FIRST Lego
League Challenge
Overview
Grades: 4 - 8
Location: Storrs, Connecticut (specific location is based on which team you sign-up for)
Meeting Times: See Individual Team
Start Date: August 24th
End Date: December 14th
Cost: $100/ student
Friendly competition is at the heart of FLL Challenge, as teams of students engage in research, problem-solving, coding, and engineering – building and programming a LEGO robot that navigates the missions of a robot game. As part of FLL Challenge, teams also participate in a research project to identify and solve a relevant real-world problem. There are 3 main components of the FIRST LEGO League Challenge Program:
The Robot: Students will build and program a robot using Spike Prime technology to complete missions on a field. The video to the right describes the 2023 game field and missions that students created their robots to complete.
The Innovation Project: Completely separate from the robot, students are given a yearly theme. They are then challenged to identify a problem in that field, develop a solution to that problem, and present their research to a panel of judges. As a part of this project, students will meet with industry experts and complete research. The video to the right describes an example of the 2021 innovation project.
The Core Values: Through the program design and implementation, the core values of FIRST are embedded in everything the students do.
The student's experience culminates with an end-of-the-year competition where they'll compete with over 20 teams from around the state. A select few teams will then be invited to the Connecticut State Championship.
Here are some findings from the program:
2024-2025 Program
The registration period will last from May 20th - August 20th, 2024. For the 2024-2025 season, we are running 6 teams in the Storrs area- you can see details below. In the meantime, feel free to join our email list to be notified as soon as the registration period opens.
Program 1
Lead Mentor: Joey Macary
2 teams at this location
Storrs Congregational Church
Tuesday and Friday Meetings from 5:00-8:00
Program 2
Lead Mentor: Alron D'Mello
2 teams at this location
Storrs Congregational Church
Mondays and Wednesdays Meetings from 5:30-8:00
Program 3
Lead Mentors: Maria Garbin and Laxmi Vobbineni
2 teams at this location
Ratcliffe Hicks (UConn)
Mondays and Friday Meetings from 5:30-8:00
Question and Answer
For any questions not answered below, please contact ymacary@tcrobotics.org.
Is there any costs associated with the program?
Yes, there is a $100 cost for registration. This helps us cover entry fees, materials, etc. This includes lunch at the competition but does not include team apparel and shirt.
Are parents required to stay for the duration of the program?
No, parents are not required but are more than welcome to stay for the duration of the program. Parents are encouraged to help their child in any way they can. Some parents even become mentors, and if you're interested please email ymacary@tcrobotics.org. No experience is needed to mentor or contribute to the program, there are plenty of ways for parents to help out!
How long is the program?
The program is from late August to mid-December. Students meet 5-6 hrs/week.
How do you communicate with parents?
We utilize Remind, a communication platform that allows us to send out messages to all parents of students in our programs, and parents to individually contact mentors. Information on how to join can be found when you sign up.
Do students need to be from Storrs or Mansfield to participate in the program?
No, there is no residency requirement for any of our programs.
Do I have to attend every single session?
In this program, students commit to a team. As such we expect students to attend every session. We understand that illness and other issues may arise, but we hope that every family that signs up commits to the program.
Will students work in a team?
Yes, students will be working in teams of 6-9 students for the duration of the season.
Who will be running the program?
The program is run by mentors of the Tolland County Robotics Foundation who receive training and go through a background check. Some of these mentors are parents, college students, or alumni of the FIRST Robotics program.
Is there a competition at the end of the season?
Yes, at the end of the season, students attend an end-of-the-year competition where they will compete against teams from all over the state. This competition will be towards the end of November. Teams that do well may be selected to move on to the state championship, which will be held in mid-December.
What is the next program after FIRST Lego League Challenge?
After students become too old for FIRST Lego League Challenge, they can participate in the FIRST Tech Challenge. Please visit that page of our site for more information.
What if the team makes it to the state championship?
If the team advances to the state championship, they will continue to meet after their first competition until their second competition (the state championship), which is held at Glastonbury High School.
Why is there a non-technical aspect of the program (the Innovation Challenge)?
While the innovation challenge doesn't always involve hard STEM skills, it is an incredible way for students to learn real-world skills that set them up for success. This part of the program helps students develop critical thinking, presentation skills, research skills, creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving. Most importantly, the innovation project helps demonstrate to the students how science and technology can be used to improve the world.