Gaithersburg Preschoolers Built Robots for National Robotics Week

The Goddard School® located in Gaithersburg, MD, focused on learning through play for children six weeks to six years, spearheaded a new way of teaching technology through a robotics program that helps develop STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills to these young budding engineers.

The Goddard School will hosted number of activities from April 6 - 10, coinciding with National Robotics Week. Now in its 6th year, National Robotics Week recognizes robotics technology as a pillar of 21st century American innovation, highlights its growing importance in a wide variety of application areas, and emphasizes its ability to inspire technology education.

· During The Goddard School’s Robotics unit, the children first learned what a robot is and how it can beneficial to humans.

· They read about different types for robots in the literacy centers and they developed an understanding of the building blocks that make up a robot. This includes relating the functional blocks in a robot (power, mobility, sensing, action/work) to similar functions in humans (food/energy, our eyes/ears, our legs/arms/hands).

· The next steps in the program encouraged the children to design and develop a robot then testing their functionality (ie. moving an object from one place to another)

For more information about the Robotics program and The Goddard School located in Gaithersburg, please visit www.goddardschool.com/washington/gaithersburg-wind-river-lane-md.