Aug 13-17, Robotics and Coding Roundabout, Sevenoaks

In this 1-week holiday workshop (individual days can also be booked), the children will learn about robotics, coding and animation through use of various robots and media to explore their creativity while learning key programming and engineering concepts in a fun learning environment.

The idea is to give the children a really good flavour of all the different types of robots out there and expose them to various kinds of programming languages. This is how the week will run:

This course covers:

Monday: Day 1 – Lego Robotics and Engineering

Children use the Lego WeDo 2.0 and Lego Mindstorms EV3 to design robots to solve real world problems. They learn to code their robots in interactive challenges. In addition to the basics of robotics, children learn key engineering principles such as force and motion, gear ratios and aerodynamics.

• Solve a real world 'big problem' such as pollution, animal welfare, dinosaur habitats

• Apply engineering concepts such as gear ratios, aerodynamics, motions

• Explore visual programming with the WeDo 2.0 and EV3 software

• Build robots that use motors

• Program and utilize different sensors

• Develop structural design skills

Tuesday: Day 2 – Artificial Intelligence and Coding with Cozmo

Artificial intelligence is the future and it is set to cause massive industrial disruption. In this course, children are introduced to the concept of AI and machine learning through the fun and engaging medium of the Cozmo robot. Cozmo is able to recognize people and places, and over time it develops its own unique personality. Children learn to control the Cozmo robot with intelligent programming code and create their own games and solve challenges such as solving inner city pollution and congestion.

• Use Cozmo to learn visual coding and program a robot to complete tasks

• Create basic AI behaviors

• Teach Cozmo to survey, explore, and make decisions

• Develop problem-solving skills

Wednesday: Day 3 – Coding and STEAM with Ozobot and Sphero

In this course, children will be using robots (Ozobot and Sphero) to learn the concepts of coding in a fun, immersive and engaging way.

Ozobots are tiny robots that can sense colour commands. The children will customise their robots, initially code with colors, and then code their bots with OzoBlockly.

Using Ozoblockly, the children will be able to fully control their Ozobot's movement and behavior using advanced programming concepts.

With CodeKids, the children progress through all the features of the Ozobot from colour-coding to programming using Blockly through the course of the day.

In the afternoon, the children will switch to Sphero, an app-controlled robot, to code in a fun learning environment.

Sphero Edu will be used to programme the Sphero. The children will be learning with lots of hands on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) activities through the sessions.

Over the course of the day, the participants will use coding to learn more advanced logic.

Some of the more advanced/older children may progress through the course to use text programming and write their own JavaScript or Swift code.

Thursday: Day 4 – Creative storytelling and stop motion animation

In this course, children learn to create their own stories through Wallace & Grommitt type clay figures and Lego city models. They will learn to create story boards before shooting their own movie complete with audio and special effects animations. The children will be encouraged to reuse the learnings from the previous days as part of their movie projects.

• Create story boards and narratives

• Plan and create characters

• Edit video and audio tracks

• Use professional equipment and software for capture and editing

• Produce videos and animations for YouTube

•Develop a range of soft skills including presenting, planning, designing and post-production editing

Friday: Day 5 – Minecraft Education

Dive into the educational benefits of Minecraft by creating and exploring this blocky world. Aspiring game designers learn problem-solving, level design, and more, building unique maps and crafting resource packs. Adding command blocks and redstone takes learning to the next level in a course designed to get students excited about game design through their favorite lens—Minecraft.

On the day, children will be able to:

Create resource packs to re-skin blocks and items

Build redstone circuits and machines

Utilize command blocks to enhance maps

Develop planning and design skills

All courses are led by qualified Engineers, Physicists, Mathematicians, and Computer Scientists. The animation course is taught by Bunny Schendler, who is an animator and filmmaker whose work includes the BAFTA nominated short animated film The World of Interiors, made for Channel Four.

The course will be held at:

Riverhead Infants' School
Worships Hill,
Riverhead,
Sevenoaks,
Kent TN13 2AS

All children between the ages of 7 and 12 are welcome to register.

Snacks and drinks will be provided but the children are asked to bring a nut-free packed lunch. No prior coding experience necessary.

If your child has been to one of these workshops before, then their learning will be extended further and they will not have to repeat the same content as before. At any course, we have 3 different streams operating.