Inside Audrey Mangrum’s gifted education class at Kilby Elementary School, the energy is electric. First graders are grouped together, buzzing with excitement as they measure, code, and guide bird-like Finch robots through mazes and around obstacles.

For four weeks, Mangrum’s class explored coding concepts with the help of these small, interactive robots, which are designed to teach computational thinking and computer science to students from kindergarten through college.

“They were very excited at first—they thought they could talk to them, like Alexa,” Mangrum said, laughing.

Instead, she explained, they would be using block-based coding to give the robots instructions—making them move in shapes, navigate mazes, and even dance.

Before the coding began, students learned how to use measuring tape—and what a centimeter is. They also studied directions like north, south, east, and west to help them plan routes and execute commands.

One of their key challenges was getting the robot through a maze using teamwork, trial and error, and step-by-step problem-solving. Students measured distances, adjusted angles, and mapped out each move in advance.

“I really like figuring out the hard stuff—it’s kind of fun for me,” said first grader Ahmad.

Throughout the lessons, students practice perseverance and critical thinking while having a blast.
“I love that I can show it things and make it do what I want it to do!” said Hafiza, another student.

On the final day of the project, students were given free rein to experiment. They coded the robots to play music, spin in circles, and even perform short dances.

“It didn’t feel like a lesson,” said Camilla. “We touched it and made it move around with numbers. If it didn’t work, we tried again until it worked.”

For Mangrum, that’s the goal—hands-on learning that doesn’t feel like work. Her students may be only six or seven years old, but they’re already learning the skills of future engineers, coders and creative problem-solvers.