FIRST® LEGO® League EXPLORE teams (up to 6 members and for youth between 6 and 10 years old) develop a model based on engineering problem solving to a real-world problem such as trash, food safety, recycling, energy, etc.. The model is built using LEGO® Spike Essentials robotics kit and the Explore Set. Teams are guided by a common set of FIRST Core Values.
The Festival event is similar to a science fair and typically is 2 to 4 hours.
FIRST® LEGO® League CHALLENGE teams (up to 10 members and for youth between 9 and 14 years old) research a real-world problem such as trash, food safety, recycling, energy, etc., and are challenged to develop a solution to their project issue. They also must design, build, program a robot using LEGO® Spike Prime, then compete on a table-top playing field. Teams are guided by a common set of FIRST Core Values.
Qualifier Tournaments are typically 8 to 10 hours and Championship Tournaments are typically 10 to 12 hours.
FIRST® Tech Challenge teams (up to 15 members and for youth in grades 7 to 12) are challenged to design, build, program a robot to play a sports-like game. Teams are guided by a common set of FIRST Core Values.
There are 2 event structures – MEETS and TOURNAMENTS.
- A MEET is a ~4 hour robot game only event.
- A TOURNAMENT is a day-long event that includes both Judging and Robot Game play.
How to volunteer
- Create a volunteer profile in the FIRST website – instructions
- Once an event is posted, you can apply to volunteer at an event. [Playing At Learning Events Calendar]
- Once you apply for an event and you have passed your background screening through Verified Volunteers, the event’s Volunteer Coordinator will assign you to a specific role and communicate the details including any training requirements.
- Please read and become familiar with the FIRST Youth Protection Program and FIRST Standards of Conduct.
Be notified by email about NorCal FIRST volunteer opportunities