It will come as a surprise to no one that LEGO builds of all types feature prominently in many an iLEAD Exploration learner’s day. But did you know there is a competitive league for LEGO builders? It’s called FIRST LEGO League (FLL), and its season runs from August to January.
Last school year, two iLEAD Exploration learners, then third grader Katelyn Ewing and then second grader Preston Auyeung, entered the local First LEGO League’s competition with their team called “Starburst Engineers.” The theme of the competition that year was “Masterpiece,” which asked teams to use imagination and innovation to create and communicate art across the globe.
Coached by their moms, this duo was the only team selected out of over a hundred to represent Southern California at the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas, this past April and the two won the FLL Core Values Award. Congratulations, Katelyn and Preston!
Over the course of the FLL season, learners must research, solve, and present solutions to real-world problems. They must also incorporate the six FLL Core Values during their journey: Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork, and Fun.
The Starburst Engineers met one or two times per week to build a LEGO model for the project and to work on coding lessons with specially designed LEGO Education sets: WeDo 2.0 and Spike Essentials—both of which may be purchased with learner funds. Field studies and library visits help the team plan their next moves. Once that’s all complete, the team then builds and programs a model made of LEGO and motors to showcase their ideas at regional festivals and can opt to present their work for judging.
To start your own team, FLL provides a complete walkthrough and provides many helpful ideas and resources. The community is extremely welcoming and very open to helping new members. Another way to get involved is to join an existing team.
This fall, Katelyn, grade 4, and Preston, grade 3, will age up to the next level, called FLL Challenge and join their siblings, iLEAD Exploration 5th graders Annmarie Ewing and Caleb Auyeung, on a team for grades 4-8. FLL Challenge places more emphasis on robotics, and teams design and code a robot to complete missions as part of an extensive game. There is also an innovation project, which asks learners to create an actual product or idea for use in the real world.
Follow the team’s adventures on Instagram @StarburstEngineers.
Resources
To learn more about starting an FLL team, download the Welcome Letter.