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Coding Club students recently wrapped up their exciting “Winter Olympics Dash Shootout” project, combining engineering, creativity, and technology in a high-energy STEM challenge. Working in teams, students designed and built their own hockey goals using K’Nex and constructed hockey sticks out of Legos. They then attached their custom-built sticks to their Dash and Dot robots and coded them to maneuver across a hockey rink and shoot from multiple scoring locations. The classroom quickly turned into a winter arena filled with problem-solving, collaboration, and celebration as goals were scored.
Throughout the project, students strengthened critical thinking and teamwork skills while learning to test, adjust, and refine their coding sequences. From troubleshooting angles and speed to adjusting shooting distances, students experienced real-world engineering challenges in an age-appropriate and engaging way. The hands-on nature of the activity encouraged perseverance, communication, and innovation as teams worked together to improve their designs and coding strategies.
STEM and coding opportunities at the elementary level play a vital role in preparing students for the future. Early exposure to computational thinking helps students develop logical reasoning, creativity, and confidence in tackling complex problems. By integrating robotics and coding into engaging projects like the Winter Olympics Dash Shootout, students not only build technical skills but also learn collaboration, resilience, and critical thinking — skills that extend far beyond the classroom.