our robotics workshop for children
SENFABLAB is a space for creativity, learning, prototyping and sharing. Located in Grand–Yoff, a popular neighborhood It aims to spread digital technologi,s and to promote learning and training through practice. Its main objective is to engage young people, women, craftsmen and people with reduced mobility in the use of computers and digital technologies.
Picture of the lab
Senegal’s Senfablab, in partnership with the company Samarabot (My Robot), -has set up Robotics clubs to welcome and initiate children aged 7 to 15 into robotics and computing. The objective is to allow them to become familiar with physical computing so they can have the same opportunities as those in residential areas.
We use the free educational software for children called GCompris. Young people start their learning by using the keyboard and the mouse with G-Compris, learning to hold the mouse straight and then to make clicks (right, left, and the wheel). The objective is to move the mouse to erase the blocks and make a drawing appear.
After this session of learning the mouse, they use the keyboard to write the letters. The goal is to type the words that go down, before they touch the ground.
Then we introduce programming with Scratch, which is very useful to learn programming through blocks. After mastering the Scratch interface, Kene, the educator, asks them to think and then design a scenario.
Level 01 is led by Kene and Salma who are in charge of the children’s first learning in the lab. We work with a group of children every Wednesday between 4 and 6 pm in the lab. On Saturdays, a team goes to the schools with Bamba, to teach robotics. There are children who live in the neighborhood, but also others who live between 10 and 20 km from the lab.
The children can stay for hours, without even realizing it, because the classes are interesting for them. They learn by playing.
Currently we are setting up Lynx which we discovered with the Fablearn Fellows and will be taught to the children next year.
