Area 4-H clubs participate in robotics workshop

Technology and youth education combined for several hours during a 4-H robotics workshop June 12 in the conference room at the Lone Star Annex in downtown Houston.

About 25 kids ages 8-to-18 in attendance had the opportunity to build, program and operate robots made from Lego kits. The event was orchestrated by the University of Missouri Texas County 4-H program and conducted by volunteers with the Kaleidoscope Discovery Center in Rolla.

Members of 4-H clubs in Houston, Licking, Plato and Laclede County participated, along with a few kids not affiliated with 4-H. Kids ages 8-to-10 worked with kits from the Lego Education WeDo series, while the 11-to-18-year-olds worked with kits from the Lego Mindstorms EV3 series.

After putting their robots together, kids used special tablets to program them to perform their tasks.

“The goals include having them build the robot correctly and program it to do what they want it to do,” said Serena Halger, who leads the Licking 4-H club along with her husband, Bobby. “But it introduces the kids into engineering, and robotics applies to a lot of real life situations. It also helps them learn to work together, and kids at this age need practice communicating, sharing and taking turns.

“This really helps them get some practice with those skills.”

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The Kaleidoscope Discovery Center is a non-profit organization designed to offer activities to youth in several counties with regard to engineering, science, technology, the environment, arts and math (ESTEAM). Volunteers on hand at the robotics workshop were all students at Rolla’s Missouri University of Science and Technology.

“Our goal is to get kids exposure to these subjects,” said Kaleidoscope volunteer Matt Trimble, “especially in communities where they might not normally have access to it. The specific thing we’re doing here is part of the ‘robotics outreach initiative,’ and we’re trying to go to areas where schools might not have the funding or opportunity to have these kinds of robot kits in the classroom.”

Trimble said the visit to Houston was fruitful.

“It’s working out well here,” he said. “It’s always really fun to see the kids get excited about working with these kits. And nine times out of 10, they end up being quick learners and picking things up faster than you’d expect.”

Plato’s Clover Kids 4-H Club has had an active robotics program for a couple of years. Leaders in the Houston and Licking clubs plan to introduce robotics as a “project” option, and preparation is taking place for a regional “Robotic Rumble” competition July 29 in Plato.

“We’re training them with kits that will be used in the competition,” Trimble said. “Hopefully that will give them a jump start on it.”

“Robots are cool, and teach kids programming and engineering skills and they have fun doing it,” said Houston club co-leader Wayne Bittle. “With the techno age we are in, it comes natural to kids and the sky is the limit on what they can do.”

For more information about 4-H clubs and activities in Texas County, call MU Extension regional youth development specialist Janice Emery at 417-967-4545.

“Robots are cool, and teach kids programming and engineering skills, and they have fun doing it.”

– HOUSTON 4-H CLUB CO-LEADER WAYNE BITTLE