This document provides information about 4-H robotics programs using LEGO Mindstorm robots. It discusses the 4 basic needs of youth that these programs aim to meet: belonging, mastery, independence and generosity. It then describes the LEGO Mindstorm robot and how it can complete various tasks. The document goes on to explain the FIRST LEGO League program, its core values of teamwork and friendly competition. Finally, it provides guidance on getting started with a FIRST LEGO League project, including building robot parts and missions, selecting an animal-focused research project, and beginning robot programming.

1. 4-H Problem-Solving,
Teamwork and Fun
through LEGO
Mindstorm Robotics
And FIRST LEGO League Teams

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

3. 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

4. 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

5. So what is a LEGO
MINDSTORM EV3 Robot?

6. What can this robot do with your
Programming and Engineering Design?

7. Robots do 4 Basic Kinds of
tasks
Dirty
Dull
Dangerous
Delicate
Resource Page

8. Two Great Starts to understanding
Robot Programming
 Robot Programming Fundamentals Video
– http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/previews/nxt_pro
ducts/nxt_video_trainer/partial_product/basics/thinkin
g/thinking.html
 Programming is Precise Just click on Big Idea 1-2
– http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/content/lego/ev3/
curriculum/preview/

9. What is 4-H FIRST LEGO
League?
Teams of up to 10 kids and
guided by at least one adult
coach, team members have
about 10 weeks to work on
the Annual Challenge
Each annual Challenge has
two parts, the Project and
the Robot Game

10. The 3 Rs of
FIRST LEGO League
Robots– learning to program the robots, build
add-ons to accomplish the tasks set forth in the
challenge on the Challenge Field in the 2.5 minute
opportunity to showcase their robot and
programming
Research- Learning about the challenge and
how our community can make a difference and
presenting it in a creative way
Report– Defend the robot, your programming,
your teamwork and your research project

11. 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

13. FIRST LEGO League 4-H
Clubs
Decision-making
Communication
Leadership
And Citizenship—Connecting
research to community
Open House Presentations
County Fair Club Project and
Demonstrations

14. Regional Competition
Technical Interview
 Run Missions completed
 for 5 minutes
 Explain how you
designed your
Apparatuses
 Share how your design
 Process progressed

15. Regional Competition
Teamwork Interview

Accomplish Task
Share how you worked
as a team
What did you learn
working together?
What role did each
player take?
How did you get along?

16. Regional Competition
Project Research Presentation
 •Research a community
connection to the year’s
theme
•Brainstorm a way your
community could impact that
theme
•Plan a project to impact that
theme
•Plan a creative way to share
•Share it with the community
•5 Minutes including Setup

17. Regional Competition
Robotics Challenge
 •2 ½ minutes to complete as
many missions as possible
•Only 2 members at the board
at one time…can tag and
change
•Use only one robot
•Must practice changing
apparatuses so that doesn’t
slow you up
•Don’t shy away from
Regional if you only have a
few missions completed

18. 2016 Challenge
Animal Allies Your Project mission this season
is to look into the eyes of our
ANIMAL ALLIES. What might
become possible when we learn
to help each other?. In the Animal
Allies Project, your team will:
Identify opportunities to work with animals
in our communities
Design an innovative solution to the
problem you select
Share your problem and solution with
others
FLL challenges kids to
think like scientists and
engineers.

19. How do teams get Started?
1. Starting to build the LEGO pieces that make up
each of the missisons
– You will download the instructions for building the
Mission Model Pieces
– Check out the Mission pieces, pictures and video of the
how the constructed LEGO piece fits into the Animal
Allies Challenge on Youtube when the challenge is
released on August 28 …see what your Robot has to do
to accomplish each mission
– Lay out the mat and start building the pieces that go on
it

20. How do we get started?
2. Jump into the Challenge Theme “Animal Allies”
for 2016. To begin your Animal Allies project, As a
Team – Choose an animal that we could work
with in our communities. It might be finding and
putting animals to work with people or could be
providing services for animals or a connection to
animals for parts of our population.

21. How do we get started?
This would be a great time to invite someone in to
talk to your team…an expert who works with
animals in your community…..

22. How do we get started?
3. Start learning about building the robot and
programming it
a) Build a robot…there are lots of sites online to help you
design the building of your robot. Just get one built so
you can start programming. Just Google LEGO EV3
Building Instructions
a) Build the standard Driving Base in Manual with kit
b) Begin the EV3 Tutorial in the programming software or
online to learn how to use the software to program the
robot