Hayhurst School Lego Robotics Team 2018-19
"The 2018/2019 FIRST® LEGO® League season will transport your team into space, where you’ll explore, challenge, and innovate in the vast expanse of space." Visit the FLL Challenge page.
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First Lego League Core Values
Solve problems using: The FIRST® Core Values We express the FIRST® philosophies of Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® through our Core Values:
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What a fun season!
Final Robot Run at the Oregon State Championship- 144 points!!!
1/20/19: The Water Way compete in the FLL Oregon State Championship
The Water Way represented Hayhurst at the First Lego League Oregon State Championship on Sunday, January 20th. The Water Way had an outstanding day, scoring high in all judging areas and ranking 14th out of 64 teams in the Robot Game. The team more than doubled their local tournament score, scoring a whopping 144 points on their final round! One of the most exciting successes was that the team made a last minute change to an attachment which helped them complete a difficult mission right at the buzzer. What a fun way to end their final round! While they didn't win any awards they were one of only two teams who received tournament "shout outs". It was quite a compliment for this young, rookie team. Please be sure to congratulate all the members of the AMAZING Water Way when you see them: Oliver Carr, Halle Hubert, Xander Pitzman, Lauren Andler, Knnon Walter, Lauren Devlin, Neea Mende and Lena Mende. A very special thanks to all the parents and volunteers who helped both teams this season! We appreciate you so much!
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Running the board in 2 1/2 minutes and scoring 149 points!!!
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1/18/19: Final Week to Prepare for StateSo much has come together in the last two days! All the research presentation goals have been met. The Hygiene Helper prototype has been upgraded and is ready for action. The team even discovered a clever sensor used to wash dogs that they have added to their design. The newly photoshopped image of the Hygiene Helper in the International Space Station has been rendered.
The Core Values poster is complete and the team has a plan for presenting it. The programs all have notes and the Robot Design statement has been settled on. The robot and all the attachments are done. Probably the most exciting news of the week is that the team shaved an entire minute off their run time!!!! They have been able to run every mission in 2 1/2 minutes! They scored an amazing 149 points- woohoo! The Water Way are ready for State!!! Look out everyone because, here comes The Water Way!!! |
1/11/19: Preparing for State: Week TwoWith just four days left to prepare for state, everyone was busy pulling loose ends together. The team did a Sunday field trip to A-Boy to get new parts for what would become the new and improved Hygiene Helper. Thank you, Mike, for helping us and thanks to the parents for arranging it and taking us there.
At Wednesday's practice we focused on fine tuning our programs and the notes and getting the prototype built. We also did the research presentation and totally rocked it. On Thursday, we focused on the Core Values trifold, getting programs to work and running the board. The team is constantly thinking of new ways they can run the board better and more efficiently. It's fun to see them become a stronger team every day. We added the Solar Panel and Exercise missions and now have a potential of 160 points...we just need to shave a minute off of our run time. No problem, right? |
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Running the board with the added missions...if only we had 3 1/2 minutes instead of 2 1/2 minutes...
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1/4/19: Preparing for State: Week OneWe don't have a lot of photos this week because we were busy making decisions and getting things done. The Water Way know they need to up their game to compete at State. They decided to update the Hygiene Helper prototype and put together a trifold for the research presentation. They did another fun teamwork challenge and then began working on the required Core Values poster- thank you Shelly and Stacy. They also added two missions- Exercise and Solar Panel.
The team realized that using sensors would make the robot more accurate and consistent. They looked at all the programs and missions and have included sensors wherever they felt they would work. They also added a second touch sensor to the left side of the robot. All of a sudden, they are completing missions almost all the time! |
12/3/18: The Water Way Compete at the Local Tournament
Wow- what a day! The Water Way was definitely on its game! They had solid performances in all judging areas, impressing the judges with their teamwork, knowledge and skills. Their robot was consistent in all three runs and they met all but one of the goals they set for themselves. They definitely did not seem like a rookie team.
They won the Rising Star Award, an award given to young or rookie teams that show promise for the future, and they have been invited to compete at the FLL Oregon State Competition. Woo hoo! Go Water Way! Good luck at State!!!! See the full collection of tournament photos here. |
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12/2/18: The Galactic Narwhals Compete at the Local Tournament
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The Galactic Narwhals were amazing at the local tournament! They had strong performances in all four areas. They placed 4th in the robot competition, scoring a whopping 103 points. The biggest thrill was completing the Velocity mission in every robot competition run. The team met everyone of the goals it set for themselves- a true testament to a successful day.
While they didn't win any awards, they were clearly one of the top teams at the tournament. One of the highlights was the "Team Shout Out" at the closing ceremony. This is when teams recognize each other for exceptional things that have occurred during the day. The Galactic Narwhals were mentioned in six out of the ten comments that were made. How totally awesome is that? It's been an awesome run for this team! May they go forth and continue to share their magic! Go Galactic Narwhals! See the full collection of tournament photos here. |
11/29/18: Week ThirteenI'm not sure how we could have packed any more into this week! WOW- did we ever accomplish a lot. Hats and baubles are almost done. Both teams ran their script a few times and presentations boards are almost all done. Shelly did another teamwork exercise with us- it was super fun! We are so lucky to have her! The Water Way met with Dr, Couch and shared their prototypes with him. He asked them a lot of questions and offered great feedback on their Hygiene Helper ideas. Programs are improving and the teams are becoming more confident running the board. Both teams are now completing the Cone Module about 50% of the time- woohoo!
What a week!! Whew! So, how come there's still so much more to do to get ready? |
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11/20/18: Week Twelve
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We had one optional practice this week. It was nice to give each team a chance to work in the space alone. Both teams added touch sensors to see if their programs would be more consistent if they used another sensor. Both teams also adjusted their Space Travel and Extraction arms. And, both teams have added the Cone Module mission. The Water Way even ran the board in exactly 2 1/2 minutes. That was impressive!!! All in all, it was a productive day of programming. Thank you, Dakota, for helping the Galactic Narwhals!
Both teams read through their research scripts. Each made a few minor adjustments to make the scripts a little easier to read but, in general, the kids loved the scripts. Then the kids discussed team hats and baubles. Baubles are things we hand out to the other teams at the tournament. Next week, we'll start to make everything at practice. It was a fun day. We only have four days left before we go to the tournament!!! |
11/15/18: Week Eleven
Oh gosh- do we really only have 5 practices left?!?! Yikes! All of a sudden, it's crunch time! Scripts need to be written, programs need to be fixed, attachments need modifying, t-shirts had to be ordered, team cheers, hats and baubles need to be decided on and so much more! Needless to say, there aren't a lot of photos or videos from this week's practice.
We had a great visit with our friends at Watson Inc. One of their staff members happens to be a former NASA Food Scientist- how awesome is that? We learned a lot more about their edible plastic and also about food packaging for space travel. Thank you so much to everyone at Watson! Both teams eliminated two of their four robots. Not everyone's programs worked on the chosen robots. So, adjustments are being made. Next week, we'll chose the tournament robots. We are all looking forward to having an extended practice session during conference week. Wish us luck! |
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Running the Board - Week Ten
11/8/18: Week Ten
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What a totally fun week! The teams have made great gains in their research projects. The Water Ways have decided to design a shower wand and the Galactic Narwhals are exploring different edible plastic options to replace space food wrappers. By an awesome stroke of luck, Watson Inc. (an edible food plastic company) had samples of real space food that they sent to us. It was fun to see the samples up close. They also sent a big roll of edible plastic which all of us tried during snack time. We had fun wrapping our pretzels in the plastic before we ate them. The plastic was a lot stronger than we thought it would be.
The teams had their first session with Shelly. She's our Core Values coach. She is helping the kids prepare for the teamwork judging. Thanks, Shelly! The engineer partners are deep into trying to complete their missions. There have been some frustrating moments but overall, they are making progress. This is a persistent group! Next week, each team will eliminate two robots and start working at running the board as a team. We only get a measly 2 1/2 minutes to complete the missions, so we will have to get a lot faster! |
Running the Board: Week 9
11/1/18: Week Nine
Is it really week 9? Oh my! At last both teams have names. Meet the Water Ways and the Galactic Narwhals. Go teams!
The teams continue to fine tune their research projects. The Galactic Narwhals are still looking into edible wrapper options and the Water Ways are thinking through a wash chamber design. It's not easy to solve problems for space travel! Both team made huge strides on their missions. It's been fun to see them problem solve issues as they arise. It's not always easy to determine if it's the program, a malfunctioning sensor, a need to modify the attachment or something else. All of the engineer partners are doing a great job of working together and sharing ideas to come conquer their missions. We learned that we've misinterpreted the Crater Mission (Fran said she's sorry!) but the new understanding makes it easier! We can't wait for next week. Go Water Ways and Galactic Narwhals! |
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Running the board- Week Eight
10/25/18: Week Eight
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The weeks just seem to fly by! On Wednesday, both teams were excited to videoconference with Dr. Couch, an aerospace engineer at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Couch was kind enough to answer an array of questions from the kids. The Green team also videoconferenced with Dr. Zhao, Professor of Food Science & Technology at Oregon State University. Dr. Zhao's team has developed an edible wrapper that the Green team thought might work for space food. We sure have been learning a lot lately.
The teams didn't have a lot of time to program but they made the best of the little time they had. It definitely felt like there was a full moon because we had a lot of weird troubleshooting issues! In general, though, the teams finished the week making progress. The kids were a little frustrated when their partners were switched but they adjusted. We are trying to keep their ideas fresh, and to make sure everyone works with each other. We are eager to see what next week will bring! |
10/18/18: Week Seven What a fun week! We are finally working on missions- woohoo! The engineer partners are happy to be programming, building attachments and running the robots. They have great ideas for solving the missions. A few partners even have their missions working.......... at least sometimes.
Research is going well, too. The Green Team is looking into edible wrappers to help waste. They will be speaking with Dr. Zhao on Thursday. She has developed an edible wrapper and produce dip. The Water Ways (formerly known as the Orange Team) are honing in on their idea. Their list includes a wash chamber, a water vacuum, a water sensor, alternative toothpaste spitting options and more. Both teams will be videoconferencing with Dr. Ron Couch, Supervisor of the Structures Section in the Air and Missile Defense Sector at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, on Wednesday. We are all excited! As if the week wasn't good enough- the kids got to meet a real astronaut, Dr. Mike Barratt, at OMSI! The kids even asked questions! Many thanks to the research coaches for transporting them and making sure they all got home safely. |
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10/11/18: Week Six
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This was a pivotal week for both teams. The four matching team robots are built, the color sensors and arms are attached and some engineer partners even started programming missions!
Each teams chose one pair of engineers to decide where the arms and color sensors should be located on the robot. Attaching them was particularly challenging but they persevered and there are now eight robots that are ready to be put into action! Each team chose four missions to focus on. Several engineer partners have already starting programming. It was fun to finally see robots running the board. Both teams continue to work on narrowing down their research topics. We hope to select specific problems by next practice. The Orange team is still looking at personal hygiene and the Green team is looking at food waste. Everyone is excited to finally be working with the robots! |
10/4/18: Week Five
What a busy week! Each team considered all four robot designs that the engineer partners had designed and built. They ran each robot on the board, looked at the general construction and considered how the robot might function for the missions. Both teams voted and selected a single design. Then they pulled apart the other robots and began building three robots identical to the design they had chosen. During the process, they looked for ways to improve the design and considered where they might put sensors and arms. Next week the teams plan to choose missions and start programming!
The research projects are moving along, too. The Green Team has chosen to look into refrigeration for food and the Orange Team is focusing on personal hygiene. We are all learning so much about space - what a fun theme! |
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9/27/18: Week Four
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The teams worked with the research coaches to narrow down their research topics. Thank you research coaches for volunteering your time! They considered radiation, neurological issues, boredom, space junk and much more. Each team chose a topic: the Green Team chose food and the Orange Team chose personal hygiene. We are eager to know what specific problems they will focus on and what creative solutions they will come up with.
All of the kids worked with engineer partners to design and build robots. There are now four unique robots for each team to consider for their team robot. The partners downloaded simple programs and tested their robots on the board. Some teams made modifications to improve their design after observing their robot. Everyone enjoyed running the robots and seeing each other's designs. The teams are eager to chose a team robot so that they can start working on the missions. Let the fun begin! |
9/20/18: Week ThreeThe teams have been announced and they are off and running! Each team created a teamwork contract/poster which they all signed. Next week we will photograph each team with their posters.
Next the teams discussed board strategy and robot design as they once again reviewed the mission options. Then they worked with engineer partners to begin designing and building robots. I think most of the kids were surprised at how difficult it was to attach the motors and to build a sturdy robot. It was impressive to see, that in spite of all the challenges they had, they still managed to build eight good starts to what will become eight unique robots by the end of next week. It's great fun to see the kids getting to know each other and learning how to work together. |
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9/13/18: Week Two
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Do we really have all the mat pieces built already? Wow- these kids are fast! It's fun to see the completed board and to start thinking about how we might do the missions.
Once the mat pieces were completed, we worked with partners to become experts on at least two of the fifteen missions. The missions are more complicated than they seem. We read the Mission Guide online and watched mission videos to help us understand all the details. Then each expert team taught the rest of the group the details of their specific mission challenge. We have a lot to consider before we choose missions and begin designing the robots. The last thing we did was watch robot design videos. Lego Robotics has a lot of fun parts that a typical Lego kit does not. There are so many different kids of pegs! The team was especially excited about the one way door. Next week we will divide into two teams and begin designing robots. |
9/7/18: Week OneThe 2018-19 Hayhurst Lego Robotics season has begun at last! We had a great first week. The team reviewed their student contract, they learned about the daily routine, they began building the challenge models with partners, they watched the challenge videos and began researching humans in space. It was a busy week!
The favorite part of the week was building the models. Some of the models are extremely complex and most have a lot of pieces. A few of the partners have already completed their models. It is fun to see the challenge board come alive. All of the team members have gotten to know someone they hadn't know very well before. It won't be long before everyone feels like they've known each other forever. It's going to be an awesome season! |
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