All Fun & Games

At our very first practice each kid received a core value to explain and track for their team.  (We have two newcomers, so we'll be separating out the core value that includes Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition so that those two concepts really get their due).  

Team A

Sally	We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors. AND We have FUN!	Friday, September 6
Pascale	We share our experiences with others. AND We have FUN!	Friday, September 13
Sebastian	What we discover is more important than what we win. AND We have FUN!	Friday, September 20
Dominique	We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do. AND We have FUN!	Monday, September 23
Ashton	We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together. AND We have FUN!	Friday, October 4
Ainsley	We honor the spirit of friendly competition. AND We have FUN!	Friday, October 11
Fiona	We are a team. AND We have FUN!	Friday, October 18
Melena	We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do. AND We have FUN!	Friday, November 1

Team B

Anna	We are a team. AND We have FUN!	Friday, September 6
Lilith	We share our experiences with others. AND We have FUN!	Friday, September 13
Gray	We honor the spirit of friendly competition. AND We have FUN!	Friday, September 20
Charlotte	We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together. AND We have FUN!	Monday, September 23
Margaret	We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors. AND We have FUN!	Friday, October 4
Will	We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do. AND We have FUN!	Friday, October 11
Hudson	What we discover is more important than what we win. AND We have FUN!	Friday, October 18
Attia	We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do. AND We have FUN!	Friday, November 1

Over the course of our practices, each kid will lead a team building activity with their group.  A couple of questions have come up about this:

• Why do some repeat?
  The concepts of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition are unique to FLL.  Having two people from a team focus on the core value that includes them helps to make sure they get the focus they deserve.  And, as far as having fun... are we really having fun if EVERYONE'S not having fun?
• Does it have to be specific to their core value?  No.  Working as a team really helps to exercise all of the core value muscles, so focus on finding something fun and challenging that pushes the team in areas that need focus (cooperation, communication, listening, patience, etc.)
• How long should it take?
  Shoot for 5 minutes.  Sometimes it will go more quickly and sometimes, more slowly.  We'd like to have a little time for discussion and enough time to get to the project and robot game in practice also, so short and simple is the best bet.
• Where can I find some activities that we might try?
  Here are some links to get you started:
  Wilderdom Team Building Activities
  4-H Southern District Team Building Activities
  http://teambuildingactivitiesforkids.com/
  There are about a million more places to look, so don't be shy about seeking out your own!

Don't stress out if someone picks the game you had your eye on -- you can either pick a new one or try it again to see how the team is progressing!

Great Practice on Friday!

We started practice with the kids who looked at the project detail leading a discussion of what needs to be done with their teams.  Each team played a game that required great listening skills and teamwork.  And, have a look at this Coopertition -- two teams working together to make sure everyone understands the detail of the different missions.  

Homework before we meet again next Friday is FUN and EASY!

1. Have a look at this list of Billion-Dollar U.S. Weather/Climate Disasters 1980-2012 (from NCDC).  Which ones are most interesting to you?  This will help the teams in discussing possible project options. (There are more links to local disasters on the Helpful - Project page if you don't find something that interests you on this list.)
2. Play this  game from the United Nations:   Stop Disasters!  Choose your disaster and be prepared to come discuss what you learned with your team. 

IMPORTANT NOTE:  The list of natural disasters that are acceptable for the project are: 

• Avalanche or Landslide
• Earthquake
• Tornado or Cyclone
• Flood
• Tsunami
• Volcanic eruptions
• Hurricane
• Storm (wind, sand, blizzard or rain)
• Wildfire

Let's make sure we're learning about events we can use!

Robot Game Video is here!

Woo-hoo!

The Challange is Out!

The challenge was released today at noon.   You can read all about it here.

For those who took bags home:

• Build the models.  
• Look at the table to figure out where they go.

• Watch the video (not the game yet)



• Find the pieces you build in the Missions Section of the Challenge document (pages 13 - 17) and be able to explain the mission and scoring for the mission to your team.

For those looking at the Project:

• Watch the Video
• Read pages 2 - 4 of the Challenge document so that you can explain to your team what needs to be done.  

Who has what? (click the link to view build instructions for your bag)

Charlotte	Bag 1
Hudson	Project
Margaret	Bag 4
Will	Bag 6
Anna	Project
Gray	Bag 8
Lilith	Bag 9
Ainsley	Bag 7
Ashton	Bag 2
Fiona	Project
Sally	Bag 5
Dominique	Project
Pascale	Bag 3
Sebastian	Bag 10

Field Trip to NCDC

Thank you to Ann Warnick for hosting us at NCDC on Friday!

We had a GREAT field trip.  Here's a picture of some of our kids experimenting with the resistance friction provides as part of understanding when and how a flash flood can wash a car off the road.

Kids learned the difference between WEATHER and CLIMATE.  They looked at which types of weather events cause the most loss of life (annual average), and looked at flash floods in detail.  They walked through a specific scenario (a car in flood water) and learned how they could predict when the car would wash away.

Then we went down to look at the archived paper weather observer records... dating back to 1748 (good eye, Anna!).  They learned about how weather observers are trained and the way data collection has changed over the years.  They learned about the work involved in converting the paper records to digital and when and how records are used (engineers, transportation and...LEGAL).

Finally, we had a tour of ERC Broadband.  The kids learned about data transmission, fiber optics and how the Internet works.  They also learned about the role ERCB plays in providing the infrastructure that helps make the data at NCDC available to those who rely on it.  Ask your kids what the Internet looks like and how it relates to getting a loaf of bread from the grocery store.

Thank you, Ann and to all of those who contributed to making our first outing such a success!

Our First Field Setup Kit has arrived!

We got the call from Ms. Stewart today that our first set of goodies is in.  We will be sending table pieces home with everyone from the first practice.  Your task will be to get your model(s) built, then read about the mission for the piece you built in the challenge announcement and watch the video so that you fully understand it and can explain it to your team.

You can find the build instructions here.

There are also some videos out where other teams go over the table setup and discuss what the missions might be.  Take a look!  Have any ideas of your own?

Last, but not least, the folks at FIRST added parent resources last season.  To be completely honest, I've been so busy keeping up with the coach side of things, that I've barely had an opportunity to look.  Nonetheless, I would encourage all Claxton FLL Parents to check it out and see how we can benefit!  You can sign up here.

Mission Model Build Instructions are available!

Check out the instructions for building our challenge mission models for the season here.

For new team members, these are the components the robot will interact with on the game table.  Taking time now to understand these models and how they work will put us in an excellent position to compete in the robot game.  

Beginning with our first practice (August 26th) everyone will receive a model to build.  We will also likely try to get models and parts in your hands well before then, so we can start with a good understanding of the table.  As soon as our field kits are in, we'll let everyone know and do what we can to get models distributed.

The challenge will be officially released on August 27th!  Our homework for week one will be to watch the video, review the research and robot game portions and be ready to hit the ground RUNNING!  We've already reviewed our Core Values and will be reinforcing these on the 26th (and throughout the season).

Also, we have FIVE awesome kids (and their parents) participating in the August NXT programming class at OLLI at UNCA.  This is a GREAT opportunity to learn the ropes of programming the robots.  We REALLY appreciate those who are able stepping up to give up a whole Saturday, two weeks in a row to conquer the fundamentals.  FLL is a team effort and we look forward to the leadership of these team members in getting us started on the path to successful programming!

Last, but not least, THANK YOU to all of you for getting your registration paid in the spring -- We would not be registered without that and would be waiting for our materials to arrive AFTER the challenge was released.  Whew!  Glad we're not!  It's also been great to have communication over the summer.  As a school-based team, that's not something we take for granted and it's an example of teamwork and core values that our teams can learn from before they're even started... EXCELLENT!