First Lego League Team

What is the First LEGO League? FLL is a global program created by FIRST and The LEGO Group in 1998 to get kids excited about applying science and technology to real-world problems. The program’s Core Values focus on fostering teamwork, friendly competition, and discovery.

What is the Challenge? Teams: Teams of , composed of boys and girls ages 9 – 14 1)Build an autonomous robot designed to complete themed tasks within a time limit. 2)Analyze, research, and invent a solution for a given assignment. 3)Present and demonstrate their solution for a panel of judges 4)Present FLL Core Values. Objectives: (Completed after 8-10 weeks)

Benefits Teamwork: FLL fosters effective collaboration as members work to complete and modify the team’s robot. Creativity: The FLL Challenge’s tasks are completely open-ended, allowing teams to invent their own unique robotic solutions. Presentation Skills: In addition to solving engineering problems, teams document their process, justify their decisions and demonstrate their innovations to the judges. Real-World Applications: Use technology in the context of real world problems

Expectations Teams often compete for 2 – 3 years before they are competitive. Competition is intense and full of pressure. It is designed to be like a sporting event. Requires dedication to get a satisfying result.

Expectations Last year the team voted to participate in the FLL competition with the goal of learning and having fun. The team was not expecting to win awards. Winning teams spend $5000 and 4 hours per week for 10 weeks. Rarely does an elementary school team win.

Skills Exercised in BB&N Program 1) Defining a problem 2) Researching solutions 3) Documenting progress in a PPT lab book 4) Using modular construction 5) Building mechanical motion mechanisms 6) Building sensors modules 7) Programming 8) Working effectively on a team 9) Planning a complex project 10) Testing for reliability 11) Presenting solutions clearly, concisely and convincingly

FLL Fall Competition Commitment 1.Saturday, December 7, Boston University, 7am – 4pm hours Wed 2:15 – 3:45 through mid-January Optional: 1.Assigned tasks to do at home 1 – 2 hours per week. 2.Team members will be invited to refine their robot in after-school sessions at the Build-It-Yourself Lab in Cambridge before the competition.

The FLL theme this year is, “How can technology help us respond to nature’s fury?” 1.Ask your child to present problem, mission, research, and brainstorm ideas at dinner. 2.Connect them with people who have experience dealing with natural disasters so they can get useful feedback. How can parents help?