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Robotics camp teaches youth to program

While numbers were down at the robotics camp this year compared to the last, that didn’t stop the eight kids from having a blast using their imagination and learning to program.
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TYSON WHITNEY PHOTO MacKenzie Winterwed shows how her “colouring” Lego robot works during Robotics camp at North Island College.

While numbers were down at the robotics camp this year compared to the last, that didn’t stop the eight kids from having a blast using their imagination and learning to program.

Robot camp student Malachi Sears built a half-track truck over the week-long camp, which he said “took courage, strength and imagination.”

He added he likes robotics camp “because you get to be creative and do cool challenges.”

MacKenzie Winterwed said she “liked all of it,” when asked how the week went.

Robot camp instructor Mitchell Gair said he wants the students to develop “an interest in programming and building robots. Andrew (robot camp instructor) and I managed to get this job because we built robots in grade 12 all the way to University, so hopefully we can get the kids into that kind of thing too.”

Gair said the camp starts “with a basic robot and we do movements, then switch to sensories, and then we have a challenge day where the children come up with their own challenge. There’s an insane amount of creativity that goes into building these robots and with the gadgets added on.”

He added he’s worried they only had eight kids this year, “because it’s down from last year — I think we had around 12 last year, and we’re hoping to try and get that number back up.”

Gair said to send emails to April Whalen (April.Whalen@nic.bc.ca) if they want the camp to come back next year.

“I’m kind of scared with the numbers, this is the only camp we’ve had where the numbers were down from last year, and I want to see the numbers climb back up again.”

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TYSON WHITNEY PHOTO Mitchell and Andrew Gair kick off the robotics demonstration on Friday.


Tyson Whitney

About the Author: Tyson Whitney

I have been working in the community newspaper business for nearly a decade, all of those years with Black Press Media.
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