March 29, 2024

Future of learning with Lego Challenge

Creativity and science will come together 9 a.m. Dec. 6, at Clarke Community High School for the FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) regional event where teams of 9 to 14 year-olds will demonstrate their problem-solving skills, creative thinking, teamwork, competitive play, sportsmanship and sense of community.

This year’s “FLL WORLD CLASS Challenge calls for teams to research and present their own creative solutions to one of today’s most relevant topics: the future of learning. More than 267,000 children in nearly 80 countries will teach adults about the ways that kids need and want to learn in the 21st century, and will develop their own innovative tools to help others gather knowledge as part of the FLL season Challenge.

The FLL competition is judged in four areas: project presentation; robot performance; technical design and programming of the robot; and teamwork, with a consideration of the FLL Core Values. The highest honor will go to the team that best exemplifies the spirit and values of the program.

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an international program for 9 to 14 year-olds in a partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Group in 1998 to get children excited about science and technology – and teach them valuable career and life skills. U

sing LEGO MINDSTORMS® technologies and LEGO education materials, children work alongside adult mentors to design, build and program autonomous robots and create an innovative solution to a problem as part of their research project. After eight intense weeks, the competition season culminates at high-energy, sports-like tournaments. Like any other organized “sport,” teams also fundraise, create a team identity, and go on field trips.

Currently in its 17th year, FIRST LEGO League anticipates its biggest season ever, with approximately 26,720 teams in more than 80 countries competing in hundreds of Qualifying Tournaments and Championship Tournaments.

This regional tournament is being hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and events across Iowa are sponsored by Iowa State University College of Engineering, Rockwell Collins and John Deere.

This is a free event to spectators and open to everyone. There are 19 teams participating from the following communities: Osceola, Murray, Lamoni, Winterset, Ankeny, Johnston, Truro, Fontanelle, Greenfield, Mount Ayr, Adel, Des Moines and Council Bluffs.

This is an exciting opportunity for our community with more than 300 FLL fans in attendance.

In order for this type of event to run smoothly it takes numerous volunteers from the community to make it possible. If you are interested in volunteering for this event or would like to know more information contact the Clarke County Extension Office at 641-342-3316.

To learn more about FIRST LEGO League and FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.