Newton’s first Lego League team prepares for state competition

Members of the 4-H-sponsored FIRST Lego League team in Newton are finding that learning and having fun can go hand-in-hand.

FIRST Lego League (FLL) is a global competition for children ages 9-14. Teams can feature up to 10 members, and at least two adult coaches help support each group. The kids are the driving force behind FLL.

“We are a team,” said Holly Zahurones, a member of the Newton 4-H FLL team. “We do the work and find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.”

Beth Zahurones is in her third year coaching FLL. All four of her kids have been involved with the program.

“It’s a great program,” she said. “I love watching first-year kids come in and be like ‘I don’t even understand what’s going on,’ and by the next year, they are all in.”

There are three important aspects to FLL — project, robot and core values. The project element consists of the group’s presentation of a solution to a real-world problem.

“This year we did a project on cow pacifiers,” team member Caleb Ness said. “Some cows start sucking on each other, and they can get really sick from that. So we came up with a solution.”

That solution, the Calf Pacifier, was put to the test at the Zahurones’ farm. The results were encouraging. The calves took to the pacifiers, which reduced cross-sucking.

The team developed a skit that serves as an infomercial for the product. Using clever puns, like “cow-abunga,” “utter-ly amazing,” and “suck-cessful,” the team makes a case for purchasing the Calf Pacifier.

The team reached out to a patent lawyer from Des Moines and filed a provisional patent for the Calf Pacifier. Newton’s 4-H FLL team performed well at regional competition in Ottumwa. The group won the Global Innovation Award and now has the chance to compete at the state level on Jan. 14 in Ames.

If they win at state, the kids will have an opportunity to go to Washington, D.C.

“And the top prize for that is money to start your business to take it to market. $10,000,” Beth Zahurones said. “So we’ve got a new project ahead of us. Now we’re trying to come up with a business plan to show them what our idea was and what we’d like to do with it.”

The core values part of the equation is all about team-building activities, according to 4-H Youth Assistant Kara Warrick.

“Coaches aren’t allowed into the core values,” Warrick said. “Judging is all kids, and no coaches or parents or anybody can go in there. It’s just how well they work together as a team.”

Warrick said FLL has grown in popularity in recent years. There used to be only a state competition, but increased interest across Iowa led to the development of regionals.

“It’s huge,” Warrick said. “Every year it gets more exciting.”

But where do the Legos come in?

Legos are directly tied to the robot portion of the competition. Each year, FFL comes up with a different theme.

“This year’s theme is ‘Animal Allies,’ so it’s about our encounters with animals and how we can help and what we can make better,” Carlee Zahurones said.

In addition to the Calf Pacifier aiming to help animals, the robot part of competition is animal-related, too. Every FLL team across the country and the globe works with an identical board. The board is set up like a table with wooden borders a few inches tall surrounding its edges.

The teams develop and construct a robot with Lego parts. Each team’s goal is to use the robot to solve problems on the board. Accomplishing different tasks on the board results in points being awarded.

“They’ve programmed the robot,” said FLL coach Brian Ness. “They’ve designed and built the robot, and all of the attachments and different things that go on it. They tested it, tested it, tested it and tested it some more.”

Ness said that FLL stresses that the teams are not necessarily competing against each other but rather the board and the clock. Each team gets two and a half minutes to complete as many missions as it can.

Newton’s 4-H FLL squad is heavily engaged in the entire process. Caleb Ness explained how the robot worked. He pointed out the brain of the robot and the motor for the robot’s arm.

“But we can’t do any of the missions without these two motors,” he said, pointing to the bottom side of the robot. “They’re probably the most important motors of the robot. These both help the robot drive, and without them, the robot wouldn’t be able to move at all.”

The team is looking forward to state competition in January. Because of the Global Innovation Award, some extra preparation is necessary. Five additional minutes of presentation have been added.

“The reward for hard work is more hard work,” said Brian Ness.

Newton’s 4-H FLL team members are: Isaac Altman, Easton Klein, Joshua Ness, Caleb Ness, Damon Reynolds, Anneliese Wilson, Isaiah Wilson, Asher Wood, Carlee Zahurones, and Holly Zahurones. Its coaches are: Brian Ness, Scott Wilson and Beth Zahurones.

Contact Justin Jagler at 641-792-3121 ext 6532 or jjagler@newtondailynews.com