Lego Mania helps prevent summer brain drain

June 04, 2012|By Rebecca White | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

By Rebecca White

(WICHITA, Kan.) — “The Millennium Falcon.” “Pirates of the Caribbean.” “Indiana Jones!”

About 15 kindergarten through 5^th grade students called out their favorite Lego kit on the first day of Lego Mania class. The program offered by Butler Community College is new and hopes to keep kids learning over the summer.

Click here to see photos of Lego Mania.

By the end of the class, students will build a Lego robot, alligator, soccer goalie and a plane. Each item will then be animated by a computer program.

Shelby Sobba, the Director of the Kids College at Butler Community College, says the goal is to teach students to take turns at each job and get an introduction to computer programing.

“The teacher wants them to learn cooperation because they all have a specific job every day,” says Sobba. “They also learn some programing skills to make their robots move.”

Maggie Duncan, the grandmother of 6 year-old Lane who is part of the Lego Mania class, says she enrolled him in the program this summer to keep him challenged because he loves to learn.

“I hope he remembers how to be in a classroom with other children, taking turns,” says Duncan. “And I hope it keeps him on a schedule because kids in the summer can get lazy.”

Sobba says Butler Community College offers programs for kids in kindergarten through eighth-grade that include Lego Mania, science through PLAY-DOH, and rockets. Last year she says about 200 students enrolled in Kids College.

You can still sign your kids up for the remaining seven week sessions of Kids College by contacting the Community Education office at Butler Community College at (316) 322-3193.

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