August Announcements: Sliding into AQUA ADVENTURE

Greetings FIRST LEGO League Jr Oregon,

In this update you will find:

1. How to register for FIRST LEGO League Jr AQUA ADVENTURE
2. Is a Season Pass right for my organization or school?
3. AQUA ADVENTURE Inspire Set
4. What is the difference between WeDo 2.0 Core, and WeDo 2.0 for FIRST LEGO League Jr?
5. What is LEGO Boost?
6. Moving to FIRST LEGO League

Read this as a blog post

1) How to register for FIRST LEGO League Jr AQUA ADVENTURE

In Oregon, FIRST LEGO League Jr registration runs from May through January. Before your team starts meeting you will want to complete your national registration. This is because it can take 2-3 weeks for your FIRST LEGO League Engineering Notebooks and Inspire Set to arrive and you will want them for your first meetings.
To register your team:

• Go to www.firstinspires.org
• Create an account if you do not already have one
• Log in using the prompt in the upper right corner
• Go to your Dashboard
• If you had a team last year, you just need to update your information for this year
• If you are a first-time coach, you will need to create a new team, make sure the shipping address is a physical location, not a P.O. box.
• After your team has been created (you can change the name at any time), you need to pay for the team, this is $99 sent to FIRST.
• If your team would like to purchase a WeDo 2.0 set (optional, but recommended) you can use Parts & Products to take you to a special LEGO Education portal where it can purchased at a slight discount.
• If you have problems at any time in this process, please email Loridee-Wetzel@ortop.org

2) Is a Season Pass right for my organization or school?

If you are working with many FIRST LEGO League Jr teams, have you considered a Season Pass instead of individual registrations? In Oregon, teams on a season pass can still participate in the same way as individual teams, if they would like to.

If you are already working with close to 12 teams and have a wait list or want to have a year-round FIRST LEGO League Jr program, the Season Pass has you in mind! For less than the cost of registration for 9 teams, you can register to support up to 144 kindergarten through 4th graders!  Too big for just your organization. A Season Pass can be shared. However, the WeDo 2.0 and Inspire Sets also need to be shared.  Season Pass teams in Oregon are welcome to attend Oregon expos, each team will need to pay the expo registration fee.

3) AQUA ADVENTURE Inspire Set

AQUA ADVENTURE Inspire Sets will ship for all registered teams starting in mid-August (any time now). You can expect to receive a box which contains your team meeting guide, 6 Engineering notebooks for your team members to use, and a box full of LEGO. In the LEGO there are 2 types of bags, your Inspire Model and an assortment of fun bricks. The Inspire Model will be a part of your final model and an interactive object used in several team meetings. 

Here is my unboxing of this year's kit:

4) What is the difference between WeDo 2.0 Core and WeDo 2.0 for FIRST LEGO League Jr?
The difference between the two kits is very minor. Either kit will work for FIRST LEGO League Jr. The FIRST LEGO League Jr WeDo kit has everything the Core kit has and the WeDo 2.0 Add-On Power Pack. The Power Pack just replaces the battery with a rechargeable unit and has an AC adapter.

According to LEGO Education, the battery or recharger will both work well for FIRST LEGO League Jr teams. However, if a team is using their kit for more than their FIRST LEGO League Jr season, like in a classroom environment, the rechargeable set is a nice addition.

5) What is LEGO Boost?
LEGO Boost is a new LEGO retail product for kids 6-10 years old. This is not the same thing as the WeDo 2.0 system and at this time, they have very limited compatibility. LEGO Boost is intended for individual exploration of programming and beginning robotics ideas. This is different from the WeDo 2.0 which is designed for work with teams.  Here is the official LEGO comparison of the two systems.  LEGO Boost may be used at the Oregon expos, as may any MINDSTORM system or the recommended WeDo system.

6) Moving to FIRST LEGO League

If your team is aging up to FIRST LEGO League in the next year it may be time to start getting the Oregon FIRST LEGO League Update. This will give you a good idea of what to do to prepare your team for the transition to a competitive season. It may also be time to look into getting a LEGO MINDSTORM system. This can be an expensive step for a team, but getting your FIRST LEGO League team familiar with this system in their 3rd and/or 4th-grade seasons can prepare them for building and programming a competitive robot in FIRST LEGO League.

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Best Wishes,
Loridee