered through Hamilton County 4-H,” Soll stated.
The course for elementary school students between third and sixth grade was announced in January and quickly filled up. Soll said the interest shows “there’s still a need for this type of programming.”
“I actually had capped it off at a maximum of 10 and had students who really wanted to do it,” she commented. “So I let in three more and I would say the expectation of participation was met and (exceeded).”
One of the students excited to join Lego Robotics was Aurora fifth grader Kyler Comer.
“It’s been it’s been fun working with people like my brother and my brother’s friends,” Comer said.
Students met on Thursdays at the Aurora Library throughout the month of February and each session was dedicated to a new STEM skillset in robotics. 
“The first meeting, or almost throughout the whole Lego Robotics, it was up to the students to figure out how to build their robot and make their robot work,” Soll explained. “They went through the engineering design process so they thought, did and reflected.”
“The cycle that we used to model and that we use in 4-H is to ‘Think, Do and Reflect’ and they continuously went through that,” she said. 
Having designed and built their robots, Soll said the groups next had to figure out how to make them move. She said the process helped students improve their problem-solving, critical thinking and teamwork skills within their assigned teams.
The students controlled the robots via bluetooth through an app designed to teach and assist the students in providing the right codes for their robots.
Fourth grader Eden Ochsner from the Hamilton County Homeschool Association said figuring out how to turn her team’s robot was one of their biggest challenges.
“It’s kind of challenging to know the right measurements to turn and stuff,” Ochsner explained. “On the iPad, there’s a diameter thing and you can pull from both sides to turn basically 60 (degrees) or pull one side to turn right or left in any degree you want.”
Comer also said putting in the right commands for the robots was often a challenge.
“It was just kind of hard when you forget what it is and how it works,” he said.
While the program was meant to help the students to improve their skills, Soll reflected that setting up the program and making sure all the students had the supplies that they needed challenged her and her helpers to make the program as successful as it was.
“It was a continuous learning cycle for the students as well as myself,” she said.
During the final night of Lego Robotics on Feb. 22, the students put everything that they learned to the test by completing three challenges. They had to get their robot to push off three hay bales (blocks), push a toy calf back to its herd and move the robot around the obstacles on the map.
“They had to then figure out how to program the robot to the meet that challenge and beat it,” Soll stated.
Comer said that getting his team’s robot to succeed in its tasks was a highlight of his time in the program.
“We did the rough trail home and we moved the hay bales from one place to the other,” he said.
Ochsner said just watching the robot move was enough to make her time in the class exciting and worthwhile.
Although the students experienced failures during their final challenge, Soll explained that those failures would become building blocks towards their successes.
“I would hope that they took away that it’s okay to try new things,” she stated. “You don’t have to come knowing everything there. You can learn as you go.”
Soll’s helpers with the program were Gideon Ochsner, Boaz Ochsner, Eoin Jones and 4-H mom, Mandy Glass. 
Soll stated the success and positive response to the program has helped establish to the students and others in 4-H the potential impact robotics can have.
“I would say it will open up a new door for more opportunities in the STEM area,” Soll stated. “It showed me that there is a need for this locally.”
And she said the program may return next year. 
“I think it’s possible that the program would return,” Soll commented. “But as an office, we are also exploring other opportunities that are similar to provide to our local youth.”
An upcoming activity is the Youth Science Day.
“That is going to highlight some of the STEM skills that we covered in Lego Robotics,” Soll commented, adding that it will also be open to members of the homeschool association.
Schedules and information about upcoming 4-H events can be found at the “4-H & Nebraska Extension in Hamilton Co.” Facebook page.