Children in the Pits!

[JaneYoung]

I've noted in the past that children under 12 get very excited when in the pit area, to the extent that they don't want to go watch the robot competition. They enjoy the pits a great deal and they love all the team give-aways. What happens with school groups that bring too few adults and/or have adults that think they can just let the young students run loose is that the young students run loose. They are energized by the field trip, the robots, the teams' excitement and spirit, and the give-away collecting. Often, they try to out-do each other, creating a competition of their own with who has the most buttons, etc. Running through the pits with disregard for the teams, the robots, and the work that needed to be done was not good. In contrast, school groups who had plenty of adults who stayed with the children and supervised their actions and behaviors have been welcomed and enjoyed as they experienced the pits and the competition.

The key is plenty of adults who explain what the pits are, what the appropriate behavior and respect is, and who monitor that and enforce it.