More hospitals are engaging are helping kids with disabilities engage with math and science in an very unique way using LEGO robotics kits to introduce engineering concepts to kids who might not get the chance otherwise: building their very own robots, then showcasing and presenting them for robot supremacy. The program opens new opportunities for kids to participate in a ground-breaking robotic experience. This program provides an opportunity to develop and refine decision-making and socialization skills, all while making friends.
Below are some details required if you are interested in connecting with your local community hospitals.
Who is the program for?
Kids with disabilities for children aged 6-14 years old
How long is the program
The program maybe up to 6 weeks long (once a week)
Each session is 3 hours long with 1/2 hour prep time and 1/2 hour closing time. Actual training time: 2 hrs
Requirements:
- Hospital Staff and specially-trained volunteers to make sure kids have all the support they need to be able to participate. Volunteers come from the hospital and FIRST Robotics Canada students and alumni. Recommended: 2 volunteers (1 must be a hospital specially trained) to work with 2 kids. Please note that each session will need to supervised by a hospital staff.
- Build to Express Activity List, LEGO WeDo 2.0 Kit, iPADs
Each Session involves:
- Ice-breaker activity
- BuildToExpress Activity
- Robot Build that has 3 parts: (recommended to use the same theme across all sessions e.g. space, water, etc.)
- Explore phase
- Create phase
- Share phase
- Week 6 session could be a celebration session with icebreaker and possibly show and tell about their models, describe their learnings.