FORT SMITH (KFSM) - Some students in Fort Smith are learning about science and technology in a pretty unique way. Instead of reading books and doing worksheets, they're putting together robots, built completely out of legos.
Young students are taking a hands on approach to learning certain subjects. They're building robots from scratch and all of it is to learn some pretty important skills.
From building different kinds of animals to objects out of legos, kids are keeping busy at the Sylvan Learning Center. The kids, who are in grades two through six, are learning the concepts of engineering at a very young age. "They're using legos, which kids love legos and they find it really interesting," said Courtney Wright, Center Director at Sylvan.
Sylvan estimates there's going to be a million more jobs in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields by 2020. So what this program is doing is setting the foundation for students at an age where they're excited to learn.
All the kids need for the program, is a netbook and legos. "They can animate the object and have it make sounds," said Wright.
"They can come up with different ways through problem solving, critical thinking skills," according to Wright. All of those things make them learn more and help the students. Wright said it's exciting and fun for them at the same time.
Each session, students complete a wrap up activity. Afterwards, they receive a take home worksheet, so parents can see what their child has learned that day.
Sylvan will have a open house on April 25th so they can introduce this program to parents and students who are interested. Classes begin May 1st at various locations around the area.
The classes will run for six weeks. There's an introductory course for the younger students where they learn the basics of programming and how to build the models. There's also a more advanced class for older students where they'll explore advanced applications in engineering.