Register now for classes with Fox Valley Robotics and Batavia Robotics
Fox Valley Robotics and Batavia Robotics will be opening registration for its 16th season this year with new robotics challenges for kids in first through 12th grades.
The LegoWolves Division for first- through third-graders will take on water in the new challenge "Aqua Adventure." These kids will work with Lego pieces to construct a robotics model which involves finding out where the water we use in our daily life comes from and what happens on its way to us. The kids will culminate their season in February at an event that celebrates their hard work as well as the fun they had by displaying their robotic models and poster boards.
The fourth- through eighth-grade LegoDogs Division will be working on FIRST's "Hydro Dynamics." Teams will explore how we find, transport, use, or dispose of water. In the Hydro Dynamics Challenge, teams will build, test, and program an autonomous robot using Lego Mindstorms EV3/NXT to solve a set of missions as well as research, develop and share their innovative "water" solutions.
In the eighth through 12th grade Coyotes Division, there are two competitions in which the kids can participate. The VEX In the Zone Game is played on a 12- by 12-foot square field. Two alliances - one "red" and one "blue" - composed of two teams each, compete in matches consisting of a 15-second autonomous period followed by 105 seconds of driver-controlled play. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance by scoring the cones in zones and by stacking them.
The other challenge for the Coyotes Division will be presented from FIRST and will be released in early September.
The goals of the above programs are to have the kids "think beyond the box" and to have fun. The programs allow the kids to go beyond simple box instructions and to formulate the why and how on their own with guidance from instructors and mentors.
"Creativity and ingenuity has no limits when it comes to robotics and what these kids can learn and accomplish" says Denise Karabowicz, a mechanical engineer and one of the lead instructors for the organization.
Information meetings for those wanting more details or interested in joining are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18; 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19; and 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, at Rotolo Middle School, 1501 S. Raddant, Batavia. Enter at doors N11. The organization hosts competition events in December, January, February and March with 30 to 60 teams attending in different robotic challenges.
The FVR/BR group is celebrating its 16th year of robotics for kids. Batavia Robotics has been around since 2002, and adopted the name Fox Valley Robotics in 2007. As a not-for-profit, multi-community based organization, they are recognized by many schools and school districts in the area and provide kids throughout the year the ability to explore the world of robotics with a variety of programs. Registration is now open. For more information, visit www.foxvalleyrobotics.com.