Kidsday: Our trip to RoboFun

RoboFun in Manhattan offers educational workshops for kids of all ages who are interested in robotics. We visited recently and met with Eddie Nazareno, a RoboFun instructor. He showed us how to make a Tank-Bot.

A Tank-Bot is a simple, programmable robot. There are many steps to making this, and the designs seem to be endless. Eddie explained that you can make the robot do almost anything. When he was done explaining the process, he let us make our own robot. This involved a lot of creative thinking on our part, but it was so much fun.

After making robots, we had them battle each other. We were able to make each robot talk, and when it senses it is near a wall, it automatically turns left or right. We had a great time because we got to use two of our favorite things: Legos and robotics.

We met with Laura Allen, CEO of RoboFun. We asked her where they get some of the components for building robots. She told us they are from the Lego Mindstorms building sets. We asked her why this is such a great place for kids, and she summed it up by saying, "The most satisfying thing would have to be that kids can learn while still having fun."

If you have an interest in robots, or even video game designing, you should visit this place. For more, visit RoboFun online at robofun.org. It is at 2672 Broadway, Loft A, Manhattan. Call 212-245-0444.

The sting of exclusion

Many people get excluded from things. If you were excluded from something, you wouldn't like it.

Let's say your friend gets five tickets to see a play. She wants to invite four of her friends. You are one of her friends, but she doesn't pick you. How would you feel? You would probably feel upset and feel like you are not really that person's good friend.

My sister was excluded not too long ago from her friend's party. She heard that everyone got an invitation to her friend's sleepover party, but she didn't get one. I thought maybe her friend could only invite a certain number of people. My sister found out that her friend didn't actually like her. My sister was so upset.

She asked me what she should do. I told her not to fight over it and advised her to talk to the girl about how she felt about the situation. They were able to resolve their problem and go back to being friends.

Unfortunately, sometimes the excluders don't even realize what they are doing. If you have been excluded, it's understandable if you feel upset, but before turning anything into a fight, talk to the person. Do this in private.

Discussing how we feel right when things happen can help us avoid bigger problems down the road. A little communication can go a long way to stop the pain.

-- CHRISTINA REDDY/Kidsday Reporter