A non-profit corporation which organizes, runs, and funds robotics clubs for students ages 6 - 12 in Portland and Cromwell and surrounding towns in Connecticut
AS OF AUGUST, 2024
PORTLAND ROBOTICS CLUB IS DEFUNCT.
Due to lack of interest and volunteers, Portland Robotics Club no loner operates.
ABOUT
Portland Robotics participates the FIRST Robotics - the world's leading youth-serving Nonprofit advancing STEM education. Teams also explore of technical topics outside of the FIRST program.
NOTE: Portland Robotics Club is committed to the protection of children We will never display photos of our team members on the website and we will never post the location of our meetings on-line.
FIRST Lego League is a division of FIRST designed for children younger than high school ages. FLL has three levels:
* FLL Design (ages 4-6)
* FLL Explore (ages 6-10)
* FLL Challenge (ages 9-14)
Portland Robotics Club provides programs within the FLL Explore curriculum and adds elements from the FLL Challenge arena for those builders who are ready for more sophisticated coding experiences. The normal build season for FLL almost mirrors the school year with a launch in August and events through April or May. FLL Challenge teams compete while the other levels participate in non-competitive Expos.
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Portland Robotics Club began mid-way through the 2018 - 2019 season with two teams in Portland. For the 2019-2020 season we had three FLL Explore teams (two in Portland and one in Cromwell) as well as an FLL Challenge team which did not complete. We anticipate remaining non-competitive for the time being in order to concentrate on the learning and fun aspects of robotics.
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Coaches have been able to add other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) activities into the meetings as time and ability level allows. Here's a partial list of past activities and learning topics outside the FIRST curriculum:
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* toothpick & tape design challenge
* Morse coding and de-coding
* Your name in ASCII
* Paper airplane contest
* Simple machines
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To learn more about our programs, contact the officers or get on our mailing list, scroll down to the the green area below!
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To learn more about FIRST Lego League click this buttons:
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Check back in June or get on our mailing list for our upcoming events:
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ONE-DAY ROBOTICS PRE-VIEW EVENT IN APRIL, 2022
NEW TEAMS FOR THE 2021-2022 SEASON ARE UNDERWAY. PLEASE JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR THE NEXT SEASON BEGINNING AUGUST, 2022
LOGO CONTEST
LOGO CONTEST
Logo Contest:
Open to all children ages 6 - 12
(you do not need to be a Portland resident to enter)
Three prizes for best entries
$30 Amazon gift card
$20 Amazon gift card
$10 Amazon gift card
To enter email your design to: PortlandRoboticsClub@gmail.com*
Deadline to enter: March 15, 2022 @ 11:59 pm
THE NEXT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING FOR PORTLAND ROBOTICS CLUB WILL BE ON THURSDAY* JANUARY 20, 2022 @ 3 PM VIA ZOOM. TO JOIN US USE THE FOLLOWING MEETING ID AND PASSCODE.
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MEETING ID: 847 689 8590
PASSCODE: ROBOTS
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* BOARD MEETINGS ARE USUALLY HELD ON THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH EXCEPT DURING SWIM SEASON (DEC - MARCH) WHEN THEY ARE SCHEDULED AROUND THE CLUB PRESIDENT'S PRACTICE SCHEDULE.
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ALL PARENTS OF KIDS INTERESTED IN LEGOS BUILDING OR ROBOTICS WELCOME!
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LOOK WHAT'S NEW FOR PORTLAND ROBOTICS
WE ARE NOW AN IRSÂ 501(C)(3) PUBLIC CHARITY
DONATIONS MADE TO PORTLAND ROBOTICS CLUB ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE
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WE ARE REGISTERED WITH THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENTÂ OF CONSUMER PROTECTIONS AS A PUBLIC CHARITY
COMING SOON . . . .
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PORTLAND ROBOTICS CLUB LOGO CONTEST
INTERESTED IN GETTING YOUR CHILD INVOLVED WITH ROBOTICS? ENTER YOUR NAME AND EMAIL AT THE RIGHT
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PAST SEASONS
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PLAYMAKERS (2020-2021)
For the 2020-2021 season ALL MEETINGS AND EVENTS TOOK PLACE REMOTELY. Teams met via video conference. Each team will consist of 2 to 3 families. Families will participate together. The cost to register was $28.50 per family.
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Registration included:
* A set of Lego elements to borrow - the Legos are tailored to the season objectives
* PDF files of the engineering notebook to print at home
* Meetings with other families led by coaches who are high school volunteers
* A robot to borrow for at least two weeks to run experiments
* A live-streamed end-of-season event with other teams sponsored by the robotics club at Farmington High School
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Each family is expected to provided their own:
* A laptop or tablet to connect to meetings, film videos, and run the robot
* At least one parent "mentor" during team meetings
* Time to work on session objectives in between meetings
* Curious kid(s) who enjoy Lego building and learning
* Miscellaneous craft supplies and common household items.
* A desire to have some fun and learn as a family!
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BOOMTOWN BUILD & CITY SHAPERS (2020-2021)
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For the 2019-2022 season Portland Robotics Club ran four teams:
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Our FLL Explore (then called FLL Jr) teams were: the Stone and Wreck, the Maple Builders, and the Cromwell Craners. Our first FLL Challenge Team was the Rebel Builders. Although they did not compete in the state championship they learned some valuable programming skills.
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Our three FLL Explore Teams participated in the Falcon Frenzy X-Po in 2020. Originally scheduled for Sunday March 15 in Middletown, CT the event was transitioned to a virtual event. Teams sent in videos of their presentations and a video opening ceremony and award ceremony were displayed on You-Tube. This was a major feat accomplished by the Xavier Robotics Team in the depths of the first month of the pandemic. A highlight of the event was the 3-D printed gold medallions awarded to the kids.
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MISSION MOON (2018-2019)
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Mission Moon was the challenge that started it all for Portland Robotics Club. We had two teams who met at the library and explored robotics using Legos. The 14 children wore matching red polo shirts at the expo in May 2019 and had a great time.
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