Registration Closed for 2012 Season

Burroughs LEGO League is underway for 2012, and we are no longer taking registrations.

Check back in the Spring for a link to register for 2013.

Thanks!

Parent Resource for Lego League

First Lego League has a new resources for parents to get more information:


http://firstlegoleague.org/parents

2012 Season Registration Coming Soon!

we'll have the sign up listed here soon.

2012 Theme Announced!

the next Logo League challenge is going to be called "Senior Solutions"

http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2012seniorsolutions

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about Lego League at:

http://www.firstlegoleague.org/ (the international organization)

http://www.hightechkids.org/ (Minnesota’s organization that puts on the tournaments)

Q: How many teams has Burroughs had in the past and when did they meet?

A: In 2011 Burroughs had 4 teams. One met on Tuesdays and Thursdays, two meet on Mondays and Wednesdays, for a total of 3 hours a week. The other team met on Saturdays for 3 hours at a time. In 2012 the meeting times will depend on what the parent coaches can schedule.

Q: What are the teams judged on?

A: At the tournament teams are scored on 4 areas:

1)      Research on their project, this year related to “Senior Soulutions”

2)      Technical Building and Programming of the Lego NXT ‘robot’

3)      How well the ‘robot’ completes any (or all) of the 8 to 10 ‘missions’ at the tournament

4)      Teamwork and respect for each other

Q: What’s required to be a coach?

A; We cannot have Lego League without parent volunteers to coach the teams. It is not necessary to have an engineering or programming background to coach. It IS necessary to be able to work with 5 to 7 9 to 10 year olds and try to keep them on task (makes the engineers degree sound easy, doesn’t it?) There are some great resources for coaches on both the First Lego League and High Tech Kids websites, as well as help and support from some of last year’s Burroughs coaches.

Q: Why do we have to sign up so soon?

A: We need to know who is interested before the fall in order to register our teams and have the materials ready for the release of The Challenge on September 2^nd.

Q: Why limit to 4^th and 5^th Graders?

A: First Lego League has an age limit of 9 to 14 years old. There is a Jr. Lego League that is organized in some states, but Minnesota is not one of them (yet).

Q: How Long is the Season?
A: We start in September and have a 'regional' tournament in December. IF a team does well, they get to go to the State Tournament in January.

Now is the time to sign up for Burroughs Lego League!

FIRST Lego League will be starting its 2012 season in September. At Burroughs the program is open to any fourth or fifth grade boy or girl who is willing to participate in once or twice-weekly practices (about 3 hours total per week) during the season from September-November, as a part of a team. Practices are held in coach’s home or a community location such as the Lynnhurst Community Center. We’re starting registration now so we can register with the national organization and plan coaching needs over the summer.

Lego League is a competitive educational program that combines robot building, computer programming, and learning about science. As part of the challenge, kids work in teams to build and program Lego Mindstorms robots that will perform a variety of assigned tasks. Each team also researches a topic centered on the year’s theme and creates a presentation. The teams participate in regional tournaments where they present their research to judges and compete with their robots in timed runs.

The 2012 theme is SENIOR SOLUTIONS: Independent. Engaged. Connected. Can FIRST® LEGO® League teams improve the quality of life for seniors by helping them continue to be independent, engaged, and connected in their communities?

Thanks to the Burroughs PTA, which provides a significant amount of funding for the program, the cost to participate is kept low ($45-$75 per participant depending upon the number of teams formed).

Lego League at Burroughs is 100% parent run. Therefore, we need parent coaches and assistant coaches. Experience is not necessary. The number of teams Burroughs can field depends on the number of parent volunteers. Teams will be limited to 5-7 members.