Friendly competition is at the heart of Challenge, as teams of students ages 9-16* engage in research, problem-solving, coding, and engineering - building and programming a LEGO robot that navigates the missions of a robot game.
In Explore, teams of students ages 6-10 focus on the fundamentals of engineering as they explore real-world problems, learn to design, and code and create unique solutions made with LEGO bricks and powered by LEGO® Education SPIKETM Essential or WeDo 2.0.
For children ages 4-6, this playful introductory STEM program ignites their natural curiosity and builds their habits of learning with hands-on activities in the classroom and at home using LEGO® DUPLO® bricks.
Learn More About FLL in the Rutland Area
Rutland Area Robotics is home to many FLL Challenge Teams.
By signing up with us we will connect you with our existing teams and the programming they run.
For FLL Challenge - teams typically form in late summer/early fall and compete in December and January. Some teams may qualify for invitationals or Championship events later in the year. Signing up past September may put you on a waitlist for the following year unless you want to start a new team.
It is important to note, that team sizes are small (6-10 kids) and open spots can be limited. The good news is that like any sport or activity, with volunteer support (such as yours) we can grow our team count and provide more programming for more students. New mentors = more teams = more available spots. It is easy to start a new team (school or community based). We encourage parents, industry professionals and educators to do so!
Rutland Area Robotics can provide support from experienced mentors and older students (connecting you with funding, training, space, supplies and logistics support). FIRST in Vermont was also founded to help new teams form and can provide additional assistance. FIRST FLL Kits include meeting guides that walk new coaches and mentors through the process. Experience is not required.
We are presently looking for volunteers to start FLL Explore and FLL Discover Teams in our area, which will provide STEM programming for our youngest students (4-10).
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For Challenge, we often meet 2 times a week or more from late August to early December. For Explore, 1 time per week. We know families balance many activities but your child should attend ~70% of meetings to best stay up to date and contribute to their team.
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We ask students to contribute $100 for the season. This goes towards team registration, season & LEGO kits, meeting space, t-shirts and more. Sponsorships and grants cover most of the expenses to make this affordable for local families.
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We don’t want any child to be excluded due to cost. There is financial assistance available. We also waive fees for families who actively volunteer in our programs.
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We do not consider this to be. We encourage FLL parents to stay and assist our teams (time robot runs, sort LEGO, guide projects, keep kids on task, encourage safe behavior). This age range is particularly challenging and needs a lot of support and encouragement to be successful as a group. The more adults that can be present, the smoother the activity runs.
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Wonder how to choose between Explore and Challenge if your child is old enough for both? Explore is for younger students and is more of an introduction to LEGO Robotics. It is ideal for those that aren’t yet ready for the demands of a competitive team. Challenge students spend the season preparing for competition and require students to be good teammates, focus on robot design, programming, testing, and work on a research project and presentation.
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Regardless of age, not all kids have yet developed the skills they will need to successfully compete in FLL Challenge and that’s ok. This competition requires children to work as a team, focus on specific and often repetitive tasks, conduct research, exercise critical thinking skills and present in public. While some kids thrive at this, and some grow into it, others aren’t as developmentally ready for this responsibility at a young age. We welcome students to give it a try and encourage parents to be present to support them as they do. If they aren’t ready - try again as they mature.