Dr. E’s Challenges: Meet the Leapers

carlos kitchen wedo
Carlos and his WeDo Kitchen Helper

Dr. E’s Challenges are monthly, open-ended LEGO robotics activities for students around the world. Each month, a new challenge is announced. Students tackle the problem and publish videos and photos of their solutions on the Dr. E’s website. There are two versions of the Dr. E’s Challenges, WeDo and MINDSTORMS.

In general, younger students try the WeDo challenges and older students attempt the MINDSTORMS challenges. Over the years, a number of students have moved from WeDo to MINDSTORMS as they grew older and gained experience with LEGO robotics. Students who have “made the leap” from WeDo to MINDSTORMS are known as The Leapers.

The Leapers are a diverse group, in terms of both age and geography, but they share tenacity, humor, a creative approach to problem solving, and a love of LEGO.

Anika, from New Hampshire, USA, is a terrific explainer, delighting in describing her clever mechanisms and complex programs.

https://youtu.be/mYNbWOMkEwE

Manu, from California, USA, was one of the earliest contributors to Dr. E’s Challenges. He enjoys finding original solutions to the challenges; solutions that are both creative and clever.

https://youtu.be/Hq3hQktNBnE

Malina and Dagmara, from Poland, make a formidable team. They manage to combine whimsy with technical sophistication in their designs.

https://youtu.be/hvpaeM1RTJs

The students of ArcaDroidEx, a robotics club in Spain, are some of the most prolific and funny contributors. They publish their videos in Spanish. During their time at ArcaDroidEx, three of the students have made the transition from WeDo to MINDSTORMS. They are Carlos Enjuto, Mauro, and Daniel.

https://youtu.be/wDtny_Llc3A

For more information or to get involved, visit Dr. E’s WeDo Challenges and Dr. E’s MINDSTORMS Challenges.

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Barbara Bratzel

Barbara Bratzel

Barbara teaches at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts and works at the Center for Engineering and Education Outreach at Tufts University. She is the author of several LEGO robotics activity books for teachers, most recently STEM by Design.
Barbara Bratzel

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