By Sherri Coner
Although Aarav Agrawal, 17, looks forward to starting his senior year at Center Grove High School, he has also made a commitment toward teaching.
“I offer free classes to kids 9 and older, where I personally teach them all the basics and necessities of robotics,” said the busy son of Vinod and Yogita Agrawal.
Aarav explained that his own exposure to and experiences with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) during his middle school years have enhanced his interest in technology and added great dimension to possible choices as he makes plans for his professional future.
But he also believes that exposure to STEM would have been even more positive had it occurred even earlier in his childhood.
A few months ago, this determined young man decided to do what he could to expose younger kids to STEM.
“I feel really, really strongly about offering these classes to kids,” he said.
Right now, Aarav teaches this cost-free 90-minute class in person in various venues.
During the first class, kids are immediately enthralled by learning how to actually build a robot.
Once that challenge is conquered, Aarav introduces them to the magic of coding.
In class, specific coding efforts taught to younger kids result in the newly built robot playing the drums.
Interested students who don’t live in the area or if the class time conflicts with family schedules, Aarav’s first class is also available online.
A second follow-up class is also now online, focused primarily on helping young students with questions they may have about coding.
“The classes are fun and engaging,” Aarva said. “Introducing robotics at younger ages is very, very important.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education, introducing STEM to young children enhances the development of cognitive skills and logical thought processes.
While learning about coding, they learn to be creative with digital technology.
By learning to resolve technological glitches, children learn to be persistent and focused problem solvers.
Hoping to identify community partnerships so robotics kits can be provided to every student, Aarav is contacting schools as well as homeschooled families and Boys & Girls Clubs, to let them know about these cost-free learning opportunities for kids.
As an engineer, Vinod Agrawl says he fully supports his son’s vision and helps in any way necessary.
“As an engineer I have personally seen the use of robotics increase in the last 10 years,” Vinod said. “What my son is doing is in alignment with that.”
For class information, visit: KidsExploreRobotics.com
