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Every Wednesday morning, more than a dozen parents at Magnolia Science Academy, a STEAM charter public school in Santa Ana, skip morning pick-up and drop-off and instead head to class with their children.
Over six weeks, they will participate in a unique workshop where they will learn about robotics and coding. The program is the only one in Orange County and is offered free to parents and students at the underserved school, where about 85 percent of the students are Latino.
Families collaborate on critical thinking and problem solving using robots they code and build.
Obed Ortiz, 11, showed off a robot he named “Bob.”
“An amazing, outstanding bot, that’s what it means,” Obed said of the robot he and his family built, which consists of more than 200 parts.
His 6-year-old sister, Yara, also participates in the program. “It’s fun to build and it’s fun to drive,” she said.
This program is the only of its kind in Orange County and is offered free to families. “I’m not a Lego fan, but now I’m in this class and I’m enjoying it,” said Claudia Saules, mother of Yara and Obed.
“I’m learning about coding. I didn’t know anything about coding before.”
It’s not just about building bots, it’s also about building bonds. “When they’re working on a robot, they can stay for hours,” says Yusuf Adanur, who teaches the workshop.
“They don’t want to leave. Instead of playing with their phones, they’re working on robots.”
Students are taking their robots to competitions against other robot teams. In March, parents also prepare for their own robot competition.
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