First Lego League Jr.




For the past years we had attempted to run a FIRST Lego League after school club. It was an amazing experience and the kids were really engaged, however, the timing just wasn't right. We met every Monday after school for one hour, all through the first semester of school. By the time we received the challenge kit, we were already about half way through the weeks. That didn't leave much for us to be able to complete all the tasks and be prepared to participate in the competition. So, this year, we switched to running a FIRST Lego League Jr. club instead. This meant another age range of students and another set of skills, but we were willing to give it a shot. Keep reading to see how it went.

The BoomTown Build Challenge

  1. We targeted students in grades 1 and 2.
  2. We formed a team of 6 students.
  3. The kids grouped in pairs.
  4. The kids decided on the name of their team: "Pizza Boogie Party"
  5. Prior to the arrival of the challenge kit, we practiced building with Legos, building the WeDo2.0 robots, and completing programming challenges.
  6. Once the kit was here, we followed it as closely as possible. Sometimes doing two weeks together in one.
  7. The FLL Jr. program can be followed in different ways, depending on the number of sessions available.
  8. This time around, we did find enough time to create the poster and complete the model with the requirements.
  9. We registered to participate in the festival.

Day of the Festival
The kids were eager to participate. Some of them had in fact participated in the previous year. They put on the team's t-shirt and a colorful party hat that stood out amongst all the construction hats all the other teams were wearing. Parents were there too. This was a celebration for all involved! They proudly showcased their hard work to all visitors to their stand. It was a great experience. At the end, the Pizza Boogie Party boys received the recognition for "Innovative construction". I'm not surprised. They incorporated an automatic sliding door to their project, besides having an elevator for accessibility.



Here's an article that was published in our school's newsletter announcing our team's participation.

Cheers!


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