FIRST LEGO League ‘SUPERPOWERED’ season with POET partnership

This paid piece is sponsored by EmBe.

If there’s one thing that elementary kids and professional engineers can bond over, it’s LEGO products.

They did just that one recent day at POET, which hosted participants from FIRST® LEGO® League at its Sioux Falls headquarters for a Meet the Experts Day.

“We talked to a lot of different engineers and learned a lot of things,” said Piper, a fifth grader from Flandreau who has participated in FIRST LEGO League for four years.

“They liquidized sand and had yeast in bottlesb and it was all very fun to do. It was amazing.”

FIRST LEGO League is a program of EmBe, open to boys and girls age 6 through 14.

Each season has a theme, and this one – SUPERPOWERED – challenges kids to take on a real-life issue with renewable energy and was a perfect partnership fit for Sioux Falls-based POET.

“This is what the technical experts, engineers and scientists at POET do every single day,” operations engineer Tyler Miles said. “POET sees itself as a leader in innovation in the renewables and bioproducts industry and with that includes a commitment to inspire the next generation to think differently and to think green.”

The response to Meet the Experts Day “was phenomenal,” he continued.

“The kids were excited about what POET is trying to accomplish within the renewables industry, asked a lot of great questions and found the demonstrations to be a lot of fun. What I was hoping the kids would take away from the experience was a feeling of support on their projects from the POET experts and potentially even some inspiration for project ideas or path forward.”

That’s how Piper responded to the day – and how she has found FIRST LEGO League has impacted her even in elementary school.

“I learned that you can do a lot if you just get together and work hard on something,” she said. “It does have a lot of tech skills because you need to program, so it’s a very educational thing to do, but it’s also a chance to be with friends and family. It’s just fun to play while doing something I enjoy.”

Participants in FIRST LEGO League gain real-world problem-solving experiences through a guided, global robotics program that revolves around creating with LEGO products. They learn to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding and design skills through hands-on STEM learning.

But, like Piper, kids tend to have so much fun exploring and creating with LEGO and robotics that don’t realize how much they’re learning, said Jeremy Haugen, program coordinator at EmBe. His three oldest children have participated.

“The benefits are huge,” he said. “They’re not all going to end up becoming programmers, but everybody needs to be able to research, find information, work as a team and present what they know. Kids develop those skills earlier in FIRST LEGO League than they do in school. With my oldest, we tried every sport, but he’s not a sports kid. This is how he found out how teams work.”

POET’S Miles also sees big benefits.

“I believe EmBe’s LEGO League challenge is teaching kids invaluable lessons about the impact that they could have on the world, even at a young age,” he said. “This is something that I and the other team members at POET are personally passionate about.  Throughout this season, these kids will develop skills in critical thinking, brainstorming, problem-solving and communication; all of which are vitally important for the rest of their lives.”

Kids also go on to maintain an interest in STEM areas at a rate that’s five times higher than their classmates, Haugen said.

“For EmBe, our mission is to empower women and families, and outcomes like this, particularly for young girls, are phenomenal when they’re involved in FIRST LEGO League,” he said. “It’s amazing, and that’s why the program is such a good fit for EmBe.”

The relationship with POET will continue through the season, including the championship competition in March.

“They’re sponsoring the tournament and also supporting us with volunteers,” Haugen said.

For POET, it’s a natural program to support.

“I would just like to thank EmBe for the mission they are trying to accomplish,” Miles said. “The skills they are helping these kids develop are extremely important. As a relatively new father, it is inspiring to see a group of leaders in the community be so passionate about the technical development of their children.”

Calling all rookies

While FIRST LEGO League’s season already is underway, there’s a chance for first-time participants to form a team for early next year.

The new Rookie Season will start in January, and “it’s a good fit for anyone who wants to start a team,” Haugen said. “There will be a season where they’re only against other rookie teams. So it’s a way to practice, a warmup to get them ready for the broader competitive season in the fall.”

Rookies are invited in both the Explore and Challenge programs, allowing kids age 6 to 14 to participate. Teams of two to six kids are needed for the 6-10 age division and teams age 9 to 14 can accommodate three to 10 kids. The season runs through late April.

“For coaches, there’s a curriculum to follow,” Haugen said. “I do training and coach calls and am always available to answer questions.”

For information, click here, or email jhaugen@embe.org.