The Makers VEX team is participating in a casual VEX competition for middle schoolers today thanks to the experienced folks in Oak Park. The Oak Park middle schools have 80 students competing on 20 teams; they’re practically a league of their own. But in the spirit of building community and a solid base for middle school VEX programs in the area, they’re hosting this unofficial event.
It will give my kids practice and, I’m sure, inspire them for the next VEX year. The 2013-14 challenge will be announced in May, and then my team can move ahead properly, instead of scrambling the way we did this year.
Despite my picking up some helpful tips in recent months, we haven’t revisited our robot since our first tournament. All of my boys are involved in Science Olympiad (three events per boy, plus an event that I coach), as well as school and other activities (not to mention my work plus the many carpools I drive) and as a result, there hasn’t been time to host a team meeting.
Science Olympiad season runs through April if we make it to State, May if we make it to Nationals, so I’m thinking that we should be able to get in the VEX groove again shortly after the new challenge is released.
I almost forgot the reason I started this meandering non-update: a cool new lunar robot from NASA. Nicknamed ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer), you can learn more about it at Popular Science. Don’t miss the videos at the bottom.
I’m proud to play a role helping today’s kids prepare to understand the technology that is shaping our future.
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