Mastering First Lego League

This month's Brick Journal features the first part of a series of articles about First Lego League. Part I starts with the expected "What is First Lego League?" However, instead of the dry, marketing information that this sort article generally solicits, we talk about some of the intrinsic values that make an FLL team successful. We also talk about setting expectations properly in your first year.



Next issue's article in this same series talks about "Calibrating the Robot" which will be released just in time for competition. Look for articles in future Brick Journal magazines about practical techniques for YAMs (Young Adult Mentors), programming, building robots, and how to get ready for competition.

Crabtree Valley Mall Lego Store

What does Raleigh, North Carolina have in common with Honolulu, Hawaii? They both have Lego Stores of course. If you have been following the Microbots, you'll see that they have been involved with the Crabtree Valley Mall Lego Store from its announcement. This month, we have a new announcement with respect to the Lego Store in Raleigh.

This month's community window features a First Lego Display that we put together. Among the displayed items is last year's North Carolina State Championship trophy. Additionally, you'll see our unique robot as well (trust me, it is one of a kind and way cool!). Stop by and check out the window in the back of the store.


By the way, we got the Smart Move challenge in the mail. It is too cool! Good luck to all of the teams this year! The Microbots are probably not going to compete. Some members seem to be moving on to FTC while others are moving on to FIRST with Team Awkward Turtle. But who knows, many a rock band has said that they are broken up only to have a reunion tour. Some of the team members are pursuing Smart Move just in case. We'll be at the Regional and State Championships either as competitors or volunteers.

Oh, and that is a gold NXT Brick! It was one of the things that made us stand out at the National Championship.