Overview - What is Involved?
FIRST LEGO League is an introduction of hands-on, STEM learning with three divisions designed to inspire formative STEM concepts with young children through fun challenges and competitions using LEGO educational materials. Children experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding, and design skills as they build models and robots to solve a themed challenge.
This manual describes Central Valley Robotics' implementation of the FIRST LEGO League Challenge division in Central California. A FIRST LEGO League Challenge team needs a room to practice, coaches to help guide the team, and students to learn and have fun!
Teams are typically run in conjunction with a school or other after school organization, however teams do not need to be associated with a school to participate.
First year teams should expect about $1000 in costs (annual + one time costs), which include the EV3 MINDSTORMS kit (Any version can be used if already purchased). Returning teams only need to worry about $500 in annual costs (registration fees, materials, event fees, etc).
The FIRST LEGO League Challenge Season in Central California starts with the Challenge Release on August 1st, and wraps up with the Central California Championship in mid-December. Teams typically start meeting August, and they continue to meet until they attend a Qualifier starting in November. If teams are selected to more on, they will keep on meeting until the championship in December. We also encourage teams to host a celebration after their final event to wrap up the season!
FIRST and Central Valley Robotics provide trainings and seminars to get teams started. Additionally, there is a plethora of information on the internet provided by teams and other partners. Be sure to check out the Trainings and Seminars page.
Download as a PDF!
CVR offers a PDF version of this manual, however it is not updated on a frequent basis. Only the online manual below is enforceable at events.
The Season Standards Manual
The remaining sections are dedicated to guiding a team through the various activities to ensure successful participation in FIRST LEGO League Challenge. The sections are intended to be read in order and are split between pre-event preparation, and event day activities.
This manual combines multiple documents from FIRST with local information to our region. We have designed this manual to be a one-stop-shop for all teams in the area. Teams do not need to worry about reading FIRST documentation (Event Guide, Coaches Handbook, etc), unless otherwise noted in the manual.
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| Section Title | Last Updated |
|---|---|
| COVID-19 Foreword | |
Getting Started - Participation Rules and Core Values | |
| Important Contact Information | |
| Starting the Season - Registering with FIRST | |
Season Dates and Deadlines | |
| Trainings and Seminars | |
| Building the Table and Mission Models | |
| Challenge Materials and Resources | |
| MyCVR Onboarding - Signup, Team Info | |
| Managing Your Team Roster and Uploading Forms | |
| Tournament Registration Policies | |
| Team Judging Profile | |
| Team Coach Badges | |
| Project Case Studies |
