Powering Up for the Season: FLL Competition Boot Camp

Building the Foundation for FLL Success

This summer, students joined us at the CFI Robotics Center for an action-packed FLL Competition Boot Camp, designed to give young innovators a head start on the FIRST LEGO League Super Powered season. Over four days, campers became engineers, programmers, and strategists as they built competition-ready robots, explored coding and design concepts, and planned approaches for the official missions.

The camp began with a focus on teamwork and foundational skills. Students formed teams, created their own custom LEGO minifigures, and participated in icebreaker activities to build collaboration. They were introduced to the values and structure of FIRST LEGO League and learned how the Super Powered challenge works.

Teams built mission models and assembled sturdy base robots that would serve as the foundation for the week’s work. Through these early steps, students gained valuable insight into how mission elements function and how design choices affect performance on the field.

Strategy, Creativity, and Smart Design

On Day 2, the focus shifted to creative engineering and competition planning. Campers started the day with a fun team challenge that encouraged problem-solving and collaboration before moving into hands-on robot-building activities. They experimented with different mechanical solutions to understand how movement and structure work together in robotics.

Later in the day, teams began discussing and planning their mission strategies. They analyzed the official field missions, identified priorities, and assigned roles to team members based on their strengths and interests. Students also advanced their programming skills, learning how sensors and reusable code can improve consistency and accuracy during runs.

By the end of the day, campers were thinking like real robotics teams, combining engineering skills with strategic decision-making.

Mission Progress and Breakthrough Moments

Day 3 brought new levels of creativity and problem-solving. The morning began with a lighthearted paper airplane challenge that tested design thinking and precision. Then, students shifted back into robotics work, focusing on how to improve their attachments and mission solutions.

Teams reviewed examples from past competitions to inspire new approaches, then applied what they learned to their own designs. Many groups began combining multiple missions into a single robot run, demonstrating both teamwork and ingenuity as they refined their approaches.

By the end of the day, every team had completed several mission objectives and seen real progress in the reliability and performance of their robots. Excitement grew as students prepared for the final day’s showcase.

Refinement, Presentations, and Engineering Fun

The final day focused on refinement, creativity, and celebration. Students began with a warm-up session that allowed them to revisit projects from earlier in the week or dive straight into final mission testing.

The morning featured robot design presentations, where students explained how their robots worked, discussed challenges they encountered, and reflected on what they learned. The Aquanauts team also shared insights from their award-winning robot from last season’s Submerged challenge, offering valuable perspective and inspiration.

Teams spent the afternoon finalizing their code and strategies, improving their robots’ performance, and experimenting with different mission approaches. They also enjoyed a fun engineering challenge, designing and testing siege-style launchers and other creative builds.

The Grand Finale: Showcase Day

The camp concluded with a showcase where families gathered to celebrate everything the students had accomplished. Teams presented their robots and strategies, demonstrated their mission runs, and shared the lessons they learned throughout the week. The room was filled with energy, teamwork, and proud smiles as students saw their hard work come to life.

The FLL Competition Boot Camp was more than just a robotics camp. It was an opportunity for students to build confidence, practice collaboration, and gain hands-on experience as they prepare for the 2025–2026 FIRST LEGO League season. These young innovators are ready to take on the challenges ahead, and we cannot wait to see them shine in competition.