LEGO League - Robotics Competition

As I've mentioned before, Cooper is on the LEGO League at school.   They were getting ready for a robotics competition, so they had practice before school (7:15am) every day for two weeks leading up to it.   They also got t-shirts for the competition day.

Derek took Cooper to Bradley University to meet up with his team on the Saturday morning of the competition.

They set up in their prep area and started to get ready.

There were other teams getting ready too, and competing getting started.

Cooper is on the programming team and types something into an iPad to control the robot and try to get it to complete missions.

I came to switch Derek places and bring lunches.  When we arrived, the Bradley robotics team was demonstrating their robot. 

It could pick up the ball and throw it, then the kids would roll it back so it could throw it again.

Then Derek took Miles and Owen to Miles' Basketball practice.

Cooper had some time to kill before the next event, so we walked a couple blocks to Starbucks for a drink. 

 Then walked back, which was way colder since we were walking into the wind on the way back!

Cooper walked backwards for a while.

When we got back to the college they had a practice round.

Next they had a team building exercise that they were judged on... they had to build a bridge or something without knowing what the project was before hand, then were watched to see how well they worked together.   They also had to do a presentation.  They chose to take about recycling and composting. Cooper memorized his paragraph and did very well speaking to the judges.

They didn't place well overall in the competition.  But they all learned a lot and showed improvement and used teamwork.

And they had a whole lot of fun!!

Derek took these photos after he came back and we switched places again.  He stayed with Cooper, I left with Miles and Owen...  and Derek's car keys. oh boy.  He left them with me when he took the van, just in case I had an emergency, I put them in my coat pocket and left them there.  Until I got home and realized it.  Then I had to drive them all the way back so Derek & Coop could come home too.