First Lego League What Is It? Why Your Kid Needs It!

FLLJr, FLL, FTC. Maybe you have heard these acronyms before, or, like most of us, you probably haven't. FLL stands for First Lego League, a sports league dedicated to furnishing the worlds top engineers, scientists and inventors. The League was started by Dean Kamen, who, get this, invented the automatic syringe and the segway! Don't get it twisted though, Dean Kamen is serious about First Lego League, He has been hosting FLL tourneys for over 30 years and counting, and produces testimony after testimony of young people rising out from mediocrity and becoming the next shooting star!

Do they have this for adults?

Check out this in-depth video on FLL

Now, to CLARIFY, your little student will be so happy you enrolled them in FLLJr on through FLL and First Tech Challenge. Even if they do not become the next Tesla they will learn life skills they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. FLL operates on its CORE VALUES

Core Values listed below.

Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas.

Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.

Impact: We apply what we learn to improve our world.

Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences.

Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together.

At Building Steam we recognize the importance of these Core Values and make sure that every camp, class or social activity we put on focuses on at least one of these core values.

We host two FLL teams in Brentwood. One FLLJr team ages 6-10 and one FLL team ages 10-16. Here's what you need to know: FLL is a non-profit, meaning it is run solely by volunteers, your coaches do not get paid! With this being said, it is imperative that parents and guardians involve themselves in their students FLL season, from signing up as a team mentor, to administration, to finding ways to collect donations to fund their team flying off to Australia! Their is a level of commitment that rivals any sports team your child may be a part of.

FLL seasons run about 12 weeks! Please note that you must be able to dedicate your time to these 12 weeks, if students don't show up, a lot of work does not get completed, so think of it as your kid just got hired by NASA and this is their full time job! It's that serious!

FLL has three main components that are Judged! The 12 weeks ahead of your student will be intense. As mentors, you will help your student build and program a robot that will traverse a 4x8 foot mat full of obstacles it must complete in 2 minutes and 30 seconds! As well as research a problem and work with their peers to come up with a solution for said problem! And last but not least, your student will present their knowledge of the core values to the judges. Oh did I not mention? every component is judged and scored!

FLLJr is non-competitive meaning that your 6-9 year old is not expected to produce the next needle less EpiPen! Please note, your 6-10 year old will be expected to build a large scale model and poster board for an expo with all of their peers, meaning that you will be doing some travel and practice with your student!

I will say this, as a coach i have learned so much from our students, and witnessed their curiosity turning into tangible solutions! I am no Dean Kamen by far! I work as a Film Grip on major motion pictures, but I am still able to give my time and attention to seeing your students succeed! Now what will you do?

If you would like more info on our upcoming FLL please use the contact page on our website or email buildingsteamnow@gmail.com