Moving to a New Level in LEGO Lunch

Adding Controls and Motors

The students in LEGO Lunch added motors, sensors and controls to the objects in the town they are designing.  This included working to build and motorize a subway and creating a street light with sensors to only illuminate when it is dark.  When these builds are finished the student will create computer code to control their operations.

With the addition of controls, sensors and motors take on another level of complexity.  Their build also grew to the point where it needed to move to another level - a table.

LEGO Lunch

LEGO Lunch

Lego Lunch is open to Lower School students and meets on Day 1 during lunch and lunch recess.  The students eat lunch in the STEAM Lab and work on LEGO challenges related to the First LEGO League Jr. theme.  This year the First LEGO League Jr. theme is Boomtown Build.  The goal of the LEGO Lunch group is to create a project which can be entered into a First LEGO League Jr Expo later this year. 

Here is a video from First LEGO League Jr that explains the LEGO challenge in more detail.

It is not too late to register.  Please see the email on Fall Clubs for information on registration. 

The next session will be Monday, September 30. 

Fall Clubs and Activities in the STEAM Lab

Fall Clubs and Activities in the STEAM Lab

This week the Fall After School STEAM Club called Making Magical Moments and LEGO Lunch started.  These activities are for students in Grade 1 to Grade 4.  

Making Magical Moments meets on Mondays and explores the world of photo editing.  The students will explore different ways to change a digital photo and printed photo.  Each week they will use different software programs and art techniques.

This week students took pictures around the school of objects of a specific shape using the camera on the iPads and then learn how to add multiple pictures using Pixie into a collage.

Check the next blog post for pictures of all the activities in LEGO Lunch.

Engineering Camp Continues

Engineering Camp

Wednesday and Thursday

On Wednesday campers explored the next step in the Engineering Design Process - building a prototype.  The field of study for the day was Aeronautical Engineering so their prototypes were of paper airplanes.

Version 1

Version 2

Version 3

Today, campers explored Chemical Engineering.  As today was the testing step of the Engineering Design Process they tested processes used in chemistry and chemical plants.  They tested two types of flowers to determine which one had better capillary action. 

They also built a model of how chemicals would flow through a plant using the marble run.

Engineering Camp Day 2

Engineering Camp

Tuesday

Today campers explored the second step in the Engineering Design Process.  They started the day with a brainstorming activity where they identify the best solution to a challenge by learning to identify relevant criteria and asking the question:

What makes a solution successful?

Campers then explored two challenges related to Structural Engineering, the engineering field of the day.  They learned that different fields of engineering often work together to inform projects.

The first structural engineering challenge was to test pasta bridges to see how much weight they could support.  They used dried lima beans as the weight.  They tested bridges made from one, two, four and eight pieces of pasta.  Although the number of pieces of pasta doubled each time, campers realized that the amount of weight the bridge could hold more than doubled each time.

The second structural engineering challenge was to create a building from toothpicks and marshmallows that could withstand a jello earthquake.  This was a difficult challenge.  They explored one and two story structures.  

Engineering Camp

Engineering Camp

Monday

Each day this week campers will be exploring one step of the Engineering Design Process and one engineering field.  Today campers learned about the first step of the Engineering Design Process which is "Define the Problem".  They learned that to engineer a good solution they must ask the following three questions:

What is the problem?

Who has the problem?

Why is this a problem?

Campers also explored the field of Civil Engineering.  They built Zometool dome structures using repeated patterns of triangles and used the same basic shape to design bridges on the iPad.  

This afternoon campers were asked to define a problem in our community and to design a solution using LEGOs.

More from Coding and Robotics Camp

Coding and Robotics Camp

Wednesday and Thursday

The campers continue to be engaged and busy in camp.  Variables and operators were introduced as coding concepts.

Campers also explored the role circuitry using the Makey-Makey and Scratch tor create fruit pianos and using the Snap Circuits to create a rover.

Yesterday, campers completed the National Geographic Robotic Challenge by designing robots on the computer to help with specific environmental problems.  Since this challenge was designed for students in Grade 3 to 10, campers worked in pairs - an older camper helping a younger camper with the reading the instructions and background information.

The Middle School campers continued working on their EV3 robots.  Carter finished his on Wednesday and started to code it.  Evie, Yamen and Isabella completed theirs on Thursday and quickly the two robots were both moving around the lab. 

In progress

Almost there

Reagan was inspired by the EV3 robots to create his own version which he called the "EV4"

.