CRESTVIEW — Close to 40 fourth- through eighth-graders are learning teamwork and problem-solving skills — and having fun — while attending a Lego Robotics camp at Shoal River Middle School.
Tim Sexton and Laurie Allen, who lead Lego Robotics teams for Davidson and Shoal River Middle Schools, respectively, are coaching the two-week session, which concludes next week.
Participation in First Lego League, a national program that aims to interest 9- to 16-year-olds in science and technology, requires programming a robot and learning useful life and employment skills along the way.
"A lot of students are always told how to do something; why not give them the opportunity to be creative?" Sexton said. "We try to teach that here in robotics."
There is a lot of teamwork involved, Chris Jensen, 13, said.
He worked with Grant Courington, 10, and Cooper Treadway on obstacle assignments and group exercises.
"Today, we had to stand on a rug and (completely) flip that rug (over) while standing on it," Jensen said.
Chris said he and his team quickly and successfully completed the task.
Angelina Maldonado, 9, said she enjoyed working on a team with Bob Sikes Elementary School classmate Samantha Garcia, 9, and Elisa Strickland, 11.
"We're really helpful to each other,” she said. “When someone is programming (the robot), then the other person is building something for the robot."
Though this was her first experience with robotics, the session left an impression.
“I think it is really awesome," she said. "I want to be a teacher in robotics."
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Kids cultivate life skills during North Okaloosa Lego camp