Welcome to the LigerBots FLL

Info Session!

Presenter Intros

So, Who Are the LigerBots?

The LigerBots are a Newton North and Newton South combined robotics team.

We compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition

FIRST

FLL

FTC

FRC

FLL

Explore

FLL

Discover

FLL

Challenge

(FIRST Lego League)

(FIRST Tech Challenge)

(FIRST Robotics Competition)

(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)

(Pre-K – 1)

(Grades 2 – 4)

(Grades 4–8)

FIRST LEGO League “Discover”

Grades Pre-K – 1

Learn with hands-on activities, using LEGO® DUPLO® bricks

For children ages 4 – 6, this playful introductory STEM program ignites their natural curiosity and builds their habits of learning with hands-on activities in the classroom and at home using LEGO® DUPLO® bricks.

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Benefits

• Learn STEM fundamentals
• Hands-on learning

FIRST LEGO® League “Explore”

Grades 2 – 4

Learn the fundamentals of engineering using LEGO® bricks, in teams of 2 – 6

In Explore, teams of students ages 6 – 10 focus on the fundamentals of engineering as they explore real-world problems, learn to design and code, and create unique solutions made with LEGO® bricks.

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Benefits

• Understand concepts & building STEM skills
• Develop habits of learning

FIRST LEGO® League “Challenge”

Grades 4 – 8

Teams of 2 – 10 build and program a LEGO® robot and prepare a presentation.

Friendly competition is at the heart of Challenge, as teams of students ages 9+ engage in research, problem solving, coding, and engineering — building and programming a LEGO® Education SPIKE Prime® or LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robot that navigates the missions of a robot game. As part of Challenge, teams also do a research project to identify and solve a real-world problem related to the game theme.

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Benefits

• Understand real-world uses of STEM
• Apply critical thinking skills

General FLL Challenge Team Logistics

• FLL teams have
• 2 adult coaches
• 2-10 students in grades PreK - 8
• Teams can be based in schools, organizations, or homes
• A student can only be on one team, but coaches and mentors can work with multiple teams
• Teams compete in both official and unofficial events

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Costs

Costs are typically divided among team members

Annual Recurring Costs. Total: ~$450

• Registration: $250
• Challenge set: $100
• Event fee for each event: $75 to $125

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One Time Costs. Total: $650

• LEGO Education SPIKE prime robot set: $500 or you can use a EV3 robot if you already have one
• Robot table: one time cost to build 4’ x 8’ table - around $150

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Total first year cost: ~$1100

FLL Challenge Season + Game

This year’s game video

Main Components of FLL Challenge

Robot Game

This is what the game board looks like (4’x8’ Table)

EV3 robot (older model)

SPIKE Prime

(newer model)

https://tinyurl.com/fll-spike-prime

FIRST® Core Values

• We are a team.
• We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.
• We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.
• We honor the spirit of friendly competition.
• What we discover is more important than what we win.
• We share our experiences with others.
• We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do.
• We have FUN!

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What is the Innovation Project?

For FLL Challenge only

• Related to the theme of the competition
• Research real-world problems
• Develop an innovative solution
• Come up with a creative presentation

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Season Schedule

August

• A new game is released
• Lego parts and a field are delivered to each team

September – November

• Teams have 3 months to design and build a robot
• Teams also create a project to help their community
• Parent/teacher coaches provide guidance

November – December

• Teams compete in local competitions

April

• Worldwide competitions are held in Houston and other venues

Student Responsibilities

• Be positive toward everyone
• Be supportive of everyone
• Contribute to the team
• Respect coaches and others
• Do your share of the work - and more
• Know your schedule and manage your time
• Make mistakes and share all ideas
• HAVE FUN

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Parent Responsibilities

• Communicate scheduling conflicts
• Be supportive
• Drop off and pick up on time
• Be involved and motivate your child
• Get involved with the team!
• Treasurer
• Graphics
• Administration (T-shirts, fundraising, snacks, videos, pit management, food, carpool, etc.)
• Help with fundraising or obtaining sponsorships

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Coach Responsibilities

These are coach responsibilities

• Encourage and structure the process, but let the team develop the content
• Ask questions to encourage the team’s thinking and problem solving
• Read and understand the rules
• Keep parents informed
• Balance fun and competition

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These are NOT coach responsibilities

• Build and program the robot
• Do research and design project solutions
• You are NOT a football coach
• Don’t call the plays
• Winning isn’t everything

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So You Want to Start a Team. . . .

• One great way to start a team: friends!
• Talk to other parents in your area!
• Start the registration process on the FIRST website (firstinspires.org) Registration closes when spots are full.
• Use this handy guidebook to help. (https://tinyurl.com/fll-guidebook)
• Teams need to have space for a table
• Reach out to the LigerBots! - fll@ligerbots.org

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Overwhelming? Don’t Worry!

Running an FLL team can be confusing. You CAN be a coach! There are resources.

• LigerBots may run coaching workshops and provide teen assistants to teams.
• FLL coaching manual
• Google is your friend. Every problem has been solved before!
• No programming or mechanical experience? Reach out to us for specific help! fll@ligerbots.org

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Thank you for attending!

Any questions?

fll@ligerbots.org

Forming Teams RIGHT NOW

We’re going to try and form teams RIGHT NOW, while we have everyone in this space.

We’re going to try and split people off based on the following…

• Interested in being on a team?
• Willing to help coach?
• Discover/explore/challenge
• Meeting times? → afternoons, evenings, weekends, etc.
• Location?