Virtual Season Kick-Off on August 4th at Noon
Join us on August 4th at noon for our Virtual Season Kick-Off Event.
Link for Kick-Off event will only show on August 4 @ 12pm pacific time.
You do not need to pre-register or sign up ahead of time.
Click on image below to register for the Q&A Session on August 9 @ 4pm pacific time.
2020 Summer Camps
We have been working through all of the state and county guidance and have a working plan that will allow us to offer our summer camps under modified conditions.
Our camps are designed to be a “boot camp” for children that are looking to start or join a FIRST LEGO League team in the coming season. The camp provides a foundation in building and programming, all using prior season FIRST LEGO League games as a backdrop for the learning.
As we did last summer, our last week of summer camps will use the game for the coming season!
Information on the camps and information about our safety precautions/adaptations can be found at:
All proceeds from the camps are used to help support Playing At Learning, the FIRST Program Delivery Organization for FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge in Northern California
If there are questions, please email Mark at: marke@playingatlearning.org (He is the instructor for the camps)
Coaching During a Pandemic-Resources
We know many teams are struggling with how to continue their FLL season during a Global Pandemic. In order to get you started, we are sharing some helpful resources put together by the FLL Challenge Share and Learn group. Their brainstorming video is well worth the time to watch in order to get an idea of what your season could look like. This group is not affiliated with FIRST or Playing At Learning but many FIRST coaches and Alumni are part of their collaborative team.
Our Northern California Region is diverse and many areas have been harder hit by the coronavirus than others, we ask that every team follow the health and safety guidelines set forth by their local health department when deciding how to move forward with their season. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with questions or for clarification at fll@playingatlearning.org. We are continuing to work behind the scenes to prepare for the upcoming season and are dedicated to making it a memorable one. Qualifying Tournaments, Championships, and the Innovation Expo will all happen this season, we are making plans and back up plans to prepare for all scenarios.
Save the date for our virtual season kick off on August 4th!
Links for Coaching in the Time of COVID:
- Remote Coaching Brainstorming Video with Coaches from around the country.
- LEGO Sanitization: https://bit.ly/2NK9VJf
- CAD (Computer Aided Design) tools:
- LDD – LEGO Digital Designer (not being updated)
- Studio by Bricklink – https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studio/
- Facebook Group for Mentoring from other coaches:
- Lessons:
- FLLTutorials.com – Lessons for FIRST LEGO League
- EV3Lessons.com – Lessons for EV3 users including new Scratch-based EV3 Classroom and EV3-Lab
- PrimeLessons.org – Lessons for SPIKE Prime Users
- Remote Desktop for working collaboratively from a distance:
- https://remotedesktop.google.com/support/
- Zoom – built in remote control
- Remote Core Values/Team Building Games/Quizzes/Entertainment:
- Jackbox
- Kahoot
- Quizziz
- Escape Rooms (Teachers Helping Teachers)
- Breakout EDU
- Flipgrid
- Telestrations
- FIRST @ Home
- Remote Robot Apps:
- Robot Virtual Worlds – http://www.robotvirtualworlds.com/intro-to-ev3/
- Virtual Robotics Toolkit – www.virtualroboticstoolkit.com/
- Coder-Z – https://gocoderz.com/
- Dell Computer Donations:
Check out our resources page for more helpful information.
We hope this information finds you and your team well. Please reach out if you would like to share what your team is doing this season. Stay safe and healthy!
Thank you,
Playing At Learning Staff
Rookie Grant for Title 1 Schools (June 25th Deadline)
June 25th deadline for FIRST Lego League Rookie Grant.
Grant includes:
- Registration,
- Challenge Set,
- Robot Kit,
- Additional Funds.
Some (Not All) Grant Requirements:
- Title 1 School,
- 50 percent female,
- FIRST Team demographics must mirror that of the greater student body.
Contact FLL@playingatlearning.org to find out more and to apply.
Thank You Volunteers!!!!
NorCal FLL seasons could not happen without all of our amazing volunteers! Enjoy this short video as a small thank you to each and everyone one of you!!!!
Coach Survey
Coaches and Mentors we need your feedback for our upcoming season. Please fill out this short survey!
All coaches/mentors that fill out the survey by June 19th, 2020 will be entered to win a FIRST/CityShaper swag bag!! Don’t miss out on your chance to win!!
This survey is for coaches/mentors only, if you are not a coach or mentor but have some feedback, please email us at FLL@playingatlearning.org, we want to hear from you as well!
Thank you,
Playing At Learning Staff
Registration, Teaser Video, and Resources
We hope this message finds you and your family healthy and safe. Registration for the upcoming season begins on May 28, 2020. You can view the FLL Challenge Teaser video to get a sneak peek at the new challenge field and get a sense of this year’s theme.
Below are some resources to get you started while we eagerly await the FLL Challenge release on August 4th.
- FIRST @Home-FIRST has put together some great resources including remote learning, programming, core values, and much more.
- EV3Lessons.com-Here you will find programming and build lessons for EV3 Mindstorms
- FLLTutorials.com-This is part of the resources page of EV3Lessons and has tips and tutorials specific to FLL, including some for starting the RePLAY season.
- PrimeLessons.org-These Spike Prime lessons are brought to you by the same group that created EV3Lessons.com
- If you use Facebook, the group FLL Share and Learn is a great place to collaborate with other coaches and parents.
Keep in mind that Playing At Learning is working behind the scenes to prepare for our upcoming FIRST Season-we are working through different scenarios and strategies-all with keeping health and safety at the forefront. Rest assured that we are committed to bringing you a great FLL Challenge season and will do our best to provide you with the safest means to make that happen. The immediate future may be uncertain, but we know with FIRST teams leading the way it will be bright!
We look forward to having another great NorCal FLL season!!
Playing At Learning Staff
Rebranding of FLL
We hope this message finds you and your family healthy and safe. Playing At Learning has been working behind the scenes to prepare for our upcoming FIRST Season – we are working through different scenarios and strategies – all with keeping health and safety at the forefront.
Some of you may have noticed that FIRST LEGO League will have a new name starting this next season. Beginning in the fall, we will be known as FIRST LEGO League Challenge. Rest assured that this rebranding is simply a name change. Nothing else about the program you know and love has changed. Age ranges and program components will remain the same. The FLL Challenge program will continue to serve children ages 9 to 14. You can learn more about FIRST LEGO League programs here: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll. If you have further questions regarding the rebranding, please email them to fll@playingatlearning.org. Please join our google announce group to stay informed, and we look forward to seeing you all for the RePLAY season.
Update on NorCal Innovation Expo and FLLjr Expo on March 7th
We have the following updates for events this weekend.
NorCal Innovation Expo-Public event has been cancelled and all teams will do virtual interviews. For more information contact fll@playingatlearning.org
FLLjr Expo-Has been postponed. For more information contact flljr@playingatlearning.org