Fifteen schools, over a hundred kids, and thousands of LEGO blocks.
The first lego league qualifying tournament at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse was a lot of fun for kids and adults, but it’s also a great chance to teach kids some valuable skills.
“Students get interested because of the LEGOS,” said NDSU Associate Dean of Undergraduate programs Scott Pryor. “But really what they’re doing is developing engineering skills, coding skills, they’re doing computer programming, they work on a research project, and developing a lot of communication skills, teamwork skills, it really runs the gamut.”
Carefully designed battery powered LEGO robots perform a variety of simple tasks on an obstacle course. Whoever completes the most tasks in the two-and-a-half minute round takes the win.
Energy is high in between rounds, but once a match starts, you could hear a pin drop, as the kids focus up.
Most of the competitors today are naturally, huge lego fans.
“Once you build them, you got to play with them,” said 10-year-old Sathvik Arveity. “And that’s my favorite part.”
For these kiddos, the world of legos is a world of endless possibilities.
Who says you can’t learn and have fun at the same time?