Clubhouse teens in our FIRST Lego League Robotics Club are engaging in experiential and hands-on robotics projects. These are ten members who expressed an extra interest in robotics and joined the after-school club. The team competes in the FIRST Lego League Challenge, which introduces STEM skills to youth ages 9-14 through fun, exciting hands-on learning. Led by our staff and dedicated mentor, Peter, we are excited to highlight their journey this year, from intro courses through competition.
Highlighting the 2024 Season
August: Focusing on the core values of FIRST Lego League—Teamwork, Inclusion, Impact, Innovation, Discovery, and Fun—this month emphasized collaboration and creativity. The group also dove into ocean research for their Innovation Project, inspired by this year’s FLL theme, Submerged, which challenges participants to explore the ocean’s layers and surface innovative ideas.
September: A field trip to the University of Colorado Boulder’s Science Center offered hands-on workshops in robotics. Participants built robots, coded with gyro sensors for precise navigation, and designed Lego attachments to lift, pull, and push objects. It was a day filled with discovery and learning!
October: Creativity took the spotlight as the group brainstormed logos and team names, ultimately choosing “Robo-Rats” after a close vote. They then crafted custom uniforms, using a vinyl cutter and heat press to apply their logo to T-shirts and hats. Innovation came to life with style!
November: Wrapping up preparations for the FLL Qualifier Tournament, the Robo-Rats created a rap about human impact on coral reefs and completed Lego attachments for challenges such as rescuing a baby shark, establishing a coral nursery, and returning a squid to its habitat.
First Lego League Challenge Qualifier Tournament: The Robo-Rats competed in this all-day tournament at the Colorado School of Mines, showcasing their hard work. In the competitive robot challenge, the Robo-Rats played 11th out of 25 teams from across the state. Our team had some of the youngest players at the tournament and we were one of very few first-time teams. We are so proud!
The day consisted of three practice rounds in the morning, and three scored rounds in the afternoon. The Robo-Rats improved their score with each round and supported each other to problem solve when the robot didn't perform as expected. The team also presented a research project about problems with human impact on the coral reef. They proposed their innovative solution in the form of a rap song which they performed to the judges (despite their stage fright). At the end of the day the Robo-Rats said they can't wait for next season, and they would like to continue practicing between seasons during Clubhouse hours.