Baheen Huzan led a four-day LEGO WeDo workshop at her local mosque for girls ages 7 to 11.
A Cherry Hill Girl Scout is hoping her Silver Award project helps encourage more girls to lean toward science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers in the future.
For her Girl Scout Silver Award project, Baheen Huzan held a four-day LEGO WeDo workshop at her local mosque, GCLEA, for young girls ages 7 to 11. Not only did the participants learn how to build and program fundamental robots, but they also were taught useful qualities, such as teamwork, cooperation and resiliency, through daily team building activities while developing confidence in their abilities to do things they never believed they could.
The first three days of the workshop were mainly instructional. On the first day, before anything was taught, the girls took a survey about topics they going to learn over the course of the workshop, as well as questions regarding their personal hobbies and interests. In general, the girls did not know any of the answers and if a question was correct, it was through a process of elimination or guesswork.
The first and second days of the workshop were composed of the girls learning fundamental LEGO building by working on various “Getting Started Activities.” The activities included using motors to make gears move, building a pulley and belt system; and moving cams using a single axle powered by the motor. By the third day, they began timed competitions in which they build different animals of their choice, such as alligators, monkeys, ducks and lions among several others. The three teams each built and programmed two different animal robots that day. After completing the Getting Started Activities and their robots, the girls took the same survey they had taken on the first day, and everyone received a perfect score.
Depending on which team demonstrated the best sportsmanship, teamwork and problem solving, certificates were handed out to the team best in that area. Then, certificates were given out for the timed competition, where the team who won the most competitions or finished the fastest received certificates. Finally, the team with the most creative computer programs would be given their own certificate. On this day, everyone, no matter what they did, received a participation certificate.
The fourth day, Aug. 12, was the final competition between the three teams, after spending only an hour or so on building and programming. This day was supposed to be an extension activity and not as many girls were expected to come. However, even more girls came on this day. In addition, the girls who attended the three-day workshop before the competition were so experienced, they taught some of the new girls who attended the final competition.
On this day, the girls spent the majority of the time playing in the competition, after only an hour or so of programming and building, using their newly acquired knowledge of the WeDo software and the mechanical side to building the WeDo robots. The competition was 1v1 soccer game and each team built their own goalie and kicker, and if some had extra time, an audience that cheered was also present when the teams played one another.
The soccer was played on an activity mat, with the proper markings for a soccer field. Each team played twice, against the two other teams. The team on offense had three chances to score against the defending team, with a Ping-Pong ball. The girls programmed their robots to move at higher speeds and even had team huddles in which they developed strategies and brainstormed about the best ways their team could move their robots for winning.
After the competitions, gold, silver, and bronze certificates were handed out to the respective teams based on their score in the competition. However, they were all told that winning the soccer game was based on chance and they all were equivalent in terms of knowledge about robotics and engineering, so each girl did not lose confidence in her capabilities.
Baheen’s Silver Award project’s ultimate goal was to bring women a step nearer to closing the STEM gender gap for the next generation. By the end of the workshop, Baheen felt her objective was fulfilled due to the evident growth of knowledge as well as by seeing the girls mature over the course of the workshop. By holding team building activities and assigning roles, the girls learned to cooperate and work together towards a common goal. In addition, by the time the workshop and final competition was over, almost 50 percent of the girls who attended said in a survey they had developed an interest in computer science and robotics.
