For many years now, we have competed in the First Lego League tournament which is supported by local engineers who work for CAT engines at Perkins. The children meet every week from as little as once a week to 5 days a week at points from September to February. 

The First Lego League is aimed at encouraging children to work in teams to research a real-world problem such as food safety, recycling, energy, etc.  They are then challenged to develop a solution, design, build and program a robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology, then finally compete on a table-top playing field. 

On the day of the competition, the children take part in tasks where they present to a panel of judges in the following areas:

• research project
• robot design
• core values
• team work
• and of course, the table top challenges which is similar to robot wars! 

Throughout this journey they learn to apply science, technology, engineering, and maths concepts (STEM), plus a big dose of imagination, to solve a problem. Along their discovery journey, they develop critical thinking and team-building skills, basic STEM applications, and even presentation skills, as they must present their solutions with a dash of creativity to judges. They also practice the Program’s signature Core Values.

This year (February 2023) the challenge was called ‘SUPERPOWERED’. The Children spent time researching and learning about different types of energy sources, storage, distribution methods, and ways in which energy is consumed.  Once the research was carried out they then put their superpowered creativity to work to innovate for a better energy future.