Registration Deadline, Explore FIRST® LEGO® League Expo: March 17, 2024
Scholarship Deadline, Explore FIRST® LEGO® League: February 29, 2024
Randolph Build Challenge Registration Deadline: February 26, 2024
Expo Schedule on 3/24 during Maker Faire Lynchburg:
General Information
Our LEGO Expo is designed with two build challenge opportunities for our local elementary school aged students.
FIRST® LEGO® League Explore gives early elementary school students (ages 6-10) the chance to practice and showcase their engineering skills while they explore science and technology concepts. This year, as part of the “MASTERPIECE FIRST LEGO LEAGUE EXPLORE” challenge, each team will design a stage where any type of art, theater, music can be performed, to explore ways to share the arts in a creative way. Teams build a LEGO® model and a Show Me Poster which they present to judges from the Lynchburg community at the Expo on Sunday of SciFest weekend (March 24). The judging is non-competitive and each team is recognized for a particularly strong aspect of their project. Coaches are supported each step of the way with a team meeting guide designed for 12 meetings. If needed, the schedule can be easily compressed. Please join us at our FIRST® LEGO® League EXPLORE Expo to share your students’ STEM talents at our fun and non-competitive, community event! This year’s event was generously sponsored by Genworth Financial.
Registration is Open!
In order to participate, complete this form. Randolph’s FIRST® LEGO® League Expo is 12:30-4:30PM on Sunday, March 24th, part of the Randolph College Science Festival which features lots of hands-on activities for all ages! Registration for the Expo is open until March 17th, but we encourage teams to start building in January. Randolph scholarships for materials are available until February 28th.
The Expo is free, but teams will need to register with FIRST® to get the challenge materials ($125 plus shipping and handling per team). In addition, each team will need either a WeDo 2.0 robot kit or a LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential kit ($320 plus shipping and handling). Randolph College will purchase loaner LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential kits for teams who do not have access to one and cannot afford to purchase one. We also have scholarships available to cover the cost of registration with FIRST® for any team that cannot afford this. We do not want cost to be an obstacle for any team that wants to participate. The registration form for the Expo includes the application for the scholarship. Scholarship applications are due February 28th.
Alternative Build Challenge
We know that some groups and individuals will be looking for a more bite-size challenge. Similar to our competitions over the last few years, we are excited to continue an alternative, smaller build challenge provided fully by the Randolph College Science Festival. This challenge is intended to be completed within a shorter build time and all registrants will receive material kits by us. This challenge is ideal to incorporate into the classroom.
This year’s Build Challenge – LEGO Boats! To sign-up to receive a kit(s) (1 per student), please complete the form at this link, and specific further instructions will be sent to those participating. In general, the challenge will be to build a creative LEGO boat that:
- can float in a container with water, and stay at least 1-inch above the bottom
- hold at least 1 US Penny
- was built using only the materials provided in the kit (each kit may contain different LEGO bricks and pieces).
We’ll deliver kits during the first week of March, and video/picture submissions of successful achievement will be due on 3/15. Students can do this challenge independently (with a parent to help with sign-up), or as part of a class. There will be a show-and-share table during the Expo, but no official presentation of builds.
Certificates of successful achievement, and additional earned achievement prizes will be awarded during the Awards ceremony at the LEGO Expo event on 3/24.
Contact
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns by contacting Trish Cerulli (tcerulli@randolphcollege.edu) and PLEASE SHARE this with colleagues who may be interested in joining in the fun. As always, you can also reach out to us at scifest@randolphcollege.edu.