Washougal elementary students use robot blocks in Coding Club

Washougal — Columbia River Gorge Elementary School students in the after-school Coding Club have been playing with robot blocks as a way to increase their skills in critical thinking, programming and problem solving. “Cubelets are individual robot blocks designed to snap together with magnets,” Sydney Termini, Coding Club co-instructor, said in a release from the district. “The blocks can be combined in a variety of ways to construct robots with different behaviors.” There are between 30-35 club members ranging from first- to fifth-graders attending the weekly meetings, where students typically work in small groups to foster collaboration. Rachael Ries, branch manager for Fort Vancouver Regional Library’s Washougal location, attends meetings about once a month to bring new challenges for students. She brought them the robot blocks.