Starting a Team
So you are thinking of getting involved, GOOD! Robotics has proven to be a fun and effective way to learn engineering, science, and technology. Students are energized by the competition and teachers have numerous opportunities to reinforce basic physics and engineering principals. Each year the game theme is designed to move students toward new areas of learning.
There are also many areas for students to participate besides the robot design and construction: displays, photography and videos, presentations and promotion, technical writing, and so on. On our team, we have more students involved with non-robot activities than with the robot itself!
We would encourage you to join an existing team, or to start a team of your own.
First, a word of caution... The competition is so fun that students will ignore other studies in order to be with the team designing and building for the competition. We have a strict rule on our team that students must be current on their other school work before they can come to robotics meetings.
And by the way, we home-schoolers meet two evenings a week plus half days on Saturdays in a church building and in garages. Any team can have similar schedules. There is no special advantage in the competition to being home schooled, public schooled, or private schooled.
How do I start my own team? We are glad you asked. Our first team had seven students and several parents helping provide logistical support. We think you can start a team with the following:
* 4 or more students dedicated to working hard for 6 weeks during the competition.
* 1 student who understands RC car electronics, or who is willing to learn.
* 2 to 4 adults (teachers or parents) who can provide project management guidance and logistical support:
* A place to meet
* Scheduling advice
* Transportation for kit materials and students
* Help assure safety at all times
* 1 or more students who know computer programing,or are willing to learn
After you have a team, contact the nearest Hub (local competition organization) and ask them for information on how to join. A list of Hubs is available from links at www.BESTinc.org. They also have information about starting a new Hub if you have several potential teams in an area currently not participating in BEST Robotics.
Finally, other teams may be willing to mentor your team as it starts out. The Woodlands Homeschoolers mentored one team this year. Depending on travel logistics, we will put on a one day Boot Camp to get new teams ready to compete. Contact us if you would like more information about how to get started, and we will get back with you.
BEST wishes!
The Woodlands Homeschoolers