It’s never too early

‘It’s never too early to discover STEM’ is the motto at the core of the FIRST LEGO League Explore programme. Based around the values of fun and exploration, the Explore programme gives primary school students the chance to engage with real world problems and present their ideas to teams of reviewers. Participants are encouraged to develop skills in a range of areas including teamwork, design, and coding by working with LEGO bricks and models.

This year’s theme is SUPERPOWERED which introduces the students to the idea of energy journeys and encourages them to explore their own ideas and solutions for the future. The teams build models of a windmill, energy storage unit, and a carousel to map out how energy, is made, stored, and then used. Then the students are asked to consider how this journey can be improved and carry out a project on their ideas.

This week, the Worcester Bosch site was the first of three sites to welcome 6 teams of 6-9 year olds to participate in a LEGO League Explore Festival. Having put together presentations based on this year’s theme, the students discussed their ideas for cleaner energy and a more sustainable future with the Bosch associate reviewers.

We were supported during the festival by volunteers across the business who helped to run the event. We all had such a brilliant morning meeting the students and seeing how much time and thought had gone into creating their models and we were blown away with their skills at coding at such a young age.
Sue Pennington (HC-GB/MKT)

The teams had prepared a wide range of innovative and enthusiastic ideas from electric planes and solar-powered cars to windmills that pivot to find the best position. They also had the chance to speak with associates about their careers at Bosch and what a future in STEM can look like.

The teams were also reviewed on their ability to demonstrate the LEGO League Core Values of discovery, innovation, impact, inclusion, teamwork, and fun. Each team was rewarded based on their strengths and abilities with a medal and a Bobby the Boiler mascot. One teacher said: “The fun is what they kept coming back to and what they will remember.”

LEGO League Explore gives Bosch a chance to directly connect with this age group and help introduce them to STEM and inspire them at an earlier age. These students’ enthusiastic participation is just one example of what engaging with future generations can achieve. The next Festival will take place at the Bosch headquarters in Denham on the 23rd of June.