Loess Hills Computer Programming Elementary School students use Legos to learn STEM skills
A Sioux City elementary school is helping to improve the building blocks of student teamwork through Legos.
This Tuesday Loess Hills Computer Programming Elementary School students began improving their communication and coding skills with the childhood toy.
It’s all part of Lego League, a robotics compeition that helps strengthen STEM skills in children.
According to students, each group gets to build and program their creations to complete challenges.
“In Lego League, we’re working so we have these instructions that we build the basic robot and we have to add extensions to it to do missions on a mat,” said Dalen Schoenherr, a fourth grade student.
Loess Hills Elementary is one of only two schools in Sioux City taking part in Lego League, the other being Morningside STEM Elementary School.
The program is open to third, fourth, and fifth graders at the schools.
A teacher at Loess Hills said the kids enjoy learning new skills.
“I think anytime that we can get technology into the hands of the students they are really excited,” said Amanda Brooks, Third Grade Teacher and Coach of Loess Hills Elementary School’s Lego League. “When they can work together and then share what they know about the coding aspect or the technology they’re even more excited. They bring that back into the classroom.”
In December, the students will share a presentation and compete against other schools at a Lego League competition in Sergeant Bluff.