Camp Rockstars

Almost back to school, and here I am just starting on camp <sheepish>

Happy Campers

(OK someone correct me (email!) if I got any facts wrong…) So Rockstar has been attending Safari Kid’s Tech Safari, which is predominantly Lego and Robotics with a little cooking and sports/games thrown in, and the Miss still has camp around her regular Chinese lessons (on top of the Chinese she also gets at Safari Kid).

Aw Shucks Rockstar after completing…. the Lego alligator this day, I think it was

…Which soon dissolves into his normal reaction to Attack of the Cuddle Monster:

(Well ok not that normal. “Normal” is him dancing around away from her when she’s this frisky – I asked him to submit to a photo op. Couldn’t do anything about the facial expression though :D)

So anyway from the first day Rockstar came back talking about motion sensors, tilt sensors, the various gears etc. After the usual Lego building, the kids then plug the parts into a computer and use what was described to me as a “pictorially-based programming language,” where the kids have to set for e.g. how many seconds the gears will rotate, how many rotations, etc. (This of course then necessitates some knowledge of time units etc)

Oh, and they build animals, and yes there are parts which make animal sounds too 😀

Here’s some of what the kids see on screen…

Here’s some of the animals they build…

So it’s a pretty good fun kiddie starter for basics of programming and construction, plus some math. Most recently Rockstar says they spent two sessions completing an alligator with a motion sensor in its mouth that would then “eat” (well, snap down on) whatever they put in front of it (WHY don’t toddlers come with such a nifty gadget??)

And then this was on Indian-theme day and so they made Prata

To the victor go the spoils yums

(Fortunately we had curry at home that day because Rockstar insisted on eating the bread immediately)

(The next two days they made pizza and “rainbow-colored spaghetti” with food coloring and ate those there...)

…And school’s out!

In this very local area right near where we live…

(Loves! Lotsa great art supplies and stationery on the cheap!)

(Rockstars get ready to ride off into the sunset)

(Ok fine most of the rides are halfway broken or else you really do lose your coins in them but still……)

Giddyap.