A first of its kind summer camp for Bonnyville had kids learning all about robots and filming.
Short for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, the STEAM camp taught participants about coding robotics, applications using m-Bots and Spheros, and how to make short films using programs such as iMovie and Garage band.
The week-long camp was hosted by the Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) at Notre Dame High School. It was organized to introduce students to the different aspects of STEAM, and to have fun with technology.
“They’re doing stuff they normally wouldn’t do in school,” explained Clint Elliott, director of technology for LCSD.
Camp member Elizabeth Rae enjoyed learning about robotics and coding, and was surprised with what they were able to do with the m-Bots.
“We set up figure-eights with black tape during one of the activities and the robots followed the black lines,” she recalled.
The week started off with participants learning about the m-Bot and how it works. They were taught how to program the robot, and explored different commands they could make it do. The week ended off with students coding their robots to do challenges, and got to decide how their robot completed the activity.
Elliott explained that the camp provided a good foundation for what coding looks like, and focused more on making it fun, without spending too much time on breaking down complex numbers.
“When I learned how to code, you had to learn all of the commands. Nowadays, we can just get right into things.”
The coding campers learned was to program the m-Bots and Spheros. From there, they created a short film of their robot’s actions.
Camp assistant Sydney Flaherty said after much deliberation during the two-month planning period, they landed on a STEAM camp.
“A STEAM camp was best suited to use technology that would teach them how to do super cool things that they could use in school as they grow up,” she explained.
Flaherty enjoyed seeing what the campers came up with during the week, and said students showed what they were passionate about during the tasks.
The first STEAM camp in Bonnyville had 17 participants.
“Unfortunately, we missed some students whose parents already had their vacation times set,” noted Elliott.
Already getting more interest in the program, Elliott hopes to organize STEAM camps again next summer.
