The First Lego League (FLL) is an opportunity for children, ages 9 to 14, to learn hands-on applications of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills in an environment that is both serious and fun.

“I like to build with Legos,” said Carissa Fieldson, a member of the Maywood ‘Atomic 7.’ “I just thought it would be fun to program and learn new things.”

For a group of students from Maywood Elementary School in Bothell, it was an opportunity to learn STEM skills but, even more, a means to have fun and make new friends while playing with robots – theirs named Billy Bob Joe the Third or ‘Bob’ for short.

“Why I like all this stuff, mostly, is because, one: it’s Legos, two: I like building stuff, three: I like programming, four: I like robots – it’s really fun,” said Skylar Gaub, student of the Maywood FLL team. “What I also like is I’m able to be with my friends.”

Each year, students of the First Lego League choose an issue within a topic to not only learn about, but to create a robot that can use it’s own sensors to autonomously glide through a table-borne challenge and a classroom presentation for other students to learn from.

“The toughest part was probably deciding how we were going to present our project, if we wanted to do a skit or a song, or something,” said Phillip Cecil. “…We didn’t want to give them a boring lecture, like blahblahblah.”

According to Philip Cecil, they decided to create a skit so they could showcase how students can learn from their team’s fun and interactive lesson. Although, others on the team thought that distractions were the hardest thing to overcome, not the decision making process.

“We all got distracted sometimes, but in the end we really toughened in some ways, … and were serious about what we were doing,” said Logan Hough.

Seriousness in hand, the Maywood team decided to tackle a lesson about how the human ear works and how the brain receives information from the ears. They created rolled-up and side-view cochlea models, a representation of the brain on a foam head for wigs, and even made a giant model of an ear, with a skit to go along with it.

“This robot game isn’t about perfection,” said Tommy Cecil. “It’s not about getting everything right, it not about winning, its about discovering – what we discover is more important than what we win.”

Their robot may not have maneuvered the board perfectly, their presentation ran more smoothly than they thought, taking the Maywood Elementary School’s First Lego League team to first place in Presentations. They were rewarded with a win, some amazing memories and cake.

“If you’re into robots, join FLL” Gaub said. “Its just fun to work with your friends and find others with the same interest.”

And there will be a next year. Until then, the team will continue to refine Billy Bob Joe III, meet new friends, and find ways to teach other students about real world issues.