FUTURE ENGINEERS
SMALL WORLD: Wihan van Heerden, left, and JG Coomans, who are home-schooled, with an exhibit at the New High Advanced Technologies Institute’s first Lego League Junior Expo, held at the Storehouse Church in Lorraine at the weekend. The event showcased research projects created by teams of children aged six to 10, with each team assigned an older volunteer to assist them.
FOSTERING a passion for robotics and mechanics in children as young as six was the fun and educational goal of an expo in Port Elizabeth at the weekend.
The New High Advanced Technologies Institute (NHATI) hosted its First Lego League Junior Expo at the weekend at the Storehouse Church in Lorraine.
Saturday’s event showcased research projects created with the use of Lego motors and blocks by teams of children aged between six and 10 with each team assigned an older volunteer to assist.
Each team was tasked with researching a specific animal.
They had to put together a poster with the researched information and build an enclosure and necessary equipment needed to cater for the animal they had. The equipment, including robotic cranes and vehicles built by the teams, were made up of basic Lego motors and blocks.
Event organiser and NHATI chairwoman, Natasha Saunders, said the 12 teams were made up of up to six children each, who were mainly from children’s homes around Port Elizabeth.
“This is an exciting first as a grant from Lego Denmark has meant that the [institute] has been able to focus on children who would not usually have had the opportunity to join the programme,” she said.
One of NHATI’s main aims is to encourage children who are outcasts from the education system, who are illiterate, or children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar or other disabilities to engage and learn, she said.
Volunteer Emma Sanders, 13, who has previously taken part in the national First Lego League competition, said she enjoyed volunteering to help the youngsters because it made it special for the kids.
“Lego League gives children a chance to go out and learn new things,” she said.
Sanders said through her experience with the institute and the Lego League tournaments, she was now more aware of aspects of engineering and was looking forward to a possible future in the field.
Khayalethu Youth Centre resident Zolani Monroe, 16, who also volunteers with the teams, said: “Building robots is a lot of fun and you get to meet a lot of interesting people”.
A participant in one of the teams represented at the expo, Julian Nieveld, 10, said he had learnt a lot about building structures and would like to pursue a career in construction one day.
“I will be able to tell other people what to do and how to do it because of what I have learnt,” he said.
Nicole Hagger, 10, said she thought Lego League was “awesome”.
Saunders said NHATI would continue the project for another two years but hoped to attract primary schools in the city to the programme.
Anyone interested in the NHATI programme can contact Natasha Saunders on 083-654-0491 or e-mail Natasha@newhighschool.co.za