LEGO-based robotics teams growing in Delaware | The Latest from WDEL News – WDEL 1150AM

Combining the skill of LEGO building with the knowledge of coding, teams throughout Delaware are preparing for the 2020 FIRST LEGO League.

One new entry will be the combined forces of Great Oaks Charter School and Kuumba Academy in Wilmington, as they held their first practice Thursday afternoon.

"I've always loved technology and coding, so I came here from a poster. It said LEGO League, and I thought 'oh, okay', and it has coding, so it's great," saidNasir Briscoe, an eighth grade student at Great Oaks.

LEGO League is split into four different age groups covering K-12, and challenges teams to build a robot, and then pre-program its motor to do various tasks, such as moving objects, or in one case, helping get a person unstuck so they can continue swinging.

Briscoe said he can still remember when he got his first set.

"I didn't really play with toys as a kid, I wasn't one of those kids. I played with technology, and when she gave me a LEGO set, I started building it, and I loved it."

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The Great Oaks/Kuumba team is getting a huge assist from Mount Pleasant junior Davis Miller, who is serving as the team's mentor, while also helping to get his school's team ready for the top division.

"What gets me into robotics is the fact probably half of it is team-building and the camaraderie of the students that you wouldn't get anywhere else, except maybe a sports team or a family. I think what it teaches kids about working together is invaluable."

Teams, including traditional schools along with various Boys & Girls Clubs in Delaware, are in the preliminary planning and building stages through the end of 2019. Statewide competition begins in January, and successful teams can move on to national, and perhaps even international, competition.

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LEGO-based robotics teams growing in Delaware | The Latest from WDEL News - WDEL 1150AM