But times have changed, and with them, so have Legos. They now read software, have batteries and move on their own.<\/p>\n
Enter the sixth annual Four Corners Regional Lego League Tournament, which rocked Animas Valley Elementary School on Saturday, with about 150 kids participating in three platforms of competition.<\/p>\n
The First Lego League is a global program that comprises about 70 countries and about 200,000 kids ages 9 to 16, whose young minds are using science and technology to overcome challenges.<\/p>\n
Made possible by the Durango Discovery Museum, the regional league has gained momentum, growing from two teams in its first year to 14 competing teams today.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of nuts,\u201d said Jen Lokey, educational program manager at the museum. \u201cYou used to think, \u2018Oh, my 4-year-old plays with Legos,\u2019 but there\u2019s this huge field of Lego robotics now (and) some amazingly advanced things you can do with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
For this year\u2019s theme of \u201cNature\u2019s Fury,\u201d teams of 10 were assigned three sets of challenges. For the first, the \u201cRobotics Challenge,\u201d teams had to design robots using base models and Lego parts and program them to perform specific tasks on an obstacle course.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s modular computer-programming technology, but they actually program a robot,\u201d said Discovery Museum Education Director Sarah Margoles. \u201cThey measure distances and calculate things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Robotics Challenge is a popular spectator event, and emotions ran high as two kids from one team competed against a pair from another team to race their robots to accomplish tasks, or \u201cmissions,\u201d for points.<\/p>\n
In the second \u201cProject Presentation\u201d portion of the competition, teams were presented with a problem to solve by using proposed technology they researched within the community and presented in a 5-minute skit.<\/p>\n
St. Columba won the Robot Challenge and the Project Presentation, The tournament\u2019s first all-girls team from Cortez tied with Mountain Middle School for the Core Values portion.<\/p>\n
The \u201cSuper Tsunami Girls\u201d built a robot out of Legos and programmed it to complete missions in the event a tsunami hit Hawaii, including how to minimize destruction of roads and bridges.<\/p>\n
The girls researched their subject, interviewed construction experts such as engineer Curtis Gemaehlich of Yeh and Associates, and came up with a solution to the problem.<\/p>\n
The team received 80 points for their missions and 85.5 on their presentation skit. They plan to compete again next year.<\/p>\n
Team members are: Anna Carter, Marina Bradley, Scott Earley, Jayden Thomason, Alexcia Sharp, Elinore Muhonen and Amara Cook. Troop leaders and coaches are Gayle Earley, Wendy Carter and Dena Thomason.<\/p>\n
Chris Cable, the museum\u2019s executive director, said these kinds of events are important for kids to learn to work together.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re engaging,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re team-building opportunities, and it\u2019s just fantastic to see middle-schoolers get so excited about things. You have research, there are technical skills, engineering, science and then the element of competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teams also were evaluated by a secret judge on the third component of the competition, Core Values, which included gracious professionalism, respect for others and teamwork.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing they learn is teamwork,\u201d Margoles said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s the hardest thing to learn, to split things up and function as a team. Scientists don\u2019t just sit around in labs by themselves, they go out into communities and work together to find solutions to our problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even Secretary of State John Kerry has endorsed the FLL.<\/p>\n
\u201cUse what you are learning to make the world a better place,\u201d Kerry said on www.firstlegoleague.org. \u201cWe\u2019re counting on you.\u201d<\/p>\n