Lego, robots, and a group of kids.  Sounds like an interesting combination, and that's just what we'll be doing this fall.  My daughter is part of a First Lego League team that will be using Lego Mindstorms to accomplish a challenge and compete against other teams.   There are over 5,000 teams in North America alone!

One challenge is getting the kids to focus on all four areas that are part of the First Lego League challenge.  It's so much fun to work with the robot to run missions, how can I get them to realize that the research project is just as important?

I'm coaching a First Lego League team called the Nano Stormers.  For one part of the competition, the team has to do a presentation on the theme of this years' challenge.

The Nano Stormers competed at the British Columbia First Lego League tournament over the weekend.

I've been reading a borrowed copy of Lego Mindstorms NXT The Mayan Adventure by Jim Kelly.  I'd seen the reviews but hadn't got around to buying this book.  After borrowing both it and the Lego Mindstorms NXT Hacker's Guide, I'll be buying The Mayan Adventure.

If you're interested in Lego Mindstorms robots, here's a chance to see a robot competition over the web.

We're planning a week long robotics workshop based on The Mayan Adventure by Jim Kelly. 

Today's challenge is to navigate through a tunnel with two left turns, sit on a pressure plate for 30 seconds and then return out through the tunnel.

The challenge on Day Two of the Mayan Adventure is for the LEGO NXT robot to move across a string and drop pebbles in vase. I'm glad the book has robot building instructions because I have no idea if the kids are going to figure out this robot by themselves in just a couple of hours.

Today's challenge was more fun to recreate.  The hole in the wall was just a gap in the cardboard boxes.  The kids discovered that if they were in just the right spot, they could peak around the boxes and see the basket.  We added an extra box just inside the entrance to block that view.

I'm not sure about today's challenge.  It looks very simple, but needs a delicate touch.

Today's robot challenge is the most elaborate.

It's Mayan Adventure week 2!  We've been waiting for Jim Kelly's LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0: The King's Treasure, since we did our first Mayan Robotics Camp in 2007.