Frequently Asked Questions

General

What are the age limits for participation?

FIRST has several competition levels that are broken out into age groups.

    • FIRST LEGO League Explore is for children 6-10 years old. They must be able to read.

    • FIRST LEGO League Challenge is for children 9-14 years old; typically 4th-8th grade.

What are the time frames for the programs?

Signups typically happen in May and close by the beginning of June. Add your email to our mailing list on the home page and we will notify you of actual dates.

Once sign-ups are complete, our programs start in August (FIRST® official kickoff is typically in the beginning of August), and run through December or January. Actual ending dates depend on what competitions/expo dates are available. FLL teams that make it to the finals could continue to meet until early March.

How much will it cost for my child to participate?

Moorestown Robotics Club is a registered 501(c)(7) Social Club and is self-funded by registration fees from participants. The Club is not currently financially sponsored by the Board of Education, the township or any private/company donations. There are several fixed costs that the team must bear in order to participate including:

    • Team registration

    • FLL Explore: Explorer Set, WeDo (robot) kit purchase

    • FLL Challenge: Challenge Set purchase, Robotics kit purchase

    • Event registrations

    • Team T-Shirts

    • End of Season Party

Seasonal costs for each program vary per year based on projected expenses.

    • FLL Challenge typically ranges from $250-$300

    • FLL Explore fees are usually about $200

Team Placement

Does every child make it onto a team?

No. Traditionally we have about 1 child get onto a team for every 3 that sign up. Teams are limited in their size, and the demographics of a team vary widely. The best teams have a good mixture of age and boys/girl pairings. Existing teams also value continuity from year to year and keep the same members. Favoritism is usually not an issue, as a team of all close friends of the same age/sex can rarely focus on what needs to be done to succeed. The decision of which children are on a team is solely at the discretion of the team coach.

What will give my child the best chance to get onto a team?

The only way to GUARANTEE your child gets onto a team is to coach. Each team is REQUIRED to have TWO coaches. Of course, the coach is allowed to have his/her children on the team. Every year we have new coaches sign up who have never done robotics before. Please consider being a coach by filling out our coach sign up page. Your child will definitely make the team!

Robotics Kits

Do I have to buy a robotics kit for my child?

No. There will be "Team Kits" that teams are welcome to use. Team members will need access to a device to install the LEGO® software for programming the team robot.

Will my child get to keep any robots?

No. The cost of the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime sets are around $450 each. Moorestown Robotics owns several kits for use by the team, but those kits will follow the team to subsequent seasons.

Are these the same LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime sets I can buy anywhere else? (Amazon for instance)

Yes! The FIRST® LEGO® League uses the stock LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime kits for competition and supplements them with the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Expansion Set. If you already have a LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime set, then you are already working with the right platform.

Team Meetings

When will the teams meet?

Team meetings are decided by each team's coaches.

FLL Explore teams typically meet once a week on weekends.

FLL Challenge teams typically meet twice a week on weekday evenings and/or weekends.It is also typical for FLL Challenge teams to have additional meetings as qualifier date approaches.

Where will the team meet?

Most teams meet at the homes of their coaches.