.jpg)
But now we would like to start encouraging the development of critical thinking and creative skills. What is interesting about it is that regular pre-schools start with those (especially creative skills), but there is no foundational knowledge children can base their creations on, so they can only go so far. Along with the limitations of normal development, this is in part why, in my opinion, there is not much sense in the many crafts and drawings produced in this environment.
Joey is definitely interested in building and designing things, and his focus is good enough to get him to actually produce things that have a story behind them and that 'work' in one respect or another. For a while, he was obsessed with marble runs, such as the Marbulous. At school, he kept making or improving those for other children. We tried several other things to grow from there (I didn't think that regular Legos engaged the creative process that much, so we actually stayed away from those), but Joey's building skills remained dormant until he started playing with the wonderful Elenco Snap Circuits. We had gotten these since he was two years old, and we used that for the purpose of teaching him to follow more complex directions and some simple electricity concepts. Then, we he was about three and a half, he started using them on his own and following the directions, in addition to trying out some of his own modifications. Now I do think that the educational value of Snap Circuits is limited because there is very little trouble-shooting involved or options for permutations in the manual (for example, to determine the effect of different capacitors, etc). Fortunately, Snap Circuits are pretty heavily reviewed by parents who have engineering backgrounds, so it helped us decide that a similar toy that required higher thinking skills was the Elenco 130-in-1 Electronic Playground and Learning Center (we started with the one offering 130 projects). Basically, all the components are on a board, but they get connected differently through wires (springs that you can bend hold the wires in place) and it encourages experimentations with the different components in a way that Snap Circuits do not. Joey can do the basic projects on his own, but he needs help with the permutations (variations on the basic project) and any trouble shooting at this point (this is a toy normally designed for 12 and older). He does not love it as much as the Snap Circuits, but I expect this will change.
Another building toy that Joey loves is the Straws Builders 720 pcs set. This is a wonderful toy in terms of promoting creativity and I love its simplicity.
Legos and Jr FIRST Lego League: a natural way to encourage the development of engineering skills is participation in the Jr FIRST Lego League, normally tailored for 6 to 8 year olds (K-3). The next program is the FIRST Lego League (Grades 4-8), and finally the FIRST Tech Challenge (Grades 7-12) and FIRST Robotics (Grades 9-12). I am still wrapping my mind around these programs and how one goes from just participating to being invited to actual competitions, but I assume that this will become clearer as time goes on.
This program is not just about engineering, but also general creativity, teamwork, presentation skills, and organization. It is so highly regarded that a slew of scholarships (some full rides) are available for kids who have a history of participation and participation is also a real plus for admission to some of the most prestigious schools, particularly (not surprisingly) engineering programs.
The pickle is that it takes time to coach and be in a team (about 4 hours a week plus individual prep work during the season which roughly runs from November through April). This is not a playgroup but a real commitment, like a sports team. My plan at this juncture is to have a 'pre-team' (no competition yet) next academic year (so starting in fall 2014) that would basically prepare for the challenge as if they were going to participate, and then start competing the following year, once we have ironed out the kinks in the team and our process. There is also a list of past challenges that I can use for additional ideas. The challenges have an engineering component (design a machine that would help solve the problem) which requires research, a preliminary design, improvements, and a presentation. So it is important to understand that a lot of the work actually involves no handling of Legos (although every meeting can have some Lego time, but they are not necessarily the focus). Like in any team, the kids don't have to have the same strengths, so maybe there is the engineering geek, but there is the kid who is good at researching and presenting, although all should participate in all the activities because the point is for everyone to learn. The daily guidance is provided by the coach (that would be me), but every team also needs a mentor (someone who is an engineer), so this is a person I would have to identify sometime in summer 2014.
I sort of have a preliminary plan for a mock challenge season. I can put a timeline together based on this:
1. Study topic and come up with ideas
2. Draw ideas
3. Come up with preliminary designs (with actual Legos)
4. Run designs by engineer
5. Execute a prototype
6. Refine design with CAD program (Lego has a CAD program), comparing different options for mechanical components
7. Execute design
8. Prepare presentation and practice answering questions about the design
9. Study more background information to be prepared to answer more advanced questions
For the purpose of preparing for this mock season, we have started getting the Educational Legos that are required (or suggested) for the Jr Lego Leagues. These can be purchased directly from the Educational Lego site prior to registering a team. They have kits for homeschools (so 'single' kits but with teachers' guides) and we have found that it has been really helpful to learn the simple machines (like levers) and other components that will go into more complex designs to solve the challenges presented. Joey absolutely loves doing this.
The challenge of finding a team-mate: I think that we will stick to a two person team at first, but finding a child whose parents are ok working with a younger but highly gifted kid may not be so easy. Right now, I am making inquiries in our circle of friends who have proven non-threatened by the gifted label and whose children may have skills that complement Joey's.
If any one reading this blog has any advice to offer regarding participating in Lego competitions, I would love to hear from them!
No comments:
Post a Comment