Robotics and Programming

Our robotics team members are from a partnership between the Children’s Garden Home and School and the International School of Kenya. This partnership combines bright minds from diverse backgrounds who learn from each other while improving their communication skills and building lifelong friendships.

By participating in the FIRST® LEGO® League students learn teamwork, critical thinking, coding, and design skills through hands-on STEM learning and robotics. Students are presented with an annual scenario challenge and they develop a plan to program their robots to navigate and perform skills in a constrained time period.

Our Goals

Collaboratively building a STEM-equipped lab at Childrens Garden Home and School (CG) will allow students there to explore programming and STEM challenges throughout their lives at the Home and School. At present, CG students only get to build and program robots for the 2 hours that they come to use the equipment and work with the International students. By providing equipment and safe storage, the CG students who are now coaches in the program can provide ongoing instruction and STEM opportunities to students.

When the students from the 2 schools come together each week, all students are on more equitable learning paths.

Planned Steps with Funding:

• Provide Lego Core and Extension Kits that CG students can use at any time they are allowed in the lab. We have trained Student Coaches over the years in the program who can lead and supervise;
• Provide lockable storage so that equipment is kept safe between use;
• Design charging stations for robots so that the students can spend their time programming and debugging to meet challenges;
• Provide a table for the robotics games so that more students can access different missions at the same time;
• Provide a projector so that the STEM lab can be used for curricular instruction in addition to STEM instruction;
• Provide a 2 year supply of team t-shirts;
• Design STEM challenges that might raise money through outside participation;
• Progress by borrowing equipment, etc.:

As of June 05:

• Students, in the temporary setup, have been able to build and program robots.
• They took part in a virtual East African First Lego League this month.
• It was an incredible challenge for all schools in Kenya
• Students at Children’s Garden have had setup assistance from Stanley Kitili and training at the school is being led out by Isaac Arabu.These young men have been part of the original program and are now leading and coaching in the program. They are essential members of our Villages Innovate Advisory Council.
• Students celebrated on June 05 at Children’s Garden….watch for a post about this.

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