Claxton's FLL Teams to Compete in Regional Tournament!

Please congratulate the Claxton's FLL Teams, the Wise Old Owls and Pajamma Grammas, on their success at the FLL tournament last weekend at UNCA!

Wise Old Owls took home the presentation trophy, recognizing their enthusiastic performance, and the ability to incorporate research with seniors and practicing professionals into their fun and engaging skit.  While they were in their project judging and we were all waiting in the halls, the time keeper gave a big "Oh, wow!" when they got to the song.  GREAT JOB!

The Pajamma Grammas were recognized for being the team that consistently performed in the handful or top competitors across categories!  This goes to show that all of the hard work and practice really paid off.  GREAT TEAM EFFORT!

What does our success mean?  It means the teams are invited to one  regional tournament on December 1st.

They were fantastic!  There were many twists and turns and, of course some highly charged moments!  The kids did fantastic -- they were smart, adaptable, and very supportive of one another (one of the hardest things for a kid to do in the midst of the ups & downs)!  Please let them know how proud we are of them!

Tournament Info

Teams will meet at the Bulldog at 7:45 (Coaches will check in before this at 7:15)
Coaches Meeting at 8:00.


What to Bring:

• Each kid needs to bring his/her lunch, plus snacks, plus some money for concession stand if desired. FRC teams sell fruit, candy, snacks, drinks, pizza and some sandwiches.
• In addition, please send card games or an ipod or something to help occupy your child during the down time (something the child can keep up with him or herself, please).   

Wise Old Owls (4892):

8:30 Practice Run

8:45 Practice Run

10:15 Design

10:30 Core Values

10:45 Project

12:15 Parade Line Up ?

12:30 Opening Ceremony

1:16 Competition Run

2:41 Competition Run

3:05 Competition Run

3:35 Pit Clean up

4:00 Awards Ceremony

4:30 End

Pajamma Grammas (4894):

8:30 Practice Run

9:00 Practice Run

10:15 Project

10:30 Design

10:45 Core Values

12:15 Parade Line up ?

12:30 Opening Ceremony

1:00 Competition Run

2:25 Competition Run

2:49 Competition Run

3:35 Pit Clean up

4:00 Awards Ceremony

4:30 End

WLOS - Never Stop Learning

Check out the WLOS News 13 coverage of our teams!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwuoeQXMF1E&feature=youtu.be

Here's a link to the video on WLOS's website: http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/features/never-stop-learning/stories/wlos_claxton-competition-327.shtml

And on YouTube (clearer): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwuoeQXMF1E&feature=youtu.be

Updates, Updates, and more Updates!

First things first -- 

Field Trip on Friday.  You must have a signed permission slip to be able to come!

We'll go from yesterday, back:

Yesterday, Lillith led the Pajamma Grammas in a game to demonstrate her core value -- We Have FUN!  She had her teammates build a Lego structure exactly like a sample she brought in...without actually touching the bricks -- They had to use chopsticks!

Next up for Core Values on this team is Patrick on Monday, 9/24, followed by Pascale on 10/5.

The Wise Old Owls discussed their progress over a snack, then both teams came together for a demonstration of line following and a discussion about how important it is for their robots to be consistent -- change the robot, and chances are you'll have to change the program. 

A group of kids from each team went with Bruce to work on perfecting the robot base for the Wise Old Owls and to work on attachments (the PGs).

A separate group went with Sarah (WOOs) and Ms. Greenelsh (PGs) to talk about project work.  

And the last group worked on programming the light sensor.  We got as far as writing a program to find a line and stop. Then we worked through the logic for following a line as seen in the picture below (we had it on the whiteboard, but I didn't get a picture).  

We translated the sample readings you see in the image using < and > operators and were just about to turn it into programming magic when our time was up.  So, Justin, Jacob, Henry, Alex and Lillith, we'll get back to this.  In the mean time, see if you can explain it to your parents and your teams!

Last week:

Both teams completed the base builds of their robots.  Some of the kids started basic programs, progress was made on mission detail and we are moving!

Teams also started on perfecting the 90 degree turn -- one right, one left.  The Pajamma Grammas finished over the weekend, and Sue will continue to work with the Wise Old Owls to finish theirs as soon as possible. 

Introducing the Pajamma Grammas!  Team 4894 has a name!  The team also met with Maria Fletcher, their Senior partner.  Information the team gathered in talking with Maria:

• Likes about getting older: more time, reflective, senior discounts
• Dislikes - aches/pains, arthritis in neck - sleeping & arthritis in hands, getting shorter
• Does worry about her friends with major problems - cancer, getting sick.

The team is planning to tackle the neck issue as their project research focus.  

Notes from the Wise Old Owls:

Dominique led the team in a game involving getting toothpaste back in the bottle (yes, it was just as sticky as you are imagining!), which was an excellent way to learn about the core value “what we discover is more important than what we win.”

• Blake, Jacob and Justin worked with volunteer Bruce Ikelheimer to build our base robot.  On Friday, the robot will begin to be used for programming, and sensors and attachments will be added as the team works on the missions.  
• Dominique and Ellie worked with Ms. Greenelsh to research and document the general issue of arthritis, so that we are in a great position to narrow in on the specific issue of opening jars.  
• Sam and Henry plotted out all the steps of our first mission, and have identified both the programming needs (robot will need to follow a line; robot will need to recognize and stop at the green medicine bottle; robot will need an arm to hook the green medicine bottle and bring it back to base.)

Another Important Note:

We will have another field trip on 10/12, which is an early release day.  We're planning to try to make the timing close to a normal school day, but wanted to give you as much notice as possible!

On Friday, the teams split and rotated for half of practice working on the project and half working on robot-related things.

Core Values:
Both teams talked briefly about how separating and trusting the other small group to get an important task done today was a demonstration of teamwork -- That it doesn't always mean doing the same task; and that even if they chose something different, the idea is to test it out and support that plan, knowing that the plan will evolve and can change if it really needs to. 

The Wise Old Owls (formerly known only as 4982):
The team met with their Senior Partner, Martha Fleer, and enjoyed the homemade cookies she brought. The kids asked wonderful questions ranging from "what is the most challenging part of getting old," "what do you wish you could still do," "is it hard to go to bed" and "are you sad if your friends die?"  Ms. Fleer has arthritis, and we learned it causes problems ranging from sitting down on the floor, going up steps and opening jars. We ultimately decided that we wanted to focus on the problem of arthritis and the particular problem of opening jars. we will start researching the issue over the next couple of weeks!

In the second half of practice, the team played a game led by Jacob demonstrating the Core Value: We honor the spirit of friendly competition.  Then divided to pick some missions and a robot build.

Missions in order thus far:

1. Flexibility, 
2. Bowling, 
3. Stove, 
4. Transitions? Or Wood Working?

This group would love to have a plow for an attachment

And, the team selected a base build for starting their robot:  
The Castor bot - http://nxtprograms.com/castor_bot/index.html
They decided they would borrow elements from the others that we looked at if they needed to make improvements on the base build.

Team 4894 (still working on a name):

Started with robot selection:
The Sturdy Motor Attachment bot on pages 19 - 22 of this doc - http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/content/lego/building/media/Constructopedia%202.pdf
The wanted narrow, strong, able to accommodate lots of attachments.  There was a lot of discussion about where the third motor can go. 

Core Value activities:  Each child will lead an activity related to the core value they are tracking.  Lillith volunteered to be first -- next Friday (9/14).  After that, in order are: Patrick, Pascale, Mo, Sebastian, Aaron, Emma, and Alex. 


Missions in order thus far:

1. Quilts
2. Video Call
3. Service Animal 
4. Stove?

Project: Last week the team discussed focusing on the problem of falls, so we spent our time together discussing what sort of Senior Partner the team wanted.  In addition to being over age 60, the kids determined the partner should be nice, kind and a good cook.  A number of prospective partners were proposed, and the kids ultimately voted on Sebastian's grandmother, Maria Fletcher.  She lives in Florida, and she's delighted to be the team's partner.  She is in town all next week, and will join the team on Monday. 

 

Team members need to come to practice Monday with suggestions for 2 team names.

Friday Summary

There was a LOT in one practice on Friday!

Teams split into groups and discussed the research project.

Team 4984 (led by Sue) decided on a topic (falls) and kids are working on identifying who they will ask to be their senior partner. Kids that haven't yet spoken with someone over 60 about aging related issues need to do so.

Team 4982 (led by Sarah) came away with a list of potential partners to ask, and is working on having questions ready.  To that end, each team member should be working on two questions for their partner (politely worded and respectful) designed to help isolate the most pressing issues that their partner faces.

Both teams will decide on a name in the coming weeks (which will be WAY more fun than those numbers!)  The name can be Lego-related, robot-related or theme related (aging, the specific issue they research or even the name of the partner would be good options here).  Think about it and come in ready to do some brainstorming next Friday.

Teams watched the official 2012 SENIOR SOLUTIONS(SM) Robot Game Video.  This goes through each mission in the robot game and explains them one at a time.  If you still don't quite get the robot or what the kids will do with it, this is a GREAT place to start!

Each child came home with a Mission Map Worksheet, and a description of the mission they chose to work on mapping (from the Complete Challenge Document issued by FIRST).  There's a picture of the table on the front.  They need to draw the path the robot will take to complete the mission and return to base.  There are tips for picking the best route and questions they need to answer on the back.  These worksheets will serve as the foundation for prioritizing and starting to program missions.  So, getting these done and keeping them in the notebook used for FLL (so they come back to practice) is VERY important!

Big thanks to Jo, who go the pieces on the game table for the kids to look at.  If you haven't seen the table yet, here's an idea of what it will look like.

The 2012 Senior Solutions Challenge is out now!

http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2012seniorsolutions

We will be going over both the research piece and the robot game on Friday.  Please take a look before then to become familiar with what it contains.  

By this point, each should should have talked to someone they know about aging.  This puts us a step ahead -- it's the first piece of the Project.  If you still need to take care of this, put your thinking caps on and get busy.  

Core values -- Each child has been assigned a core value to track through out the season.  Their first task is to illustrate the core value.  One team has also had the opportunity to set some team building goals working with Ms. Greenelsh on a schedule for team activities.  The other team will be doing this as well.

Challenge Milestones -- On Friday, teams took a first pass at setting goals and timelines for the season.  We will be working toward these and refining them as we progress.  

No practice (and no school) on Monday!

Thank you, Betsey Bent & Nancy Smith-Hunnicut!

On August 27th, Betsey Bent and Nancy Smith-Hunnicut from Mission Hospital's Senior Services Team came out for an interactive training with our teams.  They focused on creating an understanding of how age related conditions impact daily activities.  From picking out an outfit that matches, to typing shoes, to threading a needle and picking the right medications, the kids got some first hand experience with issues that many of us will face as we age.  

Thank you, Ms. Bent and Ms. Smith-Hunicut for so graciously sharing your professional knowledge with our teams!

Also from Friday...

While one team was with Robin, the other broke into small groups for a mini-course in programming the robot.  We went through the software basics, talked about figuring out the wheel diameter (by having the robot draw a line we could measure) and even squeezed in some information on turns.  For anyone who wants a review, these two links would make a great follow up:

• Three most common types of turns -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3hFuVPax-k 
• Move or Motor Block? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX4uhMqVQys&feature=channel&list=UL

Thank you, Robin Morrison!

On Friday, August 24th, Robin Morrison generously shared her time with the kids. Robin is an Occupational Therapist with an obvious passion for helping people -- particularly older people who struggle to continue being successful with the tasks they face in everyday life.  

Robin focused on broadening students ideas of aging and living as an elderly senior.  She led the students in several simulations that reflected the aging process, as well current adaptations/solutions seniors use for greater independence.  In one of the students’ favorite simulations, students were asked to try on ski gloves and try to perform a fine motor task such as buttoning a shirt or counting change.  This illustrated the limitations of arthritis. In another simulations students were asked to pinch their noses while eating a peppermint.  This illustrated the relationship between smell and taste, which are sense that fade with aging. These activities were a great way for students to begin to grapple with real challenges and solutions that affect the elderly, as well as making this year’s FLL challenge a more personal experience.  Robin did a session with each team.

Our teams have long appreciated Robin as a regular volunteer.  We're especially glad to be able to rely on her depth of professional knowledge as the kids pursue their Senior Solutions research this year!

Robot Research Questions

Here are the questions that should have come home with the kids on Monday for their robot research (links on the Helpful - Robot tab).

Turns -- Name the three types of turns, and provide a statement about when each turn is the most effective.

Attachments -- Chose three of the attachments listed on the blog.  Learn about how they work, and develop a real life application for these attachments (can you think of how they would be helpful to someone’s daily life?) 

Chassis -- A Chassis is the base of the robot.  Look at the PDF (page 26-30) and determine the two different types, and list the pro’s and cons of each.  Which Lego pieces are typically needed to build a chassis? 

Light Sensors -- What two types of light can a light sensor detect? Which type of light will we most likely be using in FFL?  On a Calibrated Scale what reading would you expect the color black to give?  White? 

First Practice!

We had a fantastic first practice today!

• We had the kids work through a team building exercise (put a towel on the floor and have them show you what they did). 
• We talked about core values, and each team member got a core value that they will help to keep track of throughout the season.  They need to find a way to illustrate the core value (drawing, picture, etc.).  We'll look at these on Monday.
• We started building the table pieces.
• We took a look at the mat and and some different robot builds. 
• We talked about different items to consider for the robot and the mission, and each team member came home with one to investigate before Friday (links are on the Helpful-Robot tab). 

 Team 4894:

Patrick	Attachments	We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do.
Sebastian	Attachments	We share our experiences with others.
Emma	Chassis/Body	What we discover is more important than what we win
Aaron	Chassis/Body	We honor the spirit of friendly competition.
Alex	Light Sensor	We are a team.
Lilith	Light Sensor	We have FUN!
Mo	Turns	We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.
Pascale	Turns	We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do.

Team 4892:

Blake	Attachments	We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.
Ellie	Attachments	We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do.
Justin	Chassis/Body	We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.
Jacob	Chassis/Body	We honor the spirit of friendly competition.
Anna	Light Sensor	We share our experiences with others.
Henry	Light Sensor	We have FUN!
Dominique	Turns	What we discover is more important than what we win
Sam	Turns	We are a team.

Don't worry, we'll have better names for the teams in the near future!  Team identity is one of those things the kids will work on together. 

Additionally, some kids took a bag with a game piece that needs to be built home.  If you didn't get one and want one, or if you want another one, let us know!

Anna – Pets for Help

Ellie – Table

Jacob – shopping

Blake – stove

Lillith/Alex – strength exercise

Thanks to everyone who brought in contracts and registration payments!  If you haven't please try to get those in on Friday!

Update from Class on Saturday

The coaches & their kids attended the first day of a two day training session at UNCA's Osher Life Long Learning Institute on Saturday.  Boy, was it a full day!

What we learned:

A fun an interesting way to figure out the diameter of your wheels:  Move forward a number of rotations and measure.  Figure out what you think it is, then test it against different numbers of rotations.  When you're getting a consistent measurement per rotation, that equals your wheel diameter.  Simple, enough, right?  In the end, more accurate than wrapping a tape measure around the tire, and a user-friendly way for a 4th grader to approach the geometry.

We learned that for turns, a combination of Motor blocks and an external rotation counter configured for one of the turning motors is more accurate and consistent than a move block.  Why?  Well, the motors are each controlled by their own blocks and the rotation counter is more precise than the motor block rotation -- which applies to and keeps up with the combined function of two motors at the same time.  You can learn more about the Move and Motor blocks here or here (note that this last one talks about the motor block on its own, without the external rotation counter).  

The basic idea is that you create two motor blocks that run infinitely, and configure each to do what that specific motor needs to do (different for each type of turn).  Then you use a reset and the external rotation counter (a sensor block for ONE of the motors) to tell the motor when to stop.  So, one specific sensor is controlling the stopping point, which is more precise than allowing either the move or motor block to say "when" (eliminating the overshooting or undershooting of rotations explained in the links above).  BUT, it only works if the two move blocks are infinite.  Why?  Because otherwise, they try to run sequentially and it messes the whole thing up.  

We learned about different types of turns.  This video did not come from the class, but is a good explanation of the three different types of turns that need to be considered.  We'll be looking at these and working on them as we work through our missions. 

The second session of the class is next week.  We'll be tackling sensors then, so stay tuned!

Thank you, Neil Rosenberg!

Teams 4892 and 4894 would like to thank Neil Rosenberg for his generosity in developing and teaching the Beginning NXT Programming course at UNCA's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.  

Neil is also the driving force behind the Robotics Opportunity Committee of Western North Carolina, an organization that provides leadership and support to FIRST teams of all varieties across our region.  

From the Official FLL Blog --Core Values, Flipped!

Comic strip of Flipped the robot and core values:
http://fllblog.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/the-core-values-get-flipped/

Robot for class at UNCA's Reuter Center

You can see the class information here.  It will be exciting to see who's there! 

Software!

Did you know that you can download the NXT software we will be using for FLL?  What a fantastic resource!  Check out this Lego Knowledge Base tip for the detail.  Windows or Mac, looks like you're covered

Technically, there's a minor difference between the linked version (2.0) and the version that came with the kits (2.1) but all of the features we'll use for FLL are in both, so the files can be shared.


Want a little more software goodness?  Check out the Lego Digital Designer.  It's CAD software for Legos!  You can install it and "build" virtual models with Legos.  Better yet, it installs with an NXT module, so the kids can check out all of the parts and build instructions that come with the kit.  Think about the possibilities -- They've been trying to work through something at practice, but it doesn't work to lug a box of parts and the robot home just now.  They can check what's available, test how different ideas work AND not make a mess all over the living room with little tiny connectors... SWEET!  There's also a Building Guide Mode that lets them print step-by-step instructions for what they designed -- They don't have to recreate it when they get to practice, they just follow their own directions!  (Did I mention they will be developing great skills in the process?)

Congratulations to Claxton's 2012 FLL teams!

We have the final list of students back from the selection committee and it looks like we will have great teams. Below are the important details we want you to know now, and we have a Parent Meeting planned for 5:00 on August 13th (the Monday before school starts) at school. We really need you there!

Key details:

• Practices will be Monday and Friday from 2:45 to 4:00. Students are expected to participate in all practices! The first practice will be Monday, August 20^th.
• There will be research and other tasks that the kids have to complete at home between practices. Teams depend on these tasks being completed to move forward, so we need a high level of commitment from each participant.
• We CANNOT make this work without parent involvement. We will have a volunteer schedule for signing up for the things that work best for you. You don't need to be an expert to be a critical success factor in supporting the teams. We need helping hands to keep kids on task, to wrangle siblings while practice happens, to provide snacks, etc. Of course, for those with skills to share in programming, design or with particular expertise related to the "Senior Solutions" theme, we appreciate those too!
• The tournament is Saturday, November 3rd at UNCA. It's an ALL DAY event and every kid needs to be there!
• Communication is a key factor in making this work. We have created a blog for the teams with resource links, and will be posting progress, assignments and other information there. We will ask parents to register to receive email updates from that site and to read and review new posts with your kids.
• There is a registration fee of $45 per participant. This is a small increase over last year. If it poses a hardship for anyone, please, please let us know and we'll make it work!

Between now and the first practice, we would like the kids to take a look at the Senior Solutions Challenge description. They should find one person to talk with about the issues and challenges aging people face. This means they can talk with an older family member or neighbor, they can talk to someone who works with the aging, or they can talk with you, their parents, about friends or relatives you know who deal with or have dealt with the challenges of getting old. This exercise will help teams establish a foundation for brainstorming when the time comes to start choosing what they will investigate for their research project.

We will be following this email with a phone call to make sure everyone is in the loop, knows about the parent meeting, knows what to expect and understands the commitment we need for the kids to be successful. If you have any questions, please let us know and we'll do our level best to get them answered.

We're looking forward to a fantastic and frenetic FLL season!

Field Kits have Arrived!

The field kits came in yesterday. Time to get the parts sorted and the mats unfurled!

What we're all about

Welcome to the Claxton Elementarty First Lego League blog!  We're glad your here.  Take a look at this quick video on what we're up to.  Click through our posts and pages to learn more about our teams, this year's challenge and how you can support our teams!