[Al Skierkiewicz]

Ellen,
If this is an after school team, you are more likely that most students will show up each day. Two days of 1.5-2 hours each should work for just building the robot and getting it programmed. If the team wants to try for the Director's Award, then either non builders need to spend time on that or one additional afternoon needs to be set aside for the research or it must be performed after team meetings. Figure the last week before competition they will be meeting most everyday. Please pass along that it is not unusual for a team to completely tear the robot apart and start over once or twice as long as it is a team decision. However, for the two weeks prior to competition, the students should be able to give a good reason for making changes before they modify their design. An additional day for tshirt design is not unusual. Take out some time each week to have a mock competition with a timer. During this time, ask a parent to sit an as a judge and let the students to describe the robot function and software design so they can practice speaking to adults.