Build LEGO Chessboard for Kids EDU Project — Kenya
“My main goal-chess in every school and one billion chess players on the planet “
President of Kalmykia Russian Federation
1993–2010
Curriculum
According to Tynker, Kids are growing up in a very different world than that of their parents. Cell phones, computers, YouTube, Netflix, and Facebook are embedded in their daily lives. Even toys are digital, and many are programmable, such as Legos and the new-generation LeapFrogs.
The International Future of Jobs Survey 2020, by the World Economic Forum. Showcases that future of work describes changes in how work will get done over the next decade, influenced by technological, generational, and social shifts.
There’s a need to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow and enable every student to succeed. Most students will go into jobs that don’t even exist today.
It follows that the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), has approved Kenya’s first coding syllabus for schools. The syllabus covers primary school and lower secondary school. To enable prepare the Kenyan learners for the future of work.
KICD, also partakes that chess game (indoor game) is part of the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC)In CBC games form part of the subject; Physical and Health Education which is a compulsory subject.
This subject aims at enabling the learner to acquire relevant practical knowledge, skills values, and attitudes.
Sustainable Development Goal 4
The importance of early learning is entrenched in the second target of Sustainable Development Goal 4, which seeks to ensure that, by 2030, “all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education”. Pre-primary education is now considered an essential tool for achieving Universal Primary Education and the SDGs. Ensuring access to quality pre-primary education is a key strategy for improving learning and education outcomes as well as the efficiency of education systems.
LEGO Education
Play is far more powerful for children, however, than many parents realize. It’s the key to learning. Researchers and educators across the world have found that play can help enrich learning and develop key skills such as inquiry, expression, experimentation, and teamwork.
LEGO Education solutions teach children 21st century skills for future success, starting with preschool and moving through elementary, middle, and high school.
LEGO Education has helped pioneer innovative maker space activities, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) education solutions that build confidence and the skills that will help students succeed in school and beyond, including collaboration, problem-solving and computational thinking.
LEGO bricks building in any format, from basic blocks to the more complex robotic sets, also creates a foundation for increased understanding and success in STEM areas (science, technology, engineering, and math)
With LEGO® Education SPIKE, LEGO® Iconic 40174 chess set, LEGO® robots, LEGO®BOOST, LEGO© Star Wars, and LEGO MIND STORMS® e.t.c. Are all LEGO products that combine physical and digital learning.
Materials in LEGO elements
According to LEGO, matters of sustainability matter. Since nearly all LEGO elements are made from many different types of plastic materials? They all have different characteristics depending on how they are intended to be used, but all share the same high standards of quality and safety.
Critical thinking
In his TED talk, Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for education that nurtures creativity rather than stifling it:
Learning with LEGOs requires critical thinking skills which are developed more through LEGO projects and challenges. For example, building a project without instructions requires the student to consider structure and forces to create a stable solution.
According to Borgen Project, in a 2001 study, a group of preschoolers was followed to assess the outcome of early block learning. The study showed that the students who participated in early block learning scored higher on standardized math tests starting in seventh grade.
Social skill
A 2006 study used LEGO building materials to act as a medium for communication between autistic children. They were split into two groups, one using LEGO therapy and the other using more traditional therapy. In the end, both groups improved significantly in social skills; however, LEGO participants improved more than those not using LEGO.
LEGO has proven itself to be an effective means of not only building social skills but helping improve social interaction as well.
Algorithms
According to Tynker, the word “algorithm” may not seem relevant to kids, but the truth is that algorithms are all around them, governing everything from the technology they use to the mundane decisions they make every day.
Algorithms are fascinating and, although some are quite complex, the concept itself is actually quite simple.
Coding
When it comes to preparing your kids for the future, there are few better ways than learning to code! Valuable, if not necessary in the 21st century, coding for kids helps them develop academically, building perseverance and organization, skills that can translate into a career.
In today’s world, the ability to code continues to grow in importance. Coding is no longer the sole domain of computer scientists and programmers, but rather a useful skill to have in any career.
Upskilling career preparation, there’s a high demand for workers with coding skills in the tech industry; mastering code at a young age allows kids to excel in any field they choose!
Kids are curious and playful by nature, and according to LEGO, there’s no better way to learn anything than through play for kids. The same goes for coding. Get started with a fun, simple, or even complex programs with the right LEGO coding toys for girls and boys of all ages.
When your child is learning to code with their computer, robot, tablet, or another screen, it’s an active engagement and developing activity. Coding opens worlds of endless possibilities. And, as a rule of thumb, anyone can learn to code.
Math
Math skills flourish with LEGOS. The shapes, sizes, and counting of LEGO bricks come naturally when constructing an item. Kids count, add, and subtract consistently when they play with LEGO bricks.
STEM
Lego Education, the more serious branch of the Lego enterprise, aims to provide teachers and other education providers with fun ways to engage children with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Stem) subjects.
Research has shown that playing with puzzles and building blocks helps develop kids’ spatial skills essential for STEM-related tasks. The ability to think in 3D, and visualize shapes in your mind’s eye are indispensable skills architects, engineers, and artists need.
Language Skills
According to LEGO, learning the languages and patterns of computer code, such as HTML, is very similar to learning a different language. The skills your child learns from coding can be directly applied to breaking down grammar rules and syntax of other languages!
Learners will build anything they can imagine, and quickly learn how coding skills are used in robotics and how to incorporate these basic skills into robotics and programming, that teach them 21st-century skills.
Tentatively, Programming is an important skill in this very digital world.
Python
Learning Python for kids is an essential 21st-century skill, kids can learn to code Python as early as elementary school. According to CodeWizardshq, there are dozens of programming languages, and many of them are good for a wide variety of projects. Python is unique in that it’s easy to understand, even for kids with no programming experience. We recommend Python for kids because some languages use a perplexing combination of symbols and abbreviations. Python doesn’t.
What Is Python?
Python is the text-based programming language used by millions of professional coders at places like Google, IBM, and even NASA!
Due to it being stable, secure, and flexible, Python’s straightforward syntax is the preferred language of Data Science professionals around the world, many of whom are developing groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning applications. Python is also used in image processing and graphic design applications for 2D imaging software and 3D animation.
But why would my kid be motivated to learn Python so young? According to the UpGrad Blog, “Python is the foundation for popular games like Battlefield 2, Frets on Fire, World of Tanks, Disney’s Toontown Online, Vega Strike, and Civilization-IV.” Enough said? Probably, but there’s so much more!
Chess Playing Robot Powered by Raspberry Pi — Raspberry Turk
According to Raspberry Pi, Computers and chess have been a potent combination ever since the appearance of the first chess-playing computers in the 1970s. For digital makers, though, adding a Raspberry Pi into the mix can be the first step to building something a little more exciting. Allow us to introduce you to Joey Meyer‘s chess-playing robot, the Raspberry Turk.
The Raspberry Turk is a robot that can play chess — it’s entirely open-source, based on Raspberry Pi, and inspired by the 18th-century chess-playing machine, the Mechanical Turk.
It uses a Raspberry Pi 3 to drive the Raspberry Turk, while a Raspberry Pi Camera Module handles computer vision.
The Raspberry Turk is controlled by a daemon process that runs a perception/action sequence, and the status updates automatically as the pieces are moved.
The code is written almost entirely in Python. It is all available on Joey’s GitHub repository for the project, together with his notebooks on the project.
The artificial intelligence(AI) backend that gives the robot its chess-playing ability is currently Stockfish, a strong open-source chess engine.
Chess
According to studies done at the University of Memphis, playing, chess significantly improves children’s visual memory, attention span, and spatial-reasoning ability. Enhances reading and math skills.
Chess and other brain games challenge the brain and stimulate the neurons to form connections across the brain. More connections mean that neural communication within the brain becomes faster at an optimal state.
Research
Several studies indicate a positive correlation between being introduced to chess in childhood and performing better in subjects like math and science, as well as showing an enhanced capacity for problem-solving, memory, and language skills, all of which are valuable, and increasingly rare, assets in the job market.
Robotics and Future Jobs
“Robots and automation will take 800 million jobs by 2030.”
The coming decade will be defined by the largest workforce transition in the history of mankind. Millions of jobs will be lost to technology, while millions of new jobs will be created. Perhaps more importantly, the vast majority of remaining jobs will be transformed and applicants with robotics literacy and strong tech skills will have a significant advantage when applying for jobs across virtually all industries.
It’s not just that “we’ll need more roboticists” (although that is true)… ALL our students need to be gaining robotics literacy and stronger STEM skills.
The use of robotics in education has been rising over the past two decades, and according to LEGO, Robotics is a field of study that incorporates engineering and programming to design and build robots that solve problems and help people. In the classroom, robotics is a project-based activity that is motivating and engaging for many students and provides many opportunities for learning.
The benefits of bringing robotics into the classroom include:
Robotics develops soft skills
Soft skills are traits and interpersonal skills that are relevant to all professions. Although these have long been recognised as being important in education, they are challenging to teach and assess.
Robotics education fosters:
- Resilience and perseverance
- Problem-solving skills
- Communication skills
- Teamwork skills
- Independence
- Imagination and creativity
- Planning skills
Although robotics is by no means the only activity that can lay claim to these outcomes, it addresses them well and any robotics teacher or mentor could cite numerous examples of how their students have developed and demonstrated these characteristics.
Robotics can offer your students many possibilities to develop 21st-century skills and to strengthen numerous abilities for their future, whatever future they decide for themselves. In a way, robotics can offer them a new way of thinking that will be useful regardless of the career path they pick.
According to LEGO, the word “robot” Is a humanoid figure with near-human intelligence that can carry out human-like tasks. Building LEGO robotics kits are educational and support problem-solving skills.
Creativity and inspiration should be the goal of any excellent LEGO robot kit. Growing up with robotics kits inspired many kids from the previous generation to dabble and find a career in computer science, so why not open an avenue for children early?
Robotics and Chess
According to Wikipedia, the Turk, also known as the Mechanical Turk or Automaton Chess Player, was a fake chess-playing machine constructed in the late 18th century. From 1770 until its destruction by fire in 1854 it was exhibited by various owners as an automaton, though it was eventually revealed to be an elaborate hoax. Constructed and unveiled in 1770 by Wolfgang von Kempelen (1734–1804) to impress Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, the mechanism appeared to be able to play a strong game of chess against a human opponent, as well as perform the knight’s tour, a puzzle that requires the player to move a knight to occupy every square of a chessboard exactly once.
It was not until the creation of Deep Blue, IBM’s attempt at a computer that could challenge the world’s best players, that interest increased again, and two more books were published: The Turk was used as a personification of Deep Blue in the 2003 documentary Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine.
Robots and Artificial Intelligence
Robotics and artificial intelligence are two related but entirely different fields. Robotics involves the creation of robots to perform tasks without further intervention, while AI is how systems emulate the human mind to make decisions and ‘learn
Robotics is a domain in artificial intelligence that deals with the study of creating intelligent and efficient robots. Artificial intelligence (AI) is arguably the most exciting field in robotics. It’s certainly the most controversial: Everybody agrees that a robot can work in an assembly line, but there’s no consensus on whether a robot can ever be intelligent.
Robotics is a branch of AI, which is composed of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Science for designing, constructing, and application of robots.
Artificial Intelligence and Chess
The game of chess is the longest-studied domain in the history of artificial intelligence. The strongest programs are based on a combination of sophisticated search techniques, domain-specific adaptations, and handcrafted evaluation functions that have been refined by human experts over several decades. By contrast, the AlphaGo Zero program recently achieved superhuman performance in the game of Go by reinforcement learning from self-play.
For humans, chess may take a lifetime to master. But Google DeepMind’s new artificial intelligence program, AlphaZero, can teach itself to conquer the board in a matter of hours.
Building on its past success with the AlphaGo suite — a series of computer programs designed to play the Chinese board game Go — Google boasts that its new AlphaZero achieves a level of “superhuman performance” at not just one board game, but three: Go, chess, and shogi (essentially, Japanese chess). The team of computer scientists and engineers, led by Google’s David Silver, reported its findings in the journal Science.
Google’s new artificial intelligence program, AlphaZero, taught itself to play chess, shogi, and Go in a matter of hours, and outperforms the top-ranking AIs in the gameplay arena.
LEGO Mindstorms NXT Chess Playing Robot
To research and build a fully interactive robot that will play chess on Lego Mindstorms. For example the chess and LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 — Chess-playing robot.
LEGO Iconic 40174 chess set
Build creativity with the best LEGO® chess sets, use the classic LEGO® Iconic 40174 chess set to build your chessboard, and then build all playing pieces too. This set is ideal to take and play with whenever you like, as the pieces store conveniently inside the board. It can also be used to play checkers…
Build LEGO Chessboard for Kids EDU Project — Kenya
Robotics Society of Kenya organized an M Changa online crowdfunding, a LEGO chessboard costs a minimum of USD 55+, which can include shipping costs. Any maker space activity, or a donation from a body
According to the Ministry of Education-Kenya, there are over 18.5M+ learners in our primary and secondary schools. With the population, to increase due to 100% primary intake and transition to secondary schools.
The novel project targets 4+ schools in the county comprising both public and private schools in all 47 counties of Kenya. With a least one donation of a Lego 40174 Iconic Chess Set, Lego Speed Build, to kick-start the Makerspace and STEM activity.
With a target impact of 500+ learners per county and multiplier effect by a product of 47 counties totaling 23,500+, respectively.
The future aim is to impact millions of kids in Kenya and globally with STEAM empowerment activities via innovative STEM, LEGO, Makerspace, coding, chess, and, artificial intelligence, robotics projects, and activities.
Final thoughts
The combinatory chess, robotics, and LEGO brick building in any format, from basic blocks to more complex robotics sets. Foster’s logic, problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity.
Resources
[1.] M Changa.Build LEGO Chessboard for Kids EDU ( https://www.changa.co.ke/fundraiser/54726 )
[2.] Standard.KICD approves Kenya’s first coding syllabus for schools ( https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/education/article/2001443602/kicd-approves-kenyas-first-coding-syllabus-for-schools )
[3.] Star.Chess games now part of CBC ( https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2022-03-24-chess-games-now-part-of-cbc/ )
[4.] YouTube.Lego 40174 Iconic Chess Set Lego Speed Build (https://youtube.com/watch?v=9mnCVlX6syg&feature=share )
[5.] LEGO.Building instructions for 40174, Chess Set ( https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/buildinginstructions/40174 )
[6.] YouTube: Raspberry Pi Jam 2020 (https://youtube.com/watch?v=k9CVk-DbYaA&feature=share )
[7.] Facebook.Robotics Society of Kenya ( https://www.facebook.com/roboticsKE/ )
[8.] Medium. Will a robot take my job?|The Age of A. I ( https://roboticssocietyofkenya.medium.com/will-a-robot-take-my-job-the-age-of-a-i-26bc9aecc024?s=09 )
[9.] Medium. Stay At Home and Play Chess ( https://link.medium.com/lxbTHOK7opb )
[10.] LEGO.How kids learn to code robots and computer programming ( https://www.lego.com/en-gb/categories/coding-for-kids )
[11.] The Borgen Project.3 Benefits of LEGO Education in Africa — The Borgen Project ( https://borgenproject.org/3-benefits-lego-education-africa/ )
[12.]Chess. com. How to Play Chess:7 Steps To Get You Started. ( https://www.chess.com/learn-how-to-play-chess )
[13.] YouTube.How to Play Chess: The Complete Guide for Beginners ( https://youtu.be/NAIQyoPcjNM )
[14.] Chess coach walks from Nairobi to Nakuru to grow chess profile ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXqCdy6q6vA )
[15.] Fractuslearning.Some Surprising Benefits of LEGO ( https://www.fractuslearning.com/some-surprising-benefits-of-lego/ )
[16.] New folks. Does your toddler play with LEGOS? Why they’re so beneficial ( https://www.newfolks.com/inspiration/benefits-of-legos/ )
[17.] TED.Do Schools Kill creativity? ( https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity?language=en )
[18.] ATutor.Benefits of teaching kids to code ( https://atutor.ca/coding-for-kids/ )
[19.] Computer Weekly.How LEGO Education tries to encourage kids into STEM through play-based learning
[20.] LEGO.Build a robot Mindstorms — LEGO
( https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/mindstorms/buildarobot )
[21.] The University of Glasgow.Lego Chess Robot ( https://www.jonathanmatthey.com/img/ESEteamReport04-05.pdf )
[22.] LEGO Mindstorms Chess Robot ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEleUxEEBS0 )
[23.] BBC. Robot automation will ‘take 800 million jobs by 2030’ ( https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42170100 )
[24.] Lichess .Free online chess. ( https://lichess.org/ )
[25.]Tynker. Learning Python for Kids Is an Essential 21st Century Skill ( https://www.tynker.com/blog/articles/ideas-and-tips/learning-python-for-kids-is-an-essential-21st-century-skill/ )
[26.] Lego. Benefits Of Classroom Robotics ( https://community.legoeducation.com/blogs/31/201 )
[27.] Tynker.10 Reasons Kids Should Learn to Code ( https://www.tynker.com/blog/articles/ideas-and-tips/10-reasons-kids-should-learn-to-code/ )
[28.] Raspberry Pie.Coding for kids: Art, games, and animations with our new beginners’ Python path ( https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/coding-for-kids-art-games-animations-beginners-python-programming/ )
[29.] Raspberry Pi.Learn the fundamentals of AI and machine learning with our free online course ( https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/fundamentals-ai-machine-learning-free-online-course/ )
[30.] TeachingPython. Teaching Python Google Colab (https://www.teachingpython.fm/articles/rip-google-colab )
[31.]CodeWizardsHQ.Python for Kids: Best Resources to Learn Python Programming ( https://www.codewizardshq.com/python-for-kids/ )
[32.]Science. How Robots Work (https://science.howstuffworks.com/robot6.htm )
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Note:
To help spread the good news about the Robotics Society of Kenya. You can join the Robotics Society of Kenya, subscribe to our Google Group, call us, and Email us respectively:
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Over to you
Thank you for reading. It has been great fun to dive into Build LEGO Chessboard for Kids EDU Project — Kenya.
And hope you picked one or two tips from this post. I’d love to hear from you and learn from your experience and reflections in the comments section below.
