Nova Scotia is expanding a program that uses Lego and robots to teach school children about math and sciences.

The Acadia University Robot Programming Competition requires school teams to create robots capable of navigating an obstacle course.

'It's a way to get them to do it without realizing they are learning math skills.'—Shelley Tulloch

It's called a "sport of the mind" and the provincial government is contributing $250,000 to support competitions for another five years.

"It’s encouraging young people to get involved with technology at a young age," said Marilyn More, minister for advanced education.

About 300 students have participated in the program each year since 2007.

Hopes to expand program

Daniel Silver, the director of Acadia's Jodrey School of Computer Science, welcomed the funding. "Our ultimate goal here is hopefully to engage as many children as we can in the province, so it's not 300 or 400 kids, it's 30,000 or 40,000," he said.

The robots are built from hundreds of Lego pieces, a controller and a manual. The robot must then complete an obstacle course in two minutes.

Educators describe it as a fun way to learn about math, physics and computer science.

Grade six teacher Shelley Tulloch said she can infuse the curriculum in a way that gets children excited.

"This is a way to get them to do it without them realizing they are learning math skills," she said.

Corporate sponsor Michelin Canada said the competitions help build tomorrow's workforce.

"It's having fun using technology. They become the scientists and engineers for us in the future," said Dennis Langille, senior project manager for Michelin Canada.