What in the world is FIRST LEGO League?

FIRST LEGO League

FIRST LEGO League

FIRST LEGO League, or FLL is all over the world! According to the website, www.firstlegoleague.org, at FLL, “tomorrow’s innovators practice imaginative thinking and teamwork. Guided by adult Coaches, FIRST LEGO League teams research a real-world problem such as food safety, recycling, energy, etc., and are challenged to develop a solution. They also must design, build, program a robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology, then compete on a table-top playing field. It all adds up to tons of fun while they learn to apply science, technology, engineering, and math concepts (STEM), plus a big dose of imagination, to solve a problem. Along their discovery journey, they develop critical thinking and team-building skills, basic STEM applications, and even presentation skills, as they must present their solutions with a dash of creativity to judges. They also practice the Program’s signature Core Values.” All of the coaches and mentors for the FLL teams complete two background screenings and basic training in FLL and the yearly challenge.

In Mahaska County, 4-H oversees five FLL teams with members ranging from 4th-7th grade. FLL teams are always connected to some kind of entity, like 4-H youth development, a local church, school, or other youth group. The OskyBots and Rovers are the two longest-standing teams and three teams from the Oskaloosa Christian School are being formed; GearHedz 1, 2, & 3. Teams meet for several months to gain the aforementioned skills. They put in well over 50 hours of time for building, programming, researching, and rehearsing. Many teams compete at a Regional Qualifying event. The OskyBots took part in the Indian Hills event in Ottumwa on December 5 and The Rovers took part in the Science Center of Iowa event in Des Moines on December 12. Both teams represented Mahaska County and 4-H very well.

FIRST LEGO League

FIRST LEGO League

The OskyBots took home a first place trophy for their Robot Design and have advanced onto the State FLL Competition at Iowa State University in Ames on January 17. The Rovers finished with the 7th highest score out of 26 teams at their competition in Des Moines and their season has wrapped up.

The FLL participants enjoy being part of a team. FLL teams do not exceed 10 members, so the participants end up becoming close with their teammates and coaches. “I have gained skills in problem solving and teamwork. I have fun and have made new friends through FLL”, said OskyBots Team Member, Levi Van Donselaar. According to another OskyBots Team Member, Aden Scott, “FLL has taught me that failing is OK and can lead to an even greater success, as long as you don’t give up. We learn about Core Values all while having fun and making good friends.”

New teams will form at the end of August, so be on the lookout for information about FLL at the end of summer 2016. In the meantime, check out www.firstlegoleague.org to learn more about this program and past challenges. Anyone in Kindergarten-3rd grade with an interest in Lego building, basic robotics, and research is encouraged to take part in Jr. FIRST LEGO League, which will start in January. To learn more about Jr. FLL, please call 673-5841 or email vermeerA@iastate.edu. We are in the process of finding new coaches and creating a meeting schedule for the teams.

Posted by on Dec 15 2015. Filed under Clubs and Organizations, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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