The Shenandoah Valley Connection January 15, 2021

February 6-27, 2021 (Saturdays) | 9 am - 12 noon

Memorial Hall, James Madison University

College for Kids provides an enriching, educational, and fun experience for children in grades 1st-8th. Children work with JMU faculty and students, as well as experts from the community, to explore and discover talents they never knew they had!

Winter 2021 College for Kids will take place on Saturdays from February 6th - 27th. This program will be held in person. Your child's safety is our greatest priority, therefore all children will be required to wear a mask, and we will be practicing guidelines in keeping with CDC recommendations. See safety protocol here.

Course options include, but not limited to:

Learning to Be a Mad Scientist (1st - 4th Grades) - Science is a whole world of curiosity. In this class, we will learn all about the science that is in our world around us. We will have fun getting to be hands-on and experimenting with science.
Lego Engineering (1st - 4th Grades) - This class is for young Lego enthusiasts who are ready to delve into the world of engineering and computer coding. Each week, students will be presented with a different LEGO Engineering challenge designed to spark their creativity and put their technical problem solving skills to work. Participants will also get to work in teams to build and program Lego robots using the We-Do Lego curriculum.
Instrument Construction Projects (6th - 8th Grades) - Have you ever wanted to make your own musical instrument? Get your hands ready to create a rainstick, thunder tube, didgeridoo, and more! Learn how different materials create unique sounds. Construct musical projects to take home and perform. We will even add some technology to a lesson to see how computers and technology can make everyday objects become musically alive!

More information, registration, and additional courses for College for Kids

Looking for a grant to help start up your FLL team? Each year, the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council sponsors up to three new FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams from the Shenandoah Valley. Approximately half of the start-up cost of a new team is reimbursed, up to $350.

To be eligible, teams must be located in the footprint of the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council's area of operation. Applicants must also intend participate in the FLL competition within one year of receiving the grant. This grant can be used towards any equipment required for competition in FIRST LEGO League, including one or more LEGO robotics kits, a competition practice table, and an FLL field setup kit.

If you are interested in applying for the FLL Start-Up Grant, start on our FLL page and fill out, and send, the PDF linked on that page. Information and application for FLL Startup Grant

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About FIRST LEGO League (FLL), https://www.firstlegoleague.org

FLL was created through a partnership between FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and the LEGO company and inspires future scientists and engineers. it is an international competition that challenges young participants to think like scientists and engineers. Every year FLL introduces kids to a real-world scientific topic, and teams are challenged to find a solution. They also build a robot and compete in a friendly, FIRST-style robotics event specially designed for their age group.

This year's challenge, called Replay: https://info.firstinspires.org/2021season/replay

FIRST LEGO League Challenge RePLAY | Season Launch Video

About the local / Virginia league: Your state and local -Virginia and Shen. Valley- connection to FLL is VA-DC FLL (https://va-dcfll.org/), located in Harrisonburg. Virginia is one of the largest leagues in the world with over 600 teams. Start a conversation with Kaitlin and crew and see how you can get involved, right here in the Shen. Valley. (https://va-dcfll.org/who-we-are/)

Science and technology leaders are made, not born.