December 3, 2014 marked a milestone for NewTechKids.
We gave our first workshop on programming and automation to our youngest audience yet: four to six year olds. (Although if you ask your children, they will most likely talk about the crafts and role play games they did. Check out this video of them in action.)
After briefly discussing robots and what they can do, the children made their own robot heads, based on specific instructions from the teachers. (Otherwise known as ‘requirements’ in technology concept terms). They exercised their creativity by designing their personal robot head and choosing what materials to use. We found it interesting that some kids measured where their eyes should go while others discovered the concept of a ‘design flaw’.
Afterwards, the children put on their heads and became robots in order to follow a simple program which guided them to help Sinterklaas deliver presents. (He had lost his map.)
We had English and Dutch-speaking teachers on hand and the combination of languages worked very well.
We’re happy to report that every child designed a robot head and followed a simple set of instructions. Marja-Ilona, our lead teacher, had one-on-one discussions with each child to ask why they made certain decisions and what they learned. She was pleased with their answers.
Don’t miss NewTechKids’ next Robot Boogie Bootcamp, a program of four weekly workshops for 4-6 year olds in January.