OAKHURST — The Bass Lake Education Foundation (BLEF) is once again giving kids a Lego-Up on the STEM world, by running an affordable, sustainable 10-week after-school program designed for middle school students.
Using the Lego Mindstorm EV-3 16-Student Curriculum Solution, the program offers a complete bundle for teaching computer science and STEM subjects using robotics.
The camp is on Thursdays from 3:30 – 5 p.m. starting Nov. 2. (excluding holidays and breaks) in the Robotics Lab in Science Room 103 at Yosemite High School. The cost is just $60 for the entire program. $10 is due with registration and the balance is due the first day of camp.
The 10 week program is being facilitated by YHS alumni and experienced BLEF Lego instructor, Owen Bassett. The facility advisor is YHS robotics teacher Ryan Collings.
“We are so pleased to be running our second sustainable robotics after-school program designed for middle school kids,” says BLEF mastermind Kriszti Mendonca.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to bring enrichment programs to students in our local area, we have established a state of the art, reusable Lego Robotics after school program for young teens designed to feed into existing classes at the high school level. The EV3 16-Student Curriculum Solution is a complete bundle for teaching computer science and STEM subjects using robotics.”
Lego Robotics are on the cutting edge of STEM education, created to engage students with the passion for coding. In the course of the program, students will build their robots and program them to perform real tasks. Participants will learn basic programming concepts and introduction to computer science using a drag and drop interface.
Bass Lake Education Foundation – register here.
The nonprofit BLEF purchased the reusable Lego Mindstorm package last fall for a well-received class that was said to be challenging even for kids who typically excel in this kind of work. That’s a good thing, as schools may lack some resources to address the interests of all students, and one of the BLEF goals is to provide a wide-range of programs, from art and sports to science.
The Bass Lake Education Foundation (BLEF) is an independent non-profit 503(c) public charity founded in 2009 after state-wide school budget cuts further reduced programs for youth in Madera County. By offering free clubs, low-cost workshops, and sponsoring field trips, BLEF promotes a love of learning, nature, and the sciences through a greater understanding of the living world. The organization is run by a small group of parent volunteers who do not take a salary, and BLEF has almost no overhead costs. All proceeds go directly back into the programs for children.
