What can your team do in the off-season? There is so much you CAN do. These are some ideas shared on the Facebook Group FLL: Share & Learn

1) Learn a new programming skill

Perhaps your team did not use sensors or did not use a particular sensor. Use the off-season to learn how to use those sensors. Or maybe you didn’t use any My Blocks. Use the FIRST LEGO League Challenge mat to test them out.

2) Complete more missions

Did your team not get time to complete all the missions? Use the off-season to work on the missions some more. You can come up with different ways of solving the missions as well. Since you would have attended several events, you might be inspired to try something new. Have an internal contest before the start of the next season.

3) Purchase an old Challenge Set or register for the FLL offseason

If you are bored of this year’s mat and missions, look on eBay, FIRST: Buy & Sell (on Facebook) or AndyMark. An experienced team or even your Program Delivery Partner might either sell or lend you an old kit. Old mats make brand new missions and can teach new skills (like colored line following)!

4) Practice programming skills

Have the best programmer on the team write up code. Have the rest of the team explain what the code does and how they could improve it. Have small challenges such as “who can write the best line follower”.

5) Practice building skills

Maybe your team did not use any gears or rubber bands. Try to build small mechanisms. Or build a Technic set that might have interesting gearing that you can learn from. There are really good LEGO building books you can look at too by Yoshihito Isogawa.

6) Do outreach

You might have more time now to host an Open House or demo at your practice location or the library. You can simply demo your FLL robot on an FLL mat or you can even run workshops.

7) Think about the research topic

Although you don’t know the topic, you know the broad category (senior citizens, trash, water, energy, arts, etc). Look up some information about the broad category.

8) Participate in an Off-season event

Check with your local Operational Partner if there is an off-season event or scrimmage that teams can participate in. Or you can even organize one yourself. Local FRC teams might be willing to host one. You might even attend an Open Invitational or World Festival event as a guest for inspiration.

9) Invite an experienced team over

If you want feedback and ideas, invite a experienced local team to a team meeting. Experienced teams can often be good mentors for a team all year round. Share your work and see what feedback they have to give you.

10) Go online!

How about making the team a website or Facebook/Twitter pages? Many FIRST teams have websites and social media sites to connect with other teams and with FIRST. You can use it to collect survey data, share you work with others, and even participate in FLL Twitter Chats.

11) Try another LEGO robotics tournament

Many states and countries off other LEGO robotics programs that will enhance your FIRST LEGO League skills. Some areas offer Robot Sumo, Robocup and World Robot Olympiad. For example, a museum in New Orleans offers MINDSTORMS-related challenges. These do not usually conflict with FIRST LEGO League and still use LEGO MINDSTORMS.

12) Build something completely new

Often times building and programming a robot for fun results in learning new skills. Can you convert your EV3 or SPIKE Prime into an musical instrument, a printer, etc.?

13) Build your team

The off-season is a good time for team members to bond. Go on outings together - the movies, the playground, etc. The goal is for the team to get to know each other while working on FIRST LEGO League skills.