"Remarkable Innovation, Perseverance, and Collaboration"

Orange USD (California) caps off its RoboBlocky year with a RoboPlay Challenge Competition. Through hands-on coding and robotics challenges under time constraints in a competitive setting, students not only solve real-world math problems but also develop essential teamwork and social skills. The video above shows how Orange USD students take on the challenges and you can find more information here, and more photos and videos here.

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"This event demonstrates remarkable innovation, perseverance, and collaboration. Witnessing students from diverse grade levels approach intricate challenges with ingenuity and fortitude was profoundly inspiring. Initiatives such as the C-STEM RoboPlay Challenge not only foster an ardent interest in STEM disciplines but also nurture the problem-solving and leadership qualities of future generations. Congratulations extend to all the students, educators, and organizers who contributed to the success of this impactful day of learning!"

-- Dr. Stephen Glass, Distinguished Faculty in Residence (PK-12 Specialization), College of Education, CSU Long Beach, and Board Member at Orange Unified School District.

 

The RoboPlay Competition is for all levels of students. Hillview Crest Elementary School (New Haven USD) uses the RoboBlocky curriculum in every TK-5 classroom, and all students in grades 2 through 5 participated in their recent competition. Check out their excitement and some of the photos and videos from their event here.​​​​​​​​​

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​​​​​​​Level-Playing-Field Competition

The RoboPlay Challenge Competition is a level-playing-field robotics competition for students in grades 1-12. Designed around math skill levels, it provides student teams with an opportunity to showcase their real-world problem-solving abilities in a competitive environment by creatively using modular robots and accessories to complete various tasks.

 

The competition arena and specific challenges are unknown to participants until the day of the competition. Using their math, programming, and problem solving skills, student teams try to most efficiently obtain the highest score for each challenge. They code, build, and test their solutions, and then showcase those solutions to a group of judges. This format makes it easily adaptable to schools and districts of all sizes and brings equity and equality to the robotics competition.

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Multiple Grade Bands, with New Sets of Challenges Each Year

​Each year Barobo creates and publishes new sets of challenges, free to RoboBlocky Prime account members, that are released to participating schools and districts each winter for the following grade bands:

• Division A – Students in Grades 9-12, with at least one student on the team who is currently enrolled in or has completed Algebra 2 or Integrated Math 3.

• Division B –  Students in Grades 9-12, with all students currently enrolled in or have completed Algebra 1 and Geometry or Integrated Math 1 and Integrated Math 2. 

• Division  C – Students in Grades 7-8

• Division  D – Students in Grades 5-6

• Division  E – Students in Grades 3-4 

• Division  F – Students in Grades 1-2
   

How Do I Host a RoboPlay Competition at My School or District?

The RoboPlay Challenge is a flexible, light-weight method of hosting a robotics competition at the district or school level. Competitions are usually held in a gymnasium or cafeteria, though many teachers have even held them inside individual classrooms. RoboPlay generally starts in the morning and lasts just into the afternoon, but even here districts and schools have the flexibility to plan RoboPlay to suit their schedule, with some schools scheduling it for a half day and others holding it over multiple days. Preparations on the school and district level are minor, where all that is required is a space to compete and a handful of volunteer judges, who are provided with all the supporting documentation needed to successfully judge a full competition.​

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On the day of the competition, student teams of 3-5 gather in the competition space and receive their challenges. Each team then has several hours to solve a series of three robotics/coding/math challenges that will test their ingenuity, coding skills, teamwork, and perseverance. Meanwhile, judges will confer to review their judges manuals and prepare to oversee the competition. Students will then showcase their solutions to judges in two 10-minute, predetermined time blocks, where they are objectively scored on their robot’s performance. 

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What Equipment Do Student Teams Need?

• Each team must use the same robotics equipment, as described below.

• Each team must bring its own laptop computers, robots, and accessories.

• Each team in Grade bands 1-2, 3-4, or 5-6 uses one 4-Linkbot Bundle, one OmniBot Pack, and one RoboTown activity mat.  

• Each team in Grade band 7-8 uses one 4-Linkbot Bundle, one 8 Cube Connector Bundle, one OmniBot Pack, and one RoboTown activity mat.  

• Each team in Grade band 9-12 uses one 4-Linkbot Bundle, one 8 Cube Connector Bundle, one OmniBot Pack, one Linkbot-L robot body, and one RoboExploration activity mat.

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Robots and accessories are available from www.barobo.com/shop. Note that the 8-Linkbot Bundle also available there consists of two 4-Linkbot Bundles, and a 16-Linkbot Bundle consists of four 4-Linkbot Bundles.

There will be no internet access during the competition, except for those using RoboBlocky for coding. And use of cellular phones by students is not allowed at any time during the competition.

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Who Do I Contact for More Information or to Get Started?

Contact Barobo here. You can also find additional information at the UC Davis C-STEM Center site.

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Local News Report on RoboPlay Competition in Ohio