Jessica Harvey and Lesli Somerset have been assigned to feed the robot.

That means, according to teacher Megan Ondo, using a robotic arm with a magnetic attachment to drop paper clips into a cleverly disguised pop bottle.

Lesli is working a joystick to maneuver the arm into a pile of paper clips, but not having much luck.

"It's not picking anything up," said Jessica, Lesli's fourth-grade partner at Farrell Area Elementary School and best friend.

"You have to close it," Lesli said.

Jessica hits a button on her joystick that pushes the magnet to the end of a cap, magnetizing the tip. On the next try, a paper clip sticks.

Using skills many children have learned from home video games, Farrell students are combining science, math and technology lessons in the robotics lab.

The district bought the equipment a couple of years ago with a grant, but only opened the lab in November. Students in grades four through six spend 25 minutes once a week in the lab.

Through exercises, games and competitions, they learn about angles, measuring, averages, computer programming and problem solving.

"You can sit in class and learn about angles, but they can actually form angles with the arm," said Ms. Ondo, an instructional aide who also helps second-graders with reading.

The arms can move left and right, up and down, and extend and retract, and the ends can twist. When an arm is equipped with grippers -- it also comes with magnets and shovels -- they open and close.

It takes two joysticks -- and two students -- to work the arms.

"They have to learn to get along and make something work," said Ms. Ondo, who frequently pairs students who do not normally socialize.

When asked what they've learned from using the arms, Lesli and Jessica answer in unison: "Teamwork."

The sixth-graders get to use arms controlled by computers, which they program.

"They caught on so well," Ms. Ondo said of all her students, who scold her if she if she overrotates an arm, causing it to shut down briefly. "I think because of the X-Box and Sega (video games) and stuff, they know how to work the joysticks. I had to go to training and still don't work it as well as they do."

The equipment was made by Goldenrod Research Corp., Spalding, Neb., which also supplies curriculum that meets state standards.

But Ms. Ondo, a graduate of Thiel College, Greenville, has invented ways to use the arms, and students have followed suit. They suggested a competition using magnets, and building pyramids with blocks.

"They love it," said Ms. Ondo, who is certified to teach students kindergarten through eighth-grade. "It's hands-on and they get to create with it. They're not just staring at a blackboard. They can relax."

Ms. Ondo discussed the use of robots in business, and cranes and similar heavy equipment in the construction trades.

While Ms. Ondo has had to stress that the units are not toys, the students have treated them well.

"They catch on so quickly," she said. "I'm having to come up with harder things for them. The things I thought would be hard for them weren't."

Ms. Ondo talks with other teachers to keep her activities in line with their lessons.

"The hardest part of my day is getting the kids to leave here," she said. "If my biggest problem is getting them out the door, then I'm happy."