Ogden Outreach Events Testimonials

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Girls In Science Day

"Thank you for offering the Girls In Science event this past Saturday.  My daughter loved it!  She re-made her marker robot more than once, and as much as she didn't want to get out of bed Saturday morning, she loved every minute of it while she was there.  I knew she would!  Her way is certainly paved for more events like this.  And thank you for allowing her late registration."

                                                          - K.K.A., parent

"I just wanted to let you know what a great time my daughter had on Saturday!  She was smiling ear to ear when I picked her up and couldn't stop talking about all of the activities.  She is still playing with the "robot" she got to build!  Thanks again for allowing her to be a part of such a great day."

                                                         - R.A.J., parent

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) State Competition

"It was a wonderful experience for my students and me.  I wanted to share with you what one of my students said to me as we were leaving the tournament.  She said, 'If they had given out an award for happiness, our team would have won it.'  So even though we didn't go home with one of the awesome trophies made out of Legos, we still went home as winners."                         

                                                            - Nancy Z., teacher

"First Lego League has given my son the opportunity and tools to bring ideas to fruition.  He can imagine a solution to a certain problem, then actually build a working machine.  He can test what before he could only imagine, and he can improve on his initial designs.  As a parent, I am excited that participation in First Lego League has helped him to identify these abilities at an early age and highlight how they can be used in combination with his aptitude in science and mathematics."

                                                            - K.R.L., parent

 

"Any kid can thrill to a new box of Legos.  For what starts as a pile of pieces can soon, by the hand of a child, be assembled and integrated into a functioning and useful machine.  Little did we know that this scenario would stand as a metaphor for our actual experience with Lego Robotics (First Lego League).

You see, our youngest son is affected by autism, specifically Asperger's Syndrome.  Our son is a wonderful and delightful young man with keen intellect and a sense of humor.  What we did not realize is that he is also entertaining, confident, articulate, and creative - an enthusiastic leader with good ideas and a great work ethic.  All of these qualities and more emerged before us from we previously thought was only "a box of pieces."  The experience of Lego Robotics integrated seemingly disparate or even unidentified parts into a wonderfully assembled whole which surprised and delighted us.

We learned of Lego Robotics through our homeschool co-op.  Our friend had the opportunity to be a part of a Robotics group in Florida.  When she moved to Kentucky, she found our little co-op and started teaching a Lego robotics class.  Within a couple of years, we had a handful of kids including our son who had an interest in forming a team to compete.  The first year our little group experienced the thrill of competing.  They did well enough at regionals to advance to the state competition.  The little team was hooked!

During the next two years we saw our son blossom and do things that we could have never predicted or imagine.  We saw him make friends for the first time in his life with two other kids on the team.  We were able to witness a passion for science and engineering arise within him.  We saw him take initiative and leadership roles.  Imagine our great surprise when he was the spokesperson to inform our community through a presentation to the city council - two years in a row!  He was articulate, bold, and very funny!

Our son's enthusiasm carried over into all aspects of being a robotics team member.  He was an integral part of developing the project, including putting together some of the visual displays.  He threw himself into his role in the various skits the group performed.  He learned how to program the robot.  He experienced the importance of teamwork.  He loved being a part of writing a song about the core values.  This was not just a passing interest - it was passion!

Lego Robotics changed our lives.  We saw our very quiet, friendless son with a "disability" grow to become a capable, passionate leader who discovered the joy of friends.  A whole new world of science and technology opened up to him!

Passion!  There is no substitute for it.  My husband and I always said that if our son could find his passion he would thrive and succeed.  Our challenge at the time was helping him to discover it!  We are so grateful for Lego Robotics.  We are so thankful for our friend for her coaching expertise through the years and for our son's teammates and friends.  And to our God who, through His great hand, works and moves in and through our lives at all times. 

                                                                 - J.P., parent

 

 

 Submit an event testimonial by e-mailing John Inman at  john.inman@wku.edu.