Center for technical creativity Edu Kraft: our history
A little more than six months ago we opened the first design and robotics groups for children from 6 to 11 years old. At that time, we were not yet sure that everything would turn out, that we would like it, and that for us it would become work number one. In just a few months, everything changed, and now we proudly call ourselves the Edu Kraft Technical Creativity Center.
The idea of creating a center originated about two years ago, when insanity came to me on robots and my wife Ekaterina supported me in this, and now we are inspiring our company and have been actively involved in robots. For a couple of months, a quadcopter appeared in our house, the components of which we ordered all over the world. It was a fascinating and dangerous adventure when we tried to launch a quadcopter in our kitchen to participate in the competition from KROK. Then we did not know about the centers in which this could be done. And out of our love for robots, the idea of creating an adult, then a family, and then a children's center of robotics gradually began to be born.
Master classes for adults:
')
Video for the KROK contest:
So, by September 2014 we entered the market with a team, a whole set of courses for children (besides robotics, we had electrical engineering and technical English), and burning eyes. Great support at the start was given to us by the Planet of Joy Children's Center and personally Nadezhda and Alexey Zueva, who sheltered us and even encouraged and encouraged each of the team in every possible way. Our corps found itself in a Stalin high-rise on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment and our friends whistled, saying: “Wow, you are opening, right next to the Kremlin!”
It was a time when jumping into the water, we still did not understand where to go further. It began the time of trial and error, groping his way. At the same time, we started without any investments or grants, everything was done only with our own money. Our teachers-friends with remarkable persistence endured all our ideas and innovations every month. Fortunately, the final consumers - children, it almost did not affect. But inside was just a boiler. So we got homework, diaries, free assemblies, and more, which I will discuss later.
In parallel, we began to actively participate in various city events: first (in the summer) it was the Ball of Robots, then Buy an Elephant, Poster Picnic, Back to the Future, Days of the Future in a Root and Robo-tree. We began to appear and commercial orders.
The first six months flew like a flash. We learned a lot, especially how to communicate with customers, build a line of work with them, how to motivate the staff, what we need and what we do not need. Sometimes it was really hard! Unfortunately, as is often the case, part of the team left for various reasons. However, we were deeply grateful to these people for having the courage and perseverance to go through this first stage with us and not to leave us alone. Well, there were only the strongest, only the most motivated.
For the second half of the year we had a big change. In February 2015, we launched three centers at once in different parts of Moscow. In this regard, we had to abandon electrical engineering, which children loved so much, leave English only for children of the 2nd grade level, and start with one new teacher, and distribute the rest of the load among a small part of the team that remained from the first half of the year.
Not only externally, but also internally. More precisely, we, as leaders. Now we clearly understood who we needed as a teacher, what we lack for the development of the company as a whole ... And the most important thing is that we need to think more and work on the company as a whole, and not go into a routine. The understanding has come, but the hands have not increased. As before, all the work on the company lay on our shoulders. Marketing, promotion, sales, plans, brand, strategy, new products - I think these problems are familiar to every startup. Mostly you have to cope with them yourself, there are no tough finance specialists. And, as before, we managed to get out with all the financial difficulties on our own, but it is possible! They just started to think differently and see opportunities in everything.
But throughout this routine, there were a lot of pleasant moments: burning eyes of children, small victories over themselves and big victories in understanding, a huge flow of creativity, constant movement and change, every day can bring new things, and you are already in constant combat readiness. And this is great.
What is Edward Craft's technical creativity center today?
These are circles: on design (6-8 years) and robotics (9-12 years). In the classroom we use the designers Robotis. We ourselves write lesson plans and methods. Each child has a colorful diary center, in which he receives tests and records information about their projects. Which he does every month on a free assembly - a special lesson where the child comes up with his robot. And sometimes even parents come to this activity. At the same time, we make every free assembly a special holiday. For example, in February we had the theme of “military robots” , and all children were dressed in shoulder straps and caps, and as a gift they were awarded orders for invention.
At the end of the first half of the year, all the children are also waiting for a large in-house contest of creative projects.
And also:
- These are events and workshops
- These are visiting workshops on birthdays
Now we invite to the team of teachers in construction and robotics (or those who only dream of becoming) animators and activists who are ready to participate with us in the formation of the future elite of engineering personnel in Russia.
The idea of creating a center originated about two years ago, when insanity came to me on robots and my wife Ekaterina supported me in this, and now we are inspiring our company and have been actively involved in robots. For a couple of months, a quadcopter appeared in our house, the components of which we ordered all over the world. It was a fascinating and dangerous adventure when we tried to launch a quadcopter in our kitchen to participate in the competition from KROK. Then we did not know about the centers in which this could be done. And out of our love for robots, the idea of creating an adult, then a family, and then a children's center of robotics gradually began to be born.
Master classes for adults:
')
Video for the KROK contest:
So, by September 2014 we entered the market with a team, a whole set of courses for children (besides robotics, we had electrical engineering and technical English), and burning eyes. Great support at the start was given to us by the Planet of Joy Children's Center and personally Nadezhda and Alexey Zueva, who sheltered us and even encouraged and encouraged each of the team in every possible way. Our corps found itself in a Stalin high-rise on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment and our friends whistled, saying: “Wow, you are opening, right next to the Kremlin!”
It was a time when jumping into the water, we still did not understand where to go further. It began the time of trial and error, groping his way. At the same time, we started without any investments or grants, everything was done only with our own money. Our teachers-friends with remarkable persistence endured all our ideas and innovations every month. Fortunately, the final consumers - children, it almost did not affect. But inside was just a boiler. So we got homework, diaries, free assemblies, and more, which I will discuss later.
In parallel, we began to actively participate in various city events: first (in the summer) it was the Ball of Robots, then Buy an Elephant, Poster Picnic, Back to the Future, Days of the Future in a Root and Robo-tree. We began to appear and commercial orders.
The first six months flew like a flash. We learned a lot, especially how to communicate with customers, build a line of work with them, how to motivate the staff, what we need and what we do not need. Sometimes it was really hard! Unfortunately, as is often the case, part of the team left for various reasons. However, we were deeply grateful to these people for having the courage and perseverance to go through this first stage with us and not to leave us alone. Well, there were only the strongest, only the most motivated.
For the second half of the year we had a big change. In February 2015, we launched three centers at once in different parts of Moscow. In this regard, we had to abandon electrical engineering, which children loved so much, leave English only for children of the 2nd grade level, and start with one new teacher, and distribute the rest of the load among a small part of the team that remained from the first half of the year.
Not only externally, but also internally. More precisely, we, as leaders. Now we clearly understood who we needed as a teacher, what we lack for the development of the company as a whole ... And the most important thing is that we need to think more and work on the company as a whole, and not go into a routine. The understanding has come, but the hands have not increased. As before, all the work on the company lay on our shoulders. Marketing, promotion, sales, plans, brand, strategy, new products - I think these problems are familiar to every startup. Mostly you have to cope with them yourself, there are no tough finance specialists. And, as before, we managed to get out with all the financial difficulties on our own, but it is possible! They just started to think differently and see opportunities in everything.
But throughout this routine, there were a lot of pleasant moments: burning eyes of children, small victories over themselves and big victories in understanding, a huge flow of creativity, constant movement and change, every day can bring new things, and you are already in constant combat readiness. And this is great.
What is Edward Craft's technical creativity center today?
These are circles: on design (6-8 years) and robotics (9-12 years). In the classroom we use the designers Robotis. We ourselves write lesson plans and methods. Each child has a colorful diary center, in which he receives tests and records information about their projects. Which he does every month on a free assembly - a special lesson where the child comes up with his robot. And sometimes even parents come to this activity. At the same time, we make every free assembly a special holiday. For example, in February we had the theme of “military robots” , and all children were dressed in shoulder straps and caps, and as a gift they were awarded orders for invention.
At the end of the first half of the year, all the children are also waiting for a large in-house contest of creative projects.
And also:
- These are events and workshops
- These are visiting workshops on birthdays
Now we invite to the team of teachers in construction and robotics (or those who only dream of becoming) animators and activists who are ready to participate with us in the formation of the future elite of engineering personnel in Russia.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/255617/
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