Computer Explorers: Why LEGO Robotics Help Kids Learn

By: ComputerXplorers | 148 Shares 415 Reads

Hands-On Learning Boosts Creativity, Collaboration and Confidence

CYPRESS, TX--(Marketwire - May 17, 2011) - Four-year-olds start by building caterpillars with LEGO kits and inventing stories about them. Children's toys turn into sophisticated learning tools as older students build and automate machines and robots, using programming to boost engineering, math and computer skills.

Computer Explorers, a national child technology training franchise that uses LEGO robotics in schools, after-school programs and recreation centers, creates learning breakthroughs that open doors to new learning and even career ideas for kids. The hands-on approach builds creativity, collaboration and confidence.

"We give our students a task and they figure out how to accomplish it, and why one approach worked but another did not," said Cyndee Perkins, director of curriculum and program development at Computer Explorers. "They naturally want to help each other and work together and both the LEGO kits and our curriculum tap into those instincts, developing creative problem-solving skills."

Computer Explorers offers summer camps and after-school programs for children as young as three. Beginner and more advanced LEGO robotics programs are incredibly popular, combining imagination with logic and real-world application.

Students learn how to:

Solve problems through experimentation
Master tools that leads to more exploration
Construct and layer knowledge through experience
Take ownership of their efforts while still working with peers

"These are higher-order thinking skills but the programs are so much fun and so engaging that students, even very young ones, are not threatened by new ideas or unfamiliar challenges," Perkins said. "They can't get enough of it and want to keep going even after the class is done for the day."

That's good news for the kids as well as the country. Computer Explorers uses innovative and creative ways to excite young learners about science, technology, engineering and math subjects. Mastery of STEM subjects, as they are collectively known, is crucial for future success in the workplace and to keep the U.S. competitive.

"It is possible that the next technology breakthrough may come from someone who started with a LEGO caterpillar," Perkins said.

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