First Lego League is a global science and engineering team competition. There are various challenges including designing, building and programming a LEGO Mindstorms robot, researching and presenting on a topic relevant to the competition, which changes each year, and demonstrating 'core values' of teamworking and respect.
The main competition is for 9 - 14 year olds, however this year there will be a Junior section for 6 - 9 year olds.
Run in the UK by the IET, with regional and national finals, this is a superb educational experience for all involved, reflecting many of the skills valued in engineering, including planning, problem solving, programming, teamwork, research, presentation and communication skills.
But before you dive in, a couple of points to think about: to do it properly takes a lot of time and effort from the pupils and their mentors, whether teachers or STEM Ambassadors, and the rules certainly take quite a bit of getting your head around the first time you take part. Also, the kit is not cheap - if your school does not already have LEGO Mindstorm kits, you will need to be sure that the investment will be worth it by putting aside time and energy to use them for FLL and in the classroom.
The main competition is for 9 - 14 year olds, however this year there will be a Junior section for 6 - 9 year olds.
Run in the UK by the IET, with regional and national finals, this is a superb educational experience for all involved, reflecting many of the skills valued in engineering, including planning, problem solving, programming, teamwork, research, presentation and communication skills.
But before you dive in, a couple of points to think about: to do it properly takes a lot of time and effort from the pupils and their mentors, whether teachers or STEM Ambassadors, and the rules certainly take quite a bit of getting your head around the first time you take part. Also, the kit is not cheap - if your school does not already have LEGO Mindstorm kits, you will need to be sure that the investment will be worth it by putting aside time and energy to use them for FLL and in the classroom.
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