Media Specialist For Life!: Summer Community Education: Increasing Student Learning through Fun

This year, Pinewood Elementary began to teach computer coding or programming to our students in grades K through 5. Many students absolutely loved it, so we began a coding club. We will continue these clubs in the fall and even build on them with more programs, but over the summer Monticello Community Education is offering a number of classes for kids that our students would absolutely love.

First, our students love Legos, robots, and coding. There are a number of classes that combine these items. For ages 5 to grade 2, Techstars: Junior Lego Engineering is perfect! In this class, students will use Legos to learn the basics of engineering. Another great class for students in this age group is Techstars: Robotic Builders: Battlebots. In this class kindergarten through 4th grade students will use Lego WeDo robotics kits to learn about robotics, engineering, and programming. For students who need a bit more of a challenge, Techstars: Mindstorms EV3 Battlebots is a great fit. This class for grades 2 through 7 uses Lego MindStorms Kits to complete challenges and in the final event battle each other's robots sumo style! And for those that want to skip the coding and just learn some basic engineering through Legos, the Lego X Olympic Decathalon (grades 1-5) is perfect !

Aside from Lego Robotics, there are a few other robotics options available. The first is a STEM/Robotics Camp for grades 3 through 5. At camp, students will be mentored in robotics by students from NDSU's robotic team. This is a great introduction to robotics for those who would like to join a Lego League team. Students in grades 2 through 6 can also join the Science Explorers: Battling Robo-Botz class to learn to build their own robots and compete to see who's robot is best.

Finally, students can explore video game design and coding in these classes. Techstars: Video Game Design for grade 3 through 7 will teach students to use basic programming to create their own video games. Students can also learn about logic and video game mods through two different Mincraft classes- Advanced Minecraft: Using Mods, Redstones, and Textures and Techstars: Java Minecraft Mod Development.