Even as we teach coding and automation, we remind students about the importance of nature and the environment.
Over the last few weeks, students learned about the ecosystem, the role of bees, and examine the behaviour of animals across our classes.
A new meaning for 'bug fixing'
In weeks 1 and 2, students in the EV3 robotics classes learned complex engineering techniques to build a walking robot.
They also learned about how to arrange gears to shift energy between speed and power configurations.
In weeks 3 and 4, the classes ramped up their engineering skills by building a six-legged robot 'insect', replete with sensors to give life-like artificial intelligence to their creations so that the robots responded to the environment just like real insects.
Preserving the environment: The importance of bees.
The Junior classes learned about how and where energy comes from. Students learned that all our electricity needs to come from somewhere, and that some sources are renewable while others are not.
We learned about the importance of the ecosystem, and how a lot of plants (including the crops that feed humans) depend on the activities of bees and other insects to spread pollen and grow.
One small step.
Students from the Parents and Toddlers classes learned about our place in the solar system. Children learned that robots are useful to humans because they can perform dangerous or boring tasks like exploring the surface of Mars.
Every week, students take on story-driven numeracy and directional awareness exercises to prepare for life at school.