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Our Objective
Our Objective
We believe that providing STEM-based learning is essential for young students to succeed in the future. By engaging them at a younger age, they can reach their highest potential and be better prepared for the ever-evolving world. Early STEM learning can help kids identify potential interests and passions for their future. As of right now, our school district only offers STEM extracurriculars, specifically robotics, from grades 8-12. Our IRHS members decided that having a robotics summer camp for K-8 will provide opportunities for kids to partake in STEM learning. In the long run, we hope to cultivate younger students’ skills in problem solving, creativity, teamwork, and leadership.
Planning Phase
Planning Phase
Planning Activities
Planning Activities
Brainstorming:
We started brainstorming and planning for the camp around the middle of the spring semester. It began with the IRHS officers gathering and planning out how the camp could be structured. In the end, it was decided that there would be many stations, each focusing on a vital component of the robotics experience. In each station, IRHS members offered ideas of various activities and lessons that could be done. We ended up brainstorming for four stations (Design/Notebook, Build, Code, and Drive), and two separate groups (one for younger kids in grades K-2 and one for older kids in grades 3 - 8).
Drafting the Lesson Plans:
Each station group needed a unique and engaging curriculum. To brainstorm plans, the station volunteers referenced the activities brainstormed to create a full week-long lesson plan. Station leaders came up with the specifics of the activities per day, how the time would be split, and the needed materials to carry out the lessons. All lesson plans were made with the primary goal of being educational while fun and enjoyable at the same time.
Creating Learning Materials:
The learning materials consisted of a combination of those our IRHS members made themselves and those from the VEX website. We had many different materials such as an engineering notebook template, presentation slides used for lessons, and videos to explain the VEX competition games.
Volunteer Recruitment
Volunteer Recruitment
We created a google form to send out to all IRHS members. The google form determines the availability each volunteer has for the 5 days of summer camp and volunteers' preferences over age groups, leadership roles, and expertise in the various stations. We've received 55 responses that are then organized into the Volunteer Data Spreadsheet spanning over 5 days.
Scheduling and Locations
Scheduling and Locations
06-13_thru_06-17-22_Robotics_Camp.pdfWe needed administration to approve the areas used in the summer camp. In this form submitted, we requested 8 classrooms and 3 facilities: the gym, the lecture hall, and the cafeteria. Once these were approved, we allocated activities and stations to each of the classrooms.
The grades and station types were separated into 8 classrooms and a gym. The cafeteria was utilized for lunch breaks and the lecture hall was for drop off and dismissal. The doc above contains 5 different block schedules that show small group rotations between stations. We created a morning and afternoon schedule for the K-2 group, two all-day schedules for the 3-8 and a final day schedule for parents to come watch the competitions.
Promoting to Our Community
Promoting to Our Community
Creating the Flyer
Official Promotional Flyer For Robotics Summer Camp
Social Media Post - Facebook
Social Media Post - Instagram
Emailing Parents
Sign Up forms sent out to parents
We also needed to spread awareness about the camp. We created a flyer with important information about the camp: age range, time, date, cost, and registration. The flyer was sent out to Lovejoy's elementary and middle school's parents and also posted on the Lovejoy Robotics Instagram and Facebook pages.
Outcome
Outcome
Our IRHS Chapter held a week-long camp where we walked children through stations that helped them develop an engagement for STEM. 79 children in the grades of Kindergarten through Eighth grade attended.
The children learned about various facets of engineering, from designing to documentation. We walked them through the basics of programming and computer-assisted design, and they even were able to build their own robots to compete with each other.
The results were substantial: many of the children wanted to take more engineering classes in school, and they developed a deeper passion for STEM. We have seen a big jump in our middle school robotics program, and we are seeing a burst of interest in elementary schools for robotics programs to be introduced. Many of their parents thanked us for teaching them invaluable skills they will use in the real world. This event showed our community what engineering can accomplish and how it can bring everyone together to grow.
Feedback
Feedback
Feedback From Community
Feedback From Community
In order to evaluate our effectiveness and improve for next year's summer camp, we sent out forms for parents and their kids to fill out. In general, 100% parents who've responded are likely to send their kids to future camps and event held by the Lovejoy IRHS chapter. 100% of the campers responding believed that they learned aspects of robotics and using the engineering mindset.
Parent's Data
Camper's Data
Celebration
Celebration
For summer camp celebration videos and end of the year celebration →
The week-long camp was filled with so much fun, and we were sad to see the kids go on Day 5. In the end, we decided to close out the camp with a great celebration: An exciting VEX Competition!
We held many rounds of contests for all the age groups, with kids participating from VEX GO to the newest VRC Game Spin Up. Parents were invited to see how much their kids grew as engineers and watch them showcase what they've worked hard on throughout the week. The students displayed the skills they learned during the camp through the robot they built, the program they wrote to make it come to life, and being able to show off their own creations by driving it around and putting bots to the test on the actual field.
It was an amazing way to finish off the summer camp and the kids were all very enthusiastic and thrilled by the competition. We were so glad to hear how many wished to continue the robotics experience.
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