Iowa 4-H offers First Lego League (FLL) robotics programs for youth ages 9-14. FLL teams of 10 members meet weekly to program a Lego robot to complete tasks and identify a community project. They participate in regional competitions in December. The competitions involve robot performance, a project presentation, teamwork interviews, and technical interviews. 4-H and FLL align in developing youth leadership, citizenship, and communication skills. Experiential learning through hands-on activities and reflection is emphasized.

1. Iowa 4-H Youth Development
and 4-H Robotics

2. What is FLL?
Who can join 4-H First Lego League?
youth 9-14 years old are eligible and all applicants will be
considered for the 10 member teams that will be
selected in each community.
What will they do?: They will learn teamwork and then work on
programming a Lego MINSTORM NXT Robot to complete specific tasks on
an 8 foot by 4 foot challenge field. They will also identify a community
project and plan a presentation that they will share with Community Leaders
based on a creative approach to a solution on the years theme. These
teams will participate as an Iowa First Lego League Team in a Western
Iowa Regional Competition in December.

3. What is FLL?
Teams will meet once or twice weekly to prepare their team
project and presentation and learn to program their robot
for completing the challenges that their robot must
complete in the 2 1/2 minute rounds of competition .
As you approach the competition, it is critical that your
team use the FIRST Lego League Core Values----
especially, “What we discover is more important than
what we win” and “We are a Team.” The FIRST Lego
League Core Values

4. What are the FLL Core Values?
The FIRST Lego League Core Values are extremely
valuable to a team and should be reviewed at the
beginning of each meeting just to set the stage for how
you desire for the team to work as they approach
working together. Using these values and sharing them
during competition is also very important for the judges
to know that the team works hard on keeping these core
values as they work together.

5. What are the FLL Core Values?
FIRST Lego League CORE Values:
• We are a Team.
• We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our
coaches and mentors.
• We honor the spirit of friendly competition.
• What we discover is more important than what we win.
• We share our experiences with others.
• We display gracious professionalism in everything we do.
• We Have Fun!

6. FLL Events consist of 4 parts
1. Robotics Competition---the team will program their
robot and build attachments for their robot to complete
as many missions as possible on the Challenge Field in
the 2 1/2 minute rounds. They will have three rounds
scheduled throughout the day of competition.
2. Project Presentation---the team will research a possible
solution to applying the years theme (Senior Solutions, 2012) to
their community. They will then choose a creative solution to a
problem or application of the theme that could be carried out in
their community. They will prepare a 5 minute presentation on
their creative project and share with at least two community leader
groups before the FLL Event. They will conduct their 5 minute
presentation in the FLL Event..

7. FLL Events consist of 4 parts
3. Teamwork Interview--the team will be required to
complete a task as a team which wil be revealed to them at the
beginning of the interview. The judges will observe how well the
team works together and will interview them following the
completion of the task as to how the members have worked
together during the season as a team.
4. Technical Interview--The team will bring their robot and
attachments and run a few completed missions on the Challenge
board for the judges. The judges will interview them on their
design of the robot and ask questions about the programming of
the robot. The important element is to share how they overcame
difficulties and to share their creative solutions to accomplishing
the missions in their building and programming of the robot.

8. Why do 4-H and FIRST
LEGO League fit so well together?
• Our goal in 4-H is to help young people
develop skills in leadership, communication
and citizenship.
• In FIRST Lego League, youth interact as a team to
research and come up with a creative solution to an
issue or problem in their community based on the FLL
Yearly Theme and they communicate that creative
solution with community leaders.

9. Why do 4-H and FIRST
LEGO League fit so well together?
• Our goal in 4-H is to help young people
develop skills in leadership, communication
and citizenship.
• As a team they will develop leadership skills as some
of the team may emerge as leaders in the robot
programming or building, some in research, others in
how they communicate their creative solution to
community leaders.

10. Why do 4-H and FIRST
LEGO League fit so well together?
• So you can see that our missions match in the
desire to build leadership, citizenship and
communication skills in young people.
• We also have youth involved in 4-H FIRST
Lego League Clubs that may not have
considered joining 4-H before which is helping
us to touch more youth lives with the strength
of 4-H in our communities

11. To Be Successful You Need
To Know:
About 4-H
About Kids
The Subject
How to teach

12. 4-H 101
What makes 4-H so effective in
helping youth grow and develop?

13. Iowa 4-H Mission
4-H empowers youth to
reach their full potential
working and learning in
partnership with caring
adults
It’s about Positive Youth Development

14. Positive Youth Development
Positive youth development helps
young people become competent,
caring, capable, confident, connected
and contributing through a
series of progressive learning
experiences with caring adults

15. 4-H is a community of
young people
across America who are
learning leadership, citizenship and
life skills.

16. The 4-H Pledge
"I Pledge my Head to clearer thinking,
my Heart to greater loyalty,
my Hands to larger service,
and my Health to better living,
for my club, my community, my country, and my
world."
The pledge tells what 4-H is all about. 4-H has as its goal the four-fold development of
youth: Head, Heart, Hands and Health. The pledge was adopted by the delegates to
the 1927 National 4-H Club Camp in Washington, DC. State club leaders voted for and
adopted the pledge for universal use. The phrase "and my world" was added in 1973.
The saying of the pledge has prominent place in 4-H activities at regular 4-H meetings,
achievement days, and other club events.

18. Positive Youth Development
=Meeting the Needs of Youth
 Belonging
 Mastery
 Independence
 Generosity

19. What are these 4 basic needs
of Youth?
Belonging—
Finding that you have things in
common with others and you are
accepted and made to feel part of
the group
Mastery — Encouraged to try new
experiences and find out what
things you are good at

20. What are these 4 basic needs of Youth?
Independence—
Giving youth a choice in what they will
do and a voice in where the group is
headed
Generosity— When youth belong, feel
that they have skills they have
accomplished and are given choices,
youth will choose to share with others
of their knowledge time and skills
We need to provide them with a
chance to give back

21. What are the Essential Elements of
a great 4-H Experience?
A Caring Adult An Inclusive
A Safe Environment environment
Opportunity to develop Opportunity to see
Mastery oneself as an active
Opportunities to help participant in the
others “Service” future
Opportunities to make Opportunities to be
decisions or Self Engaged in
Determination Learning

22. Let’s Put it All Together

23. A Caring Adult
As a 4-H Leader your most important job is to be your
Members Caring Adult.
Set boundaries and
Advisor expectations and they
Guide identify each child’s
Mentor
strengths
Supporter
Friend
Advocate
Supports all youth development needs

24. A Safe Environment
Youth learn and participate more fully
when they feel physically and
emotionally safe.
A structured yet flexible environment
encourages honesty, trust, and
respect.
As a 4-H Robotics volunteer when should you be
structured and when flexible?
Supports need for Belonging

25. An Inclusive Environment
Encourages and supports its
members
Where youth receive positive and
specific feedback from leaders, other
parents and other youth.
Where leader takes time to celebrate
successes of all members
Supports sense of belonging

26. Opportunities for Mastery Learning
“ The more we
practice the better we
get. Last week we
accomplished just two
missions, today it was
five missions. I feel so
good.”
Delaney Ettleman, Harrison
County 4-H Robotics
Club Member

27. Opportunities to Engage in
Learning
Developing connections with what they
learn and experience in life
Self-reflection
Learn from Experience and Reflection
Helps to meet needs of
Mastery and Independence

28. Opportunities to Be Generous or
Servicing Others
Helps youth feel they a part of something
larger than themselves.
Can give them immediate success and the
good feelings helping others gives.
Helps youth learn new skills or use their talents
wisely.
Helps them connect with others positively
Helps to support the need for generosity

29. Opportunities for Self-
Determination
Youth and leaders are making decisions so
youth know they have an impact.
Youth feel a personal sense of influence over
their life
Youth become self-directing and independent
What would this look like at your 4-H Robotics
club meetings or camps?
Supports need for independence

30. What is the most important
single element in helping
young people become caring,
contributing, and competent ?

31. A Caring Adult- You!

32. Youth and Adult Partnerships
What does this mean?
– Youth can choose which activities they wish to
participate and how they want to participate- unless
unsafe.
– Youth meet regularly to discuss and modify existing
programs with leaders.
– Youth meet regularly to plan future programs or
activities.
– Youth evaluate programs they plan or participate in.
– Youth can share and communicate the program to
outsiders: they know what the program needs, why,
and the how’s.

33. What is not a Youth/Adult
partnership
The leader and adults in the program decide what
activities the youth will do.
The leader and adults decide what resources they
need and find them themselves.
The leader and adults tell others what the kids are
learning, because the kids don't know.
The leaders and adults decide and organize the
community service projects.

34. How will I know I am doing a good job?
Kids are attending the Kids are listened to and
meetings/field trips etc. genuinely valued
Kids are the focus Balance between chaos and
There’s a good mix of rigidity
consistency and flexibility All members successes are
The group works hard and celebrated
plays hard Newcomers are welcomed
Kids are empowered and by existing members
are making decisions Service is practiced

35. Let’s take a quick Break!
We will come back and get into
how we better understand the
youth we work with and how to
help you learn

36. WELCOME BACK!!

37. Ages & Stages of Youth
Development
How do young people change as they grow?
How do these changes affect you as a 4-H
leader, instructor, or volunteer and the
programs you plan for your
club/members?

38. 4-H age groups are in different
places with…
Physical Growth
Growth in Thinking
Social Growth
Emotional Growth

39. Different Ages – Different Stages
What are they like? Juniors Intermediates Seniors
(9-11 years) (12-14 years) (15-18 years)
Varied & many times quite Lengthens with experience Almost adult like and
Interest Span short self-motivated
High Interest, Poor Interested in skills for specific Highly skilled
Coordination use, may tackle difficult jobs
Motor Skills
Peak of interest, Limited Increased depth and scope Continued increase
Experience related to experience.
Mental Ability Can see relationship
Limited ability due to limited Can plan better than execute Have need and ability to
experience & judgement plan
Ability to Plan
Boys-Boys, Girls-Girls Interest in opposite sex & High
Relating to Peers interest in group acceptance

40. Experiential Learning is…
“LEARNING BY DOING”

41. Let’s get into Rocket
Science!

42. Extraordinary Learning
Experiences
 Experiential Learning Cycle- Hands-on
learning with reflection
 Aware of what stage of development youth
are in, so we know what they can learn.
 We are always concerned about creating
a safe environment.

43. Experiential Learning Cycle

44. Experiential Educaiton
 Experience the activity and do it
 Share reactions and observations publicly
 Process by analyzing and reflecting upon what
happened
 Generalize to discover what was learned and
connected to life
 Apply what was learned to similar or different
situations

45. Experiential Learning Cycle

46. Tips for using the Experiential
Learning Model
 Plan for time to reflect on the experience.
 Ask the right questions. Prepare ahead of
time as you are thinking through the
learning activity.
 Listen carefully to the youth.
 Support each young person’s unique
learning style.

47. Why the Experiential Learning Model
How Young People Learn
Read 20%
Hear 20%
See 30%
Hear & See 50%
Say 70%
Do 90%