Awards at the state competition
To help justify my own time and expense on Lego blocks, I volunteered as a mentor with FLL (at least before traveling the word). That way, I could rationalize my hobby as researching what was best for the children, not an adult being unable to detach from his favorite childhood toy. FLL’s goal is to teach science and engineering to grade school and middle school students through the use of Lego Mindstorms (basically Lego sets from which you can build and program robots). Despite what the kids sometimes believe when they first arrive, they are not there to play, but design and build a functioning machine which accomplishes specific, defined goals. There are not any instructions for this model.
Working with the children is rewarding and fun (at least those rare moments when the kids are actually behaving and paying attention). Although it is quite a stretch for me to actually manage and teach them. Guiding the students through the process of discovery when I already know the right answer is definitely a learned skill. Hopefully I am actually helping them learn, and not just babysitting or spoon feeding them a solution.
Hardware I’ve accumulated as a mentor
Eastern Iowa is fortunate enough to have a local FLL competition. Rockwell Collins sponsors the event and also funds the participating school so they can purchase the required Lego sets. Whether or not we finished making a working creation, the kids compete at the local level to see exactly what it can do. If they score well enough, they advance to the state tournament in Ames, IA. The sheer number of children participating makes it a great event and experience. The students and faculty of ISU do a great job of running it. Fortunately, I have not been able to build a Lego powerhouse yet, so I do not have to worry about nationals.
