Engineering and Mountain Biking with the YMCA

Spring is most definitely in the air here in Idaho!

Over this past Spring Break, I had the pleasure of teaching an Engineering and Mountain Biking class with the YMCA. The two classes were week-long, team and skill building camps for students aged 5 to 14. Both classes gave me an opportunity to learn new skills and hone my abilities as a teacher and a leader (and also learn a thing or two about Battle Bots!).

In the mornings I worked with a group of eager students on creating Lego Battle Bots. Using a backwards design model approach, we took a look at some professionally made Battle Bots and deconstructed them (theoritically) to find out how they work. Some members of the group had taken the class before, so I promoted them to leadership roles designed in a way to allow them to share their knowledge with us, including which designs worked in the past and the names of various gears.

Throughout the week we learned about gears, inclined planes, pullys, motors, axles, and all the necessary elements for creating a machine. Students participated along the way, applying their newly-gained knowledge at the Lego design and assembly tables, and testing their knowledge in a tug-of-war contest and by participating in various races. The class culminated in a Bot Battle with a NCAA-Tournament-Style bracket, a "Bot Sumo-Wrestling Ring," and a host of camera-ready, eager parents.

The Mountain Bike course was a challege for the spirit and the mind. All week long we experienced inclement weather, and as every trail rider knows, you don't ride on muddy trails. Out of the four days of riding, we spent only one on the trails of Eagle, Idaho's newly created VeloDrome - a public bike trail park outfitted with skill parks and miles of groomed trails. The rest of the time Kevin, another Y instructor, and I showed the students around their bike, discussed bike safety and maintainence, and went on a few bike rides around rural Eagle.

The group kept their chins up the entire time and didn't seem to let the drizzly weather bother them. Out on the two-lane, dead-end roads of Eagle we passed by horses and goats, falcons and fields, all the while enjoying the exercise. One outstanding moment was when one of the girls in our group hopped off her bike to demonstrate her "horse call." Asking the group to watch her as she neared a horse field, she whinnied loud enough to catch the attention of some mares hiding behind some trees some 200 feet in the distance. Sure enough, the sound peaked their interest and they came trotting through the wet field to see what the fuss was all about. All of us were astonished when they reached the wooden fence some five feet in front of us and showered her with praise.