Picture this: A group of 6 to 12-year-olds huddled together, assembling robots from foam boards, salvaged toy parts, and an Arduino card. Now, imagine those same kids sitting around a table, tackling real-world challenges like food waste, sketching ideas, and turning them into working prototypes. This is Al Wourood Club, where play turns into purpose, and curiosity fuels real-world innovation.
Before I get into the full story, I want to mention that this article also serves as a kind of documentation for all the work we’ve done and the joy we’ve shared in Al Wourood Club. Since we don’t have any other record of it online, this piece holds the memories of the great moments we created. I hope it can also inspire others to start similar initiatives in their own communities.
It started with coffee…
In the winter of 2021, over a casual cup of coffee with a friend, we began to reflect on something that was bothering us — our children’s education. We talked about how outdated the system seemed, how much critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork were missing in their day-to-day learning.More than that, I was worried about how much time my kids were spending in front of screens and what it might be doing to their creativity.
We hadn’t planned for what happened next, but by the end of that conversation, we found ourselves with an exciting new idea. What if, instead of passively consuming content, our kids could actually build something? What if we could ignite their curiosity, teaching them critical skills through hands-on fun?
We decided to create a space where our kids could step away from screens and engage with real-world challenges — solving problems, working as a team, and, most importantly, enjoying the process. That conversation, though spontaneous, became the very first “meeting” of Al Wourood Club.
Playful beginnings: Where fun meets learning
At first, the club wasn’t about robotics. We just wanted to foster creativity and teamwork. Every other week, 15 children — our friends’ and neighbors’ kids — would gather, and each event had its own theme. Sometimes, we held our sessions on the roof of a building where we installed artificial grass, other times at my house or Abdelwaheb’s house. For sports events, we met at the playground, and when we needed more space, we rented a coffee shop.
We read parts of books together and played games inspired by the stories. During these games, the kids learned skills like cryptography and decryption principles, logical thinking, creative problem-solving, and even communication and presenting their ideas. Other times, we tackled real-world problems — like the issue of food waste — using design thinking. The kids brainstormed solutions, built prototypes of their ideas, and presented them. And, of course, there were hands-on projects like building a playhouse out of PVC pipes — power tools and all! The kids were developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, but for them, it was all part of the fun.
We kept everything organized using a Trello board, jotting down materials, game rules, and the learning goals for each event. Week by week, we watched the kids grow more confident, more curious, and more excited to be part of something special.
Introducing robotics: Not exactly love at first sight…
Eventually, we decided to give the club a technological twist. Robotics was a natural next step for us. My co-founder, Abdelwaheb, holds a PhD in computer science, and I’m a mechanical engineer. We knew that the future of work lies in STEM, and we wanted to give our kids an early introduction.
“65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist.”
— World Economic Forum
When we first set out to introduce robotics into Al Wourood Club, we ran into a problem: the cost of robotics kits. During our research, we discovered that LEGO kits started at $150, and the more advanced LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kit was around $350. VEX kits were no better, costing $280 for a 2-student set and over $1,700 for a classroom bundle. Worse yet, many kits came with preassembled robots or offered coding simulations without any hardware, which didn’t align with our goal of having the kids design and build their own creations.
As a nonprofit club with very limited resources, we knew we couldn’t afford these high-end kits. But we didn’t let that stop us. Instead, we turned to Arduino UNO kits, which we bought from AliExpress for just $20 each. To complement the kits, we gathered foam boards, straws, sticks, parts from broken toys, servomotors, sensors, and anything else we could find on a budget. Aesthetics weren’t our priority — our focus was on creativity, learning, and problem-solving.
The first sessions? Let’s just say it didn’t go exactly as planned. We started by introducing basic electronics and an Arduino card. We then moved to simple coding. The kids didn’t love it — far from it. To them, it felt boring, geeky, and detached from the fun they were used to. They wanted to play, and this wasn’t “play” as they knew it.
That’s when we had a breakthrough. We decided to stop focusing on coding as an abstract skill and instead ask them, “What toy do you want to build today?” Suddenly, everything changed. Every session, the kids came up with an idea for a toy, and we helped them build it — coding and all. We designed, built, and played with the toys together. And just like that, the club came alive again.
Building robots and memories: The projects that shaped the club
The first project we built together was a pinball machine. The energy in the room was contagious — kids eagerly gathered around, brainstorming how to make the machine work. Even some of the moms joined in, cutting foam boards and helping assemble parts, turning the project into a community effort. By the end of the session, we had a functioning pinball that everyone was proud of. The kids were over the moon, buzzing with excitement as they played with their creation. And, of course, by the time the project was done, they were already asking, “What’s next?”
That “next” was a fighter robot competition. Each team built its own robot. Some were big, others were strong, but only one robot took the trophy. It wasn’t the biggest or the strongest — it had a body filled with water. Smart, right? The kids learned quickly that strategy sometimes beats brute strength.
Other projects followed: a joystick-controlled labyrinth to guide a marble through a maze, a colored night lamp that taught the kids how pixels and screens work by adjusting voltage, and even a racing car challenge down the building’s corridor.
One of the most memorable projects came from a girl who loved music. She said she wanted to build a robot that could play songs. Why not, we thought? After brainstorming, we built a xylophone-playing robot. The kids had to learn music notes and figure out how to get the robot to play their favorite songs. The result was a sweet (and slightly chaotic) robot concert.
The end of a chapter and the hope for more
After three years of fun, laughter, and pure innovation, it was time for me to say goodbye to Al Wourood Club. I was moving from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, to Calgary, Canada, and that meant leaving behind the club that had become such a big part of my life. I don’t know if the club will continue without me — my friend Abdelwaheb might carry it on, or he might find someone to help — but for me, it was the end of a chapter.
But here’s the thing: the lessons I learned and the joy I experienced won’t fade. Al Wourood Club showed me how powerful hands-on learning can be, and how much children can achieve when you combine creativity, problem-solving, and play.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll start something similar here in Calgary. The kids in Dammam built more than robots — they built futures. And I can’t wait to see what the next generation will build, wherever I am.
Final thoughts: A call to action for playful learning
Al Wourood Club may have started as a small idea, but it turned into something much bigger. It’s proof that you don’t need expensive materials or high-tech equipment to inspire kids. All you need is curiosity, a willingness to play, and a belief that children are capable of more than we sometimes give them credit for.
If you’re a parent, a teacher, or anyone who works with kids, I encourage you to think beyond traditional methods and let children lead the way. When we give them space to experiment, fail, and try again, we’re not just teaching them skills — we’re helping them discover the joy of creating something entirely their own.