GEAR-Tech-21 and FIRST LEGO League can go together in many ways, with Junior FIRST LEGO League as a wonderful primer for younger children.  FLL teams may use the GEAR-Tech-21 curriculum activities to prepare for the season.  GEAR-Tech-21 clubs can participate in FLL for an exciting way to show off their robotics knowledge.

In Nebraska, GEAR-Tech-21 is the FLL Affiliate Partner and coordinates the Nebraska Championship Tournament.

What is Jr.FLL?

Junior FIRST LEGO League introduces elementary students to real-world engineering challenges by "Think About It," "Learn About It," "Build It," "Show It," and "Share It" activities.  Children are given a challenge and complete several tasks to accomplish it, with their experience culminating in sharing all that they have learned with others.  Teams may purchase an official Jr.FLL Base Kit when they register a team, or they may use any LEGO elements that they currently have.  The only restriction is that they must use a LEGO XL base plate (which comes with the Jr.FLL Base Kit).  Jr.FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society.

Elementary students get to:

• "Think About It" by exploring  the challenge from different angles
• "Learn About It" through research to discover what exists and what the future holds
• "Build It" by solving a current or future problem and building a prototype machine with at least one moving part from LEGO elements
• "Show It"  with making a poster explaining what they learned, how they learned it, and explain their LEGO model
• "Share It" at an organized event with reviewers and others who ask the children about what they learned and to explain what they built

What Jr. FLL teams accomplish is nothing short of amazing. It’s fun. It’s exciting. And the skills they learn will last a lifetime.

Now is a great time to start a Jr. FLL team!  Please contact Brandy Wagner at bwagner5@unl.edu for more information.

What is FLL? 

Introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society.

Elementary and middle-school students get to:

• Design, build and program robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology
• Apply real-world math and science concepts
• Research challenges facing today’s scientists
• Learn critical thinking, team-building and presentation skills
• Participate in tournaments and celebrations

What FLL teams accomplish is nothing short of amazing. It’s fun. It’s exciting. And the skills they learn will last a lifetime.

Now is a great time to start a FLL team!

Learn about the FLL Core Values and impact of FLL on the FIRST website.