On the 12th January 2018, IbnSina Mindcrafters ran its curriculum for first time outside of the Islamic Center of New Mexico (ICNM), in the Boys and Girls Club of Central New Mexico (BGCCNM) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 12 children attended the first session of the 13 Beginners curriculum. The first 7 weeks were dedicated to building the EV3rstorm robot and the final 6 weeks for the Robo-Olympics challenge.
For the first 7 weeks the attendance was between 8-10 students each session. Before the challenge portion began a number of students decided to drop out and only 5 students remained, 3 girls and 2 boys. It was decided that a single team would be formed and they called themselves Gizmos and Gadgets. The group was taught by Stephanie Bouchey, Rashad Hussain and Nicholas Leathe and was supported by Daniel Payan from the BGCCNM.
For the 2018 Robo-Olympics events where split into two categories. Category A events were: Shotput, 800M and Slalom, Category B events were: Maze, Hide & Seek and Writing. The Hide & Seek event was new for the 2018 and replaced the maze. The steeplechase was updated so that the teams selected the color of the brick to be transported and included a home base area where teams could interact with their robot.
Gizmo and Gadgets had to attempt a minimum of two Category A events and one Category B event. They could try more events but their final score was there total score from each event divided by three. Time limits were applied for all events and events had a different number of maximum attempts.
A further element was added for the 2018 Robo-Olympics, teams were randomly assigned a number of 1, 2 or 3. The teams then chose from a bag of extra components that contained: Set of large wheels, set of medium wheels, touch sensor, color sensor, medium motor and large motor. The order of selection was determined by the number assigned and went Team1, 2, 3, 3, 2 and then 1. Having additional components would allow teams to build different robots and also accomplish events in a different way. Because only one team was competing from the BGCCNM the team got to select any two extra components and decided on using the color sensor and large motor.
Gizmos and Gadgets decided to use the base of the Track3r for their robot and added two color sensors to it. They decided to do the Steeplechase for their Type B event and so built the claw from the Track3r. They also decided to do all 3 Category A events.
On the 7th April 2018 the third Robo-Olympics was held. The Gizmos and Gadgets competed against three teams from ICNM: Fire Dragons, Robo Buddies and White Wolves. The 3rd Robo-Olympics was held at the Boys and Girls Club of Central New Mexico (BGCCNM). The day did not start well for the White Wolves who dropped and broke their robot as they walked towards their first event. They recovered well to post the highest score for the Steeplechasee. The Fire Dragons left it late to post a solid score in the 800M and the Shotput. The Robo Buddies struggled with their events but did manage to get a good score for the Shotput. The stand out team were the Gizmo and Gadgets, they achieved the highest score for the 800M, Slalom and Shotput and the second best score for the Steeplechase
Scores for the 2018 Robo-Olympics
| Team | Event | Total Score | Final Score | ||||
| 800M | Slalom | Shotput | Steeplechase | Hide & Seek | |||
| Gizmos & Gadgets | 255 | 227 | 257 | 111 | 850 | 283.3333 | |
| Fire Dragons | 250 | 234 | 30 | 514 | 171.3333 | ||
| White Wolves | 10 | 10 | 201 | 182 | 403 | 134.3333 | |
| Robo Buddies | 190 | 125 | 25 | 340 | 113.3333 | ||
Team Gizmos and Gadgets were the winners of the 2018 Robo-Olympics, with the Fire Dragons coming in second place. The 1ST and 2nd place awards for the 2018 Robo-Olympics were presented by the 2017-2018 New Mexico FIRST Lego League (FLL) Regional Champions, HOT Squads. This team won the champions award for the state of New Mexico and were kind enough to present to the children about their experience in the FLL competition.
IbnSina Mindcrafters places a strong emphasis on promoting and rewarding good behavior during the course and the competition. Children are taught to compete in the spirit of friendly competition, to be respectful and helpful to other children and the instructors. The winner of the 2018 behavior award was Rubina from team White Wolves. The behavior award was presented by Carol Pierce, Director of Family and Community Services, City of Albuquerque.
