This info is dated... things have changed!
ADMIN - Equipment Management
Pre-Season
- Drive to the five elementary schools and pick up the WeDo kits and 12-gallon team bins from each school
- Figure out how many teams based on registration (each team needs two coaches)
- Arrange for equipment to be handed out at the coach training
- Assign a bin to each team (G-1, G-2, etc.)
- Go through office supply bins to ensure each team has 6 pencils, a set of markers, some glue, at least 2 scissors, and a few sharpies – order supplies as needed and submit to Clare Mazur for reimbursement
- Order and get reimbursed for one trifold display board, two zip ties and 20 AA batteries per team
- Order Inspire Sets and team notebooks from FIRST
- Charge and set up iPads for each team. Set parent restrictions and email codes to coaches
- Photocopy coach manual as needed to be able to provide one per coach, in a binder also containing building use rules and guidelines, contact information for the program administrator for emergencies/problems
- Create and copy liability and equipment loan forms for the coach meeting
- Go through WeDo 2.0 kits and make sure each kit has all the required sensors and parts
- Check for a base plate, 3 motors and 3 battery packs per team
- Transport all equipment for handout at the coach training
- Keep track of the liability forms and iPad/equipment assignments
Coach Meeting
1) At the coach meeting, hand out all the equipment for the teams.
2) One coach from each team must sign an agreement to return the equipment lent to her or him in reasonable condition, or else replace items like motors, battery packs, the base plate, broken bins, etc. This does not include individual LEGO bricks. It does include the WeDo 2.0 kit. If one of the two sensors, the motor, or the programmable brick are lost from the WeDo 2.0 kit, the coach is responsible to purchase replacements. They can collect from the team to do that.
3) One coach from each team must sign a separate agreement to return the iPad, charger and iPad case.
Agreements can be found here.
4) Coaches can add donated LEGO to their bins from the available bricks for more variety.
5) Wendy sorted and stored replacement parts for the Simple Machine Kits for you. You can let coaches know these are available and set up a way for them to have access to those specialty bricks. These were culled piece by piece from LEGO donations. The coaches would need to sort their Simple Machine sets themselves and determine what pieces they are missing if they would like to use the build instructions from those kits. Someone should bring the replacement parts to the FLL Jr. meeting site on meeting dates; coaches can come and take what they need to complete the kits. Miscellaneous LEGO pieces to add variety should be kept separate in the "Treasure Chest."
6) Wendy sorted all the WeDo 2.0 kits for the 2018-2019 school year and replaced all missing parts. If coaches lose important parts during the season, you can get replacement parts for individual teams through Wendy.
7) Confirm with coaches how they will receive this year's inspire set and the notebooks for the coaches and students. Will they all be mailed to you and then distributed? Is FIRST mailing them directly to one coach from each team?
1) At the coach meeting, hand out all the equipment for the teams.
2) One coach from each team must sign an agreement to return the equipment lent to her or him in reasonable condition, or else replace items like motors, battery packs, the base plate, broken bins, etc. This does not include individual LEGO bricks. It does include the WeDo 2.0 kit. If one of the two sensors, the motor, or the programmable brick are lost from the WeDo 2.0 kit, the coach is responsible to purchase replacements. They can collect from the team to do that.
3) One coach from each team must sign a separate agreement to return the iPad, charger and iPad case.
Agreements can be found here.
4) Coaches can add donated LEGO to their bins from the available bricks for more variety.
5) Wendy sorted and stored replacement parts for the Simple Machine Kits for you. You can let coaches know these are available and set up a way for them to have access to those specialty bricks. These were culled piece by piece from LEGO donations. The coaches would need to sort their Simple Machine sets themselves and determine what pieces they are missing if they would like to use the build instructions from those kits. Someone should bring the replacement parts to the FLL Jr. meeting site on meeting dates; coaches can come and take what they need to complete the kits. Miscellaneous LEGO pieces to add variety should be kept separate in the "Treasure Chest."
6) Wendy sorted all the WeDo 2.0 kits for the 2018-2019 school year and replaced all missing parts. If coaches lose important parts during the season, you can get replacement parts for individual teams through Wendy.
7) Confirm with coaches how they will receive this year's inspire set and the notebooks for the coaches and students. Will they all be mailed to you and then distributed? Is FIRST mailing them directly to one coach from each team?
During the Season
1) You can choose whether or not to provide incentives for children like choosing LEGO pieces from the "Master Builder Treasure Chest."
2) Determine how and when to provide access to the replacement parts for the Simple Machine Sets.
3) Contact coaches and offer them the choice of showing their team's model at their elementary school science night. If they want to do that, you may need to arrange a collection time other than the Expo depending on the timing of the science night.
4) Determine the best method for collecting the equipment back from the coaches. The first year, only about 1/3 of teams returned sorted kits, even when given unlimited time to get this task done. Tracking down kits and coordinating drop off was a big pain, because coaches had 'moved on' and were unresponsive. The second year, Wendy collected all the equipment at GHS after the G-REC pizza party or from individual school science fairs to reduce the difficulty of tacking down kits. She sorted all the simple machine kits and replaced all missing parts, removed batteries from battery packs, and replaced all office supplies. You can find sorting help on this webpage. The third year, Wendy collected the equipment at the Glastonbury FLL Jr. Expo and skipped replacing parts in the simple machines kits. With the new workbooks, not all coaches bother with build experiments from the Simple Machines Kit instruction booklets. She did sort the WeDo 2.0 kits and replaced any missing parts. There was a check-in process to make sure important items were returned and the coaches didn't need to pay to replace anything. You can find that checklist by clicking here. The fourth year, a volunteer collected the kits from the Expo and stored them in the schools, unsorted.
1) You can choose whether or not to provide incentives for children like choosing LEGO pieces from the "Master Builder Treasure Chest."
2) Determine how and when to provide access to the replacement parts for the Simple Machine Sets.
3) Contact coaches and offer them the choice of showing their team's model at their elementary school science night. If they want to do that, you may need to arrange a collection time other than the Expo depending on the timing of the science night.
4) Determine the best method for collecting the equipment back from the coaches. The first year, only about 1/3 of teams returned sorted kits, even when given unlimited time to get this task done. Tracking down kits and coordinating drop off was a big pain, because coaches had 'moved on' and were unresponsive. The second year, Wendy collected all the equipment at GHS after the G-REC pizza party or from individual school science fairs to reduce the difficulty of tacking down kits. She sorted all the simple machine kits and replaced all missing parts, removed batteries from battery packs, and replaced all office supplies. You can find sorting help on this webpage. The third year, Wendy collected the equipment at the Glastonbury FLL Jr. Expo and skipped replacing parts in the simple machines kits. With the new workbooks, not all coaches bother with build experiments from the Simple Machines Kit instruction booklets. She did sort the WeDo 2.0 kits and replaced any missing parts. There was a check-in process to make sure important items were returned and the coaches didn't need to pay to replace anything. You can find that checklist by clicking here. The fourth year, a volunteer collected the kits from the Expo and stored them in the schools, unsorted.
End of Season
- Arrange for volunteers to help with equipment collection at the Expo
- Prepare coach instructions for equipment collection (remove batteries!!!, clean out papers, team meeting guides, etc.)
- Prepare checklists (with pictures) for collection volunteers Equipment_Loan
- Bring zip ties for sealing bins at the Expo
- Arrange for volunteers to drive equipment to the 5 schools after the Expo
- Arrange for WeDo 2.0 storage and someone to drive those to a school (in the past, Naubuc)
- Order major replacement items and bill coaches if appropriate
- Post list of which bins are stored in which schools for next season on the website
- Store iPads, chargers and replacement part bins with G-REC officer
Equipment Needed per Team
G-REC supplies each team with the following:
LEGO BIN CONTAINING THE FOLLOWING: (indicates the LEGO set number)
OFFICE SUPPLIES BIN:
MISCELLANEOUS:
LEGO BIN CONTAINING THE FOLLOWING: (indicates the LEGO set number)
- 1 15"x15" Baseplate (10701)
- whatever is left of the Bricks Set (9384), plus misc extra bricks
- whatever is left of the Community Minifigures Set (9348)
- 3 Power Functions Battery Boxes (8881)
- 3 Power Functions M-Motors (8883)
- 3 Simple Machines Sets (9689)
- 3 sets of instruction booklets from the Simple Machine Sets
- Maybe 45401 instead? BricQ Motion essential?
OFFICE SUPPLIES BIN:
- 20 AA batteries
- 6 pencils
- 2 black sharpies
- glue or glue sticks
- 2 pr. scissors
- colored markers
MISCELLANEOUS:
- We Do 2.0 kit
- iPad, iPad charger and case
- FIRST Inspire Set
- FIRST booklets for the coaches (1 team meeting guide) and children (6 workbooks)
- 1 trifold display board
Equipment Info:
- FIRST supplies 'Inspire Sets' and workbooks once two coaches per team have passed their background checks and the team has paid their registration fee on the FIRST web portal. Each team receives one Inspire Set, one team meeting guide and six workbooks for the students. I have always photocopied the meeting guide and provided one copy per team in addition to the one from FIRST, so the second coach can also prepare.
- New AA Batteries and trifold display boards are replenished every year, and misc. office supplies as needed.
The approximate cost for a reusable kit for a team is about $873:
- 1 iPad, cheapest version - $329
- iPad case - $15
- 1 WeDo 2.0 kit - $197.95
- 3 LEGO simple machine sets - $82.95 x 3 = $248.85
- 1 large LEGO base plate - $15
- 3 LEGO power functions battery packs - $7 x 3 = $21
- 3 LEGO power functions M-motors - $7.49 x 3 = $22.47
- 1 12-gallon bin - $12
- 1 office supply container - $5
- Scissors, 2 pair - $6
- Misc LEGO pieces - collect annually at no extra charge from FLL program, post-season
In theory, you could opt out of the simple machines sets and just use free LEGO. They were required before there was a curriculum. It seems like FIRST has gotten away from simple machines and more toward programming. You could also cut out the power functions motors and battery packs, but they have high fun value and don't cost much.
To run the program once you have the reusable kits, it’s not very much money each year for equipment, since you only need to buy batteries and office supplies. Every year you must supply each team with 20 new AA batteries and one cardboard tri-fold display board, like for science fairs. I started out each new kit with 3 glue sticks, 6 pencils, a set of washable markers, and a couple sharpies - those get replaced over the years as needed. That’s it for equipment annual expenses. About $200 for 20 teams.
Each year, you need to register the teams with FIRST. They offer a season’s pass for schools, which costs $955 for the first 18 teams. You then pay $99 for each team after that. So for 20 teams, I spent $1,153 on registration in 2020. If you expanded to 25 teams, that would cost $1,648 per year (at 2020 prices). At some point it becomes cheaper just to register two blocks of 18 teams at $1,910 rather than continue to add individual teams.
One of the biggest annual expenses are the T-shirts. If you offer the program at no cost, you can have families buy their own T-shirts, if you want shirts. You only need them if you are attending or hosting an Expo, so the kids can be identified as a team. The Expo cost varies. You need to have an entertainer; in 2020 we are having “The Playful Engineer” for $750. I’ve been buying medals for the kids and supplying some food for the volunteers, since we meet at lunchtime for reviewer training. Medals cost about $450 for 26 teams. I ordered for 26 teams because we always included the 6 magnet school in the Expo. They paid G-REC $50 per team to attend each year, which covers the cost of their medals and helps fund the entertainment.