MIDDLEBURY — Do your 9-14-year-old kids want to build robots tor tabletop competitions while also learning about how to solve real problems facing the world today? A new group is forming to enable those youngsters.
There will be an informational meeting for the newly formed the FIRST Lego League, Middlebury/Addison County Team this coming Thursday, Sept. 20.
Guided by adult coaches, teams in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League research a real-world problem such as food safety, recycling, energy, etc., and are challenged to develop a solution. They also must design, build and program a robot using LEGO Mindstorms technology, then compete on a tabletop playing field.
It all adds up to tons of fun while participants learn to apply science, technology, engineering, and math concepts (STEM) — plus a big dose of imagination — to solve a problem. Along their journey, they develop critical thinking and team-building skills, basic STEM applications, and presentation skills, as they present their solutions to judges.
The Thursday organizational meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center, second floor, Room 208; youngsters age 9 to 14 and their parents are encouraged to attend. Interested parties can look at the program details at firstlegoleague.org/about-fll.
There will be an informational video/YouTube shown to help in answering questions and provoke more discussion. At the meeting sponsors are trying to gauge the level of interest to determine how many individuals are interested in being involved.
They will also be looking for additional sponsors, adult volunteers and ideas to create a fun learning community. So come help support our future engineers and technicians as they develop problem-solving skills and learn in the FIRST Lego League, Middlebury/Addison County Team.
The FIRST Lego League, Middlebury/Addison County Team is being formed under the auspices of Ilsley Public Library with the support and use of space at the Hannaford Career Center along with local sponsors Mechanical Advantage LLC and X_University. STEM is a vital part of education and what better way to get involved at an early age than with community support and robots. Tomorrow’s innovators practice imaginative thinking and teamwork.