Serving the Community (with LEGOs)
Howdy, Mason here! The robotics day was certainly one of the more interactive and fascinating community service opportunities we have experienced during our trip so far. To start off, we got the opportunity to work with kids involved in the 4H program. 4H is one of the “largest youth development programs” in Montana. They explore a variety of different aspects of human life and they were able to work with us to stretch their creative minds while building robots. I found it interesting that even though the age range of these kids was vast, each of us were able to make a personal connection with them.
We debriefed the entire day afterwards and were able to share fascinating discoveries of our interactions. With the few minutes we had before they arrived, we familiarized ourselves with the different bits and pieces of LEGOs. As the kids came, a few at a time, it was a little difficult to engage them right away. We all wanted to get to know them well but it was certainly difficult to jump in and ask them if they need any help as they often said: “no I think we’re alright.” But, as the activity progressed, we formed teams and got to know the kids. I was specifically amazed at the level of knowledge and interest in robotics and engineering that the kids I worked with (Landon and Toby) had. Considering their ages (12 years old) I was even more impressed by their creativity and drive to make the most complicated robot they can.
Eventually, with a little fiddling and a lot of rearranging, we built a robot that was prepared to be programmed. At this moment, April expressed her desire to have fighting robots, so, considering our shared enthusiasm (Landon, Sawyer, and mine) we jumped right in. After around three hours we completed a fortress of LEGOs. But, of course now it was time time for dinner, so we fought with what we had and prevailed. I think it is safe to say they’re was a lot of excitement and noise in that room not only in that moment but throughout the day.
Anyway, although I could build robots for hours, I think we can all agree just listening to what these kids had to say and exchanging what we had to say was what made this activity so successful and powerful. This exchange, despite all that we have seen in Montana so far, taught me the most about how Montanans my age truly live. Below you can see the level of engagement we all felt with the LEGOs and with these extraordinary kids.
