Session 1 Recap: 15 Keen Kids Join Season Kick-off
We kicked off the 2026 Robotics season this past Sunday with 15 Gojos and almost an even split between returning and new faces. We can’t wait to get to know all of our new teammates and their parents over the coming weeks.
This session we…
talked about thinking modes and how they affect decisions we make for ourselves and with our team
recruited some goats as teammates in a wacky obstacle race
voted for our team name
reviewed the BIOGLOW mission map and how to score mission difficulty
Next week, we’ll start with a challenge that’s all about communication and follow up with some basic robot programming as we coordinate our robot dance!
Homework & Reminders
Review & Score BIOGLOW Missions - Mission Video and Score Sheet
Build Mission Models - for build instructions chose “Founders Edition Grades 4-8 (Challenge)” and scroll to the “Build Instructions” section.
Give us your Gojos T-shirt size(youth sizes)
Submit a T-shirt design(optional) for team name “Google it!”
Labor Day meetup "Build & Grill" (optional) - if you are in town Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 7th), come grill out at steamHouse. We have two additional sets of mission models to build! So come join us for builds, brats, and hot dogs! We'll build from around 3-5pm and grill from 5-7pm
* Note the Schedule Change * JeffCo schools has a teacher workday Sept. 18th, so we will be moving practice from Sept. 20th to Sept 27th to accommodate any family plans for the long weekend.
steamHouse Commons Connection
In this session, we brought in a few important pieces from the steamHouse Commons framework and Team Playbook.
Automatic, Conscious, and Purposeful Mindsets
In the past, we’ve seen Gojos argue not for what’s best, but to win. To have their program or attachment be the one chosen. As we progress through the season, we’ll guide Gojos to use their conscious and purposeful thinking to truly evaluate what’s best for the success of the team, even if it sometimes means putting aside an individual victory. Not to mention, Teamwork and Inclusion are two of the core values for which points can be scored in the FLL tournament!
Playbook Lesson 2: Choosing Our Name
Deciding a team name can be divisive. Especially if a simple majority is utilized. Voting that supports team cohesion looks a bit more like Ranked Choice in the steamHouse world. By ranking our favorites AND the ones we really dislike, we end up with a name chosen with buy-in from the whole team. An intentional process that takes a bit longer, but gets us on the right foot out of the gate!
Stay tuned for more steamHouse connections as the season rolls on!