Why Free Building is an Essential Component of First Lego League Robotics

Free building is an integral part of our robotic practices. It's simple - students use spare parts {from our EV3 core and expansion sets} to build something new and experiment.  

Batmobile inspired? Either way, the blue pieces mimic engine flames...

Range of motion for the middle wheels increased through mechanics

In the beginning, students can view the robot as an entire entity. But really, it's just a motor and sensors held together with spare parts. Attachments are just spare parts. Learning how these spare parts work together can be intimidating, especially for those new to robotics. 

Free building is stress-free way to get creative, build confidence, and learn how parts work together.

During our first season, no one wanted to break the robot or make mechanical changes. They worried any mechanical modifications would cause a setback. What if changes don't help, but hurt? 

By experimenting off the robot, with spare parts only, all the stress of breaking the robot is gone. This season is a marked difference. My daughter built this Tankbot using Lego instructions. 

When other teammates tested it's capabilities, they WANTED to make modifications. And did! Can you spot the changes?

Seeing the thought process evolve is awesome! Now they can pinpoint areas to improve performance and aren't afraid to test and change. This is a huge leap forward.

Encourage free building. It's an invaluable part of the learning process.

EV3 Newbie Building Tips/ First Lego League

New to EV3 bot building? Follow these tips: 

Tip 1: Organize all your pieces! I know...it's not exciting. But organizing and sorting totally sets you up for success. When you receive your EV3 bins, everything will be packaged in separate little bags. Empty all those little pieces and sort by color and size. Or else it will be pretty impossible to find what you need!!!

Organizing for Tankbot building session

Tip 2: Save paper and use a laptop or tablet to scroll through the instructions online. Seriously, there are tons of pages of instructions! Bonus: you'll save all the color ink in your printer :)

Tip 3: Bookmark these building instructions: EV3 Core Set Bots and EV3 Expansion Set Bots.

Tip 4: Double check you have the right pieces before each step. Many pieces have VERY MINOR differences. It's easy to select the wrong part and not even realize it. Of course, kids will realize if they make a mistake further down the road when things don't connect correctly! 

Double checking parts every step - super important!

Tip 5: Take breaks and don't worry if you don't finish a bot the same day you start. Building is fun, but also tedious. Be happy about your progress! Keep it fun and encourage breaks.

Stopping point after an hour of building

Tip 6: Create a checklist for builders. At every session, I give M (or our team) a checklist. On the checklist is setup, putting away unused pieces in organized compartments, general work space cleanup, and charging responsibilities. 

Get kids in the habit of setting up, cleaning up, and charging. You won't lose important pieces or have a dead bot. Don't do these things for them - they need to learn to take proper care of their bots! 

First Lego League/ What Is It Really Like?

Your child LOVES Lego bricks and building. Is First Lego League right for them? Are they ready to jump into robotics?

Madeline and I have now completed our first season (me as coach, her as team member). Like any awesome program, it requires a serious commitment. Preparation is essential. 'Winging it' is not an option. Season details are released in late August and qualifier competitions begin in early December.

As a homeschool team, we elected to meet once weekly for two hours. School teams often meet more frequently because the kids are already at school. Our team members reside in different areas of Dallas and have different homeschooling schedules, so meeting more than once a week wasn't feasible for us.

What I did not predict was the intensity and how challenged the kids would be. Or how incredible the kids felt as they began seeing the robot complete missions!

Plus, who doesn't love robots? 

EV3 Competition Robot - Monkey Bot 1

THE ROBOT GAME
No doubt the robots are cool! Not only did Madeline's team have to come up with a solution to solve each mission module, the team had to choose a game strategy.

Choose missions far away or close to base? Attempt multiple missions in one programming block or a single mission? Change out specialty attachments or design an attachment to do multiple tasks?

After critically thinking about point values, students start to work programming and designing attachments. It's all about math - angles and decimal values! And lots of trial and error to fine tune programs.

With only 2:30 (two minutes, thirty seconds) to run programs and earn points, the pressure is on!

Getting ready for the robot game.

View from the stands.
Each team competes in three robot games and is ranked according to their top score.

At Super Qualifier, we were in the top 10 through 2 rounds of the robot game.
We finished a proud 11th with a score of 150 points.

Cheering from the stands!

ROBOT DESIGN
Teams present their game strategy, robot/attachment design, and programming for judging.

THE COMMUNITY PROJECT
Each season, a themed community challenge/problem is issued. Teams research the topic thoroughly and develop an innovative solution. But that's only the first part.

The second part is sharing your solution! Teams create a presentation to showcase their solution - then share with both their local community (prior to competition) and the judges (at competition).

CORE VALUES

Raising the trophy as the Core Values Winner at qualifier.

The motto of FLL is to have fun! That also means being a good sport. Teams are encouraged to share information, make friends, and act as professional colleagues.

What you learn is more important that what you win. It's a positive, supportive environment!

Teamwork is key. During Core Values judging, teams show how they work together. Respect, cooperation, and gracious professionalism are evaluated.

In addition to the closed doors judging session, judges assess how teams interact with one another in the pit (area where teams wait between rounds) and in other public areas.

This Batman-uniformed team was super nice and qualified for regionals. Way to go!

Having something to trade, like pins, is a great icebreaker.

Games/Lego bricks help the team pass time between rounds + they can play with other teams.

Our first year experience was overwhelmingly positive! There is a huge learning curve and we were lucky to have the guidance of a fifth year team. We met at a small scrimmage and they were so kind to take us under their wing ;)

Though we didn't qualify for regionals, two of the teams we scrimmaged with did qualify. We are thrilled for them and plan to cheer them on during their robot game. In Dallas, the regional championship is February 14th at Parish Episcopal.

Interested in participating next season? Check the US First website to see where your local FLL regional championship will be held for a sneak peek. The robot game is open to the public. Judging sessions are closed door, only team members are admitted.