San Mateo, California (PRWEB)
Wonder Workshop, creator of award-winning Dash and Dot robots that teach kids 6 and up to code, has opened registration for its second annual international Wonder League Robotics Competition, where children ages 6 - 12 will design solutions to real-world science and technology challenges for a chance to win a $5,000 STEM grant for their school. Teams across the U.S. and around the world, including Australia, Asia, South America, and Europe, have already signed up to compete.
“Coding is the new team sport for future tech leaders and innovators,” said Vikas Gupta, CEO and co-founder of Wonder Workshop. “The goal of the competition is to encourage students to gain exposure and the tools they need to enter the STEM world and get excited about computer science and programming. ”
The official 2016 theme is Animal Habitat Rescue, and teams will develop problem-solving, creativity and teamwork skills while learning about issues facing the world around them. The Robotics Competition is part of Wonder Workshop’s commitment to make STEM more accessible than ever, and the competition’s challenges cover dozens of Math, NGSS, and CSTA standards.
With only 1 in 4 schools in the U.S. currently teaching computer science,* Dash and Dot’s growing presence in over 8,500 schools is helping young students engage with programming concepts in the classroom. The competition also serves as a catalyst for creating more interest in STEM topics for young girls -- last year’s competition saw a 50/50 split between boys and girls in participating teams. Over half of the students from the top 10 teams in the competition were girls.
This year, Wonder Workshop is partnering with a growing number of organizations to provide Training Fields where teams can go to participate even if they do not have their own set of Dash and Dot.
“We are looking for libraries, schools, afterschool programs, and other likeminded organizations to help out this year,” said Gupta. “By working together we can make the competition and computer science a reality for kids all over the world.”
Team registration is open until October 17, 2016. For more information on prizes and to register as a team, coach, or training field, visit https://clubs.makewonder.com/competition/.
About Wonder Workshop
Wonder Workshop was founded in 2012 by Vikas Gupta, Saurabh Gupta and Mikal Greaves, a team of inventors, designers, programmers and parents sharing a mission to make coding a new creative tool that is accessible for children from age six and up. After releasing its award-winning Dash & Dot robots in 2014, and company has since earned endorsements from Bill and Melinda Gates and several industry accolades including Good Housekeeping’s Toy of the Year Award in 2015.
Today, Dash & Dot robots are used in more than 8,500 elementary school classrooms around the world, and are sold in six major retailers in the U.S. and Canada including Apple stores, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Target, Toys R Us and Amazon, in addition to the Wonder Workshop website. Children in more than 37 countries are using Wonder Workshop to ignite curiosity and confidence through play while learning essential 21st century skills. Every fall, Wonder Workshop hosts Wonder League, a worldwide community of clubs inspiring the creators of tomorrow through robotics and coding. Learn more about the San Mateo, CA-based company by visiting https://www.makewonder.com/.