In February, a group of tweens and library staff gathered at the Waldo Branch to watch as a miniature robot crawled across a pair of cardboard bridges. They were there for Bots and Blocks, a monthly STEAM program for teens and tweens. The students had spent the afternoon creating bridges with cardboard, tape, and other bits and pieces. Now they were seeing how their structures handled the weight of a ping pong ball-sized robot.
The brave bot inched its way over the jerry-rigged track, stumbling on wads of duct tape and layers of cardboard. With a little help, the robot completed the trek. Success!
Every third Friday, aspiring scientists, inventors, and engineers can stop by the Waldo Branch to tackle a new STEAM challenge.
In past sessions, students have designed mazes, constructed Lego towers, and invented armor to protect a freefalling egg. Bots and Blocks sessions are hands-on, open ended, and lots of fun.
This month, students will build a not-quite-life-sized house with a pile of cardboard and a special tool set. The Makedo tool set has handsaws, screws, and awls that are designed to safely cut cardboard, but not fingers.
No matter what kind of contraptions students create, Bots and Blocks is about tinker and experiment, and any result a good one. Just look at that robot that crossed the cardboard trestle: on its second journey, it crashed to floor of the meeting room as the bridge collapsed under its tiny wheels. Success! No matter how an experiment ends, students leave Bots and Block with a little more knowledge and curiosity.
Bots and Blocks - Every 3rd Friday at 4:00 p. m., Waldo Branch, Teens