Our team has the oppurtunity to show FIRST to about 2,000 8th graders at the annual Pfizer SAMJAM. WE basically have 15 minutes to say anything we want about FIRST, and i was wondering what people think we should show about our robot and the organization as a whole. Any input would be great.
so far, i was thinking the triple play original animation, maybe our team animation, and any video we have of our robot at competition.
I’m basically doing the same thing tomorrow for 8th graders at our local middle school. I am bringing our vision tetra which is a 19 inch LCD monitor we put inside a tetra and we are displaying the videos that one of our mentors created. We are also having sign-up sheets for next year and any interested students that want to learn more about the team. I am also planning on handing out flyer’s and pamphlets to all of the kids.
Will you have your robot back by then? Cause I would definitely suggest that if it is at all possible, you show it- I think a physical demonstration works best.
we have a working prototype of the Rat Trap to show, yes, but putting a goal in our booth would take up a large percent of it.
tell them a little about what FIRST is all about. Then sucker them in by telling them all the fun stuff, the awesome trips, the cool places. Then u’ll have them hook, line and sinker and just reel them in next year. Thats how i got tricked, errr… enticed… to join FIRST (the best trick ever played on me).
If you guys aren’t going to the championship and have your robot show that off. Nothing hooks people like the robot. Otherwise show videos from the build season, competitions and such.
When MOE does demos for kids we usually:
Introduce the people there, show the Lego and this years game video, and narrate the game video in simpler terms for the crowd. Then show off the robot and its skills and open up for Questions.
Since you are under a time restraint have handouts with info on FLL FRC and your team and be sure to include contact info and websites.
Good luck with your demo!
If you’re trying to get them interested, I’d say the best thing to do would be show the most exciting competition video you’ve got. 15 minutes doesn’t seem like enough time to explain even a fraction of what FIRST is about, so I’d want to get them interested enough to look into it on their own.
Of course, you still would want to talk about FIRST as much as possible…
Good luck!!
This program takes alot of dedication. You do not need to be a mathematical or scientific master mind to participate. FIRST is a program for everyone of all ages to enjoy…
You don’t necessarily need to play the game - just drive the robot around a little. 
Or instead of stacking the tetras on a goal, stack 'em on each other.
Something I am sure your team has already thought about, but make sure they all know you don’t have to know how to do anything or be some kind of physics mastermind. I must admit that is what scared me at in the beginning, I thought everyone on the team already new how to build and program and basically do everything and I would just be in the way. But I was very wrong…and in the my last 3 years I have learned so much. And isn’t that the point?
Speaking as an eighth grader show competition videos (with upbeat music) and make sure they understand IT IS NOT BATTLEBOTS. And that the competitions are an experience in itself.
One of the reasons that I was lured into F.I.R.S.T. was that when I was at some automotive exibit (4th grade) either team 67 or 27 were there with their robot and we got a chance to look at it and see all the different things they did to make it work. Another example my town holds their annual “September Fest” at the end of September (hence the name) and last year (my 8th grade year) team 27 was there with their bot an old piece of carpet taped to the pavement and they were doing demos of the robot. (note they also had a lot of free pens and pamphlets of the sort to give out to anybody who walked by)