Last Friday night, the ATEEC Interactive Learning Lab was bursting with energy as the Girl Scout Lego™ League team arrived for their first practice session in building a robot! The Scouts will be competing on December 10th at the Putnam Museum in Davenport and lucky for us, they have chosen our Lab to set up their practice table.
Their enthusiasm for learning about environmental technology was evident. As the girls started to arrive, two of them made a beeline for the Energy Hog and Light Bulb learning stations. I heard them say, “This Energy Hog is ugly!” I asked, “What does it mean to be an Energy Hog?” “Well, it means they use up all the energy and that’s why they are so ugly,” they replied. Smart girls indeed!
Another group was drawn to the Green House and quickly learned that this station is about selecting the correct appliances and building materials to create the most energy-efficient home. The computer keeps track of the objects as they’re placed in the various rooms. The competitive nature of the girls showed as they meticulously read each piece of information and worked to reach the perfect score.
Other girls intuitively learned how the shape and angle of blades affected the efficiency of a wind turbine and asked how they can create other shapes to test. Engineers in the making!
Then it was time for them to go into the Lab’s classroom and start the process of building their robot. Their focus shifted to that responsibility and the work began.
I’m really looking forward to their return this week and anxious to learn what team name they select!