In October and November 2024, YRES teachers travelled to Vaughan to deliver an engaging LEGO Robotics program for Julliard Public School’s grade 5 and 6 students. The workshops’ combination of hands-on building and coding challenges empowered young brains and stimulated critical thinking processes.

Each class was divided into groups of 4 or 5, with a laptop and a LEGO Education SPIKE kit. As our teachers gave instructions and guided the class through the fundamentals, the groups successfully constructed and programmed their own robotic dancers. Once the builds were complete, the students learned how to connect and control their robots through Scratch—an interactive and beginner-friendly programming platform. Alongside the offered lessons, students were able to customize the code and add their own creative touch to each robot. As Julliard’s students had previous experience with Scratch, they were able to use more explorative code and discovered innovative ways to make their robot move, play music, and dance to a beat!

My students absolutely loved it, and it was super cool!

— Hayley Zak, Teacher @ Julliard PS

My experience at Julliard PS was eye-opening as I had not previously taught students older than grade 5. Nevertheless, the workshops were a pleasure to lead as the students followed instructions quietly and paid close attention to every detail. It was a fulfilling experience to see everyone’s enthusiasm and enjoyment, even inspiring the class to form their own robotics club!

— Christina Wan, Project Coordinator / Teaching Assistant @ YRES

Interested in bringing a LEGO Robotics program to your community or organization? Visit the YRES website for more information!