The OSD STEM Mechanics course is a pre-STEM Robotics class offered by all OSD middle schools at the 6th grade level as well as ORLA.’s Homeschool Connect program.  The course is based on the the LEGO Simple & Motorized Mechanisms kit and supporting curricula.

Students explore the applied math and science principles underlying simple mechanisms including levers, wheels, pulleys, gears and cams.  The principles are then demonstrated through the construction of increasingly complex machines.  Finally, students are given open-ended challenges that require them to draw upon this new-found understanding to solve design problems.

Advanced portions of the curriculum delve into electric motors and pneumatics, allowing students to create machines that employ energy transformations to accomplish their goals.

As part of the LEGO Smart Schools Grant, STEM Pals has established a matching-grant program to better equip our students with the resources for this course.  To learn more about this opportunity, see the details STEM Pals Funding Need here.