FLL Robotics Foundations – Course Details
The course is all about an introduction to FIRST LEGO League, a middle school robotics competition building robots with LEGOs and coding with either Scratch or Python. For the purposes of this course, it will be just Scratch block coding. More details can be found here.
For the session, please make sure your child brings a laptop running macOS Catalina 10.15 or newer, Windows 10 or newer, or iPad iOS 14+, and a water bottle. Location and exact time are sent to your email after you sign up.
What we do each day.
- Walkthrough of what makes up an FLL-style robot: base, wheels, motors, sensors, and brick/hub.
- How the robot connects to the programming environment (block-based or visual code).
- Driving forward, backward, turning right and left with consistent distances / angles.
- Practicing simple “drive and turn” drills to build control and confidence.
- Completing a first simple mission on a practice field (for example, drive to a model and return).
- Short reflection: what went well, what to improve for Day 2.
- Introduction to the color sensor: what it sees, how it reads lines on the mat.
- Line following basics: using the color sensor to follow a black line on the FLL mat.
- Stopping at a line or color “marker” to trigger precise actions.
- What are attachments? Examples of arms, scoops, and tools added to the robot.
- Attaching and testing a simple mechanism to complete a more complex mission.
- Finishing the course with a multi-step mission that combines driving, sensing, and attachments.
A glimpse of the FLL-style build space.
Photos from recent sessions: hands-on workstations and an example robot on an FLL-inspired mat.
What students build and use.
- FIRST LEGO League–style robots built from LEGO components (e.g., SPIKE Prime / EV3 or similar kits).
- Sturdy base designs focused on reliable driving and easy attachment mounting.
- Color sensors used for line following and detecting markers on the field.
- Motors for drive and mechanism control.
- FLL-inspired mission models and layouts (scaled to workshop time).
- Start area, lines, and zones similar to official FIRST LEGO League mats.
- Simple missions (Day 1) that focus on basic driving and orientation.
- Layered missions (Day 2) that require sensors and attachments to solve.
Workshops, builds, and highlights.
Add photos, videos, and short notes about prior sessions so families can see what the course looks like in practice.