Learn about FIRST
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) is a world-wide organization that promotes STEM through robotics for students in elementary school, middle school, and high school. Watch these short videos to learn more about their mission and how it works. ​
Fill out this form
By registering your interest, you will be put on a low-volume mailing list to receive information about robotics opportunities in Brookline. 
Know the Team Basics
To start a FLL Explore team, you'll need...
  • A team of up to 6 kids in 2nd - 4th grade ~ all skills levels are welcome!
  • At least 2 adults to be coaches (technical experience is not required)
  • A space to work and store parts (could be as small as a box and a table or as big as a garage or spare room)
Hear from 10-year coach, Adam Rizika, about his experience heading elementary school, middle school, and high school teams. 
​Learn more about FLL Explore here. ​
Create a FIRST Account
As a coach, you will need to make a FIRST account to register your team, access coaching resources, purchase parts, and more. Create your account here. 
Register Your Team
FLL Explore season registration costs $99. This includes the 2020-2021 team participation fee, PLAYMAKERS Explore Set, Engineering Notebooks for each student, and a Team Meeting Guide for coaches. Using your FIRST account, register your team!  
​Once you register, you will receive information about competitions and scrimmages and gain access to coaching guides and resources. Congrats! :)
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Buy Materials and Parts
In order to get your team rolling, there are a few more parts you need to purchase.
Here are those parts:
  • LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 Core Set ($225)  ------------------> (only for new teams– once you buy these parts, they can be used for many years to come)
    • These parts (new or gently used) are available to buy through FIRST.
  • A computer or tablet is not required but is recommended for researching, strategizing, and coding.
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This may seem like a lot to buy, but if you look at it as an investment in your child(ren)'s future that they and you will remember forever, we hope you'll see it's totally worth it. Additionally, there are often grants teams can apply for if costs become an issue. Check out the FIRST website to see if there are any grants available for your team.  ​
Congratulations! You have a team! 
What are you waiting for? Organize a team meeting and get going! A great place to start is by watching the challenge video for this year and brainstorming some possible designs and strategies. FIRST also has some great tutorial videos on Youtube that you could check out to get ideas. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and have a blast! You got this!
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​Check out our resources for coaches page below to see the supports we've compiled. 
Found a great resource that's not on this list? Let us know at brooklineroboticsinitiative@gmail.com, so we can add it. Your fellow coaches will thank you! :)


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We know being a coach is not easy! If you have any questions or need support, feel free to reach out to us at brooklineroboticsinitiative@gmail.com