Sofia Kratochvil, a K-12 librarian in Clarkson, NE, had a vision: to bring robotics into her students’ lives. Thanks to a grant for Wonder Dash robots, she was able to introduce exciting new concepts to her learners.
“This project aims to provide opportunities for my students to build on their communication and creativity skills while equipping them with the technology skills they will need to navigate the complex world.” – Sofia Kratochvil
At her K-12 school of around 210 students, Sofia is dedicated to fostering learning and teaching good digital citizenship. With an average of just 12 students per class, she ensures each child receives personalized attention. While her school had some tech geared toward older students, Sofia wanted to spark an interest in robotics and block coding among the younger grades. Wonder Dash robots proved to be the perfect fit—they’re user-friendly, versatile, and connect to computers via Bluetooth, making them accessible even for beginners.
“My favorite line from the class was when one of the students finished the program and told the class, ‘Are you ready for this?’ before he clicked start.” – Sofia
When Sofia introduced the robots, the students’ excitement was palpable! They dove into block coding basics and eagerly worked on challenges, building onto the robots with Legos. Sofia was thrilled to see her students focused on problem-solving and debugging. She said, “They would run a program and notice it wasn’t right, get a little frustrated, then break it down block-by-block to figure out the problem.”
For Thanksgiving, Sofia collaborated with the art teacher to organize a school-wide event: a robot-powered Thanksgiving parade! Fifth graders, who had been practicing with the robots, took the lead in designing parade floats. The challenge was open to all classes, and students had to create a balloon (without helium!) and figure out how to attach it to their robot.
“We had the house from Up, Harry Potter, Olaf, Pikachu characters, Kermit the Frog, Squidward, and other fun characters the students came up with.” Along the way, students tackled challenges like balancing heavy floats, improving maneuverability, and redesigning their creations. To prepare, they even set up a crash course to practice driving the robots, as the parade route was quite long!
In addition to the parade, Sofia’s students have participated in the “Hour of Code” challenge and remixed music using block coding. More students will get hands-on experience with the robots in the coming weeks, and teachers are encouraged to borrow them for their classrooms.
We are thrilled to see what else Sofia and her students are able to accomplish!
