W5 Hosts Northern Ireland’s FIRST® LEGO® League Explore Festival

What is FIRST® LEGO® League Explore?

FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore is a non-competitive, hands-on, robotics-based STEM and life skills programme aimed at children aged 6 to 9. Each year, FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore presents a new and exciting challenge to ignite creativity and help children enjoy learning STEM subjects. It is a global programme, currently running in 40 countries and growing very rapidly in the UK and Ireland.

Teams consist of up to six children who work together on the three parts of FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore. Teams prepare and showcase all that they have learnt at The Institution of Engineering and Technology's (IET) FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore Regional Festival, organised by W5.

The programme’s aim is to build confidence in young children, spark a desire to continue studying STEM subjects and make learning enjoyable. Throughout FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore, pupils will gain invaluable life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving and communication.

This year's theme was Superpowered. Teams explored where energy comes from and how it is distributed, stored, and used. They then put their creativity to work to innovate for a better energy future.

Thank you to all this year's sponsors who funded teams to enter the competition and provided them with a Lego Spike Essentials robot. These were:

• Liberty
• NIE Networks
• CITI
• Firmus Energy

Thank you to the IET for providing funding to W5, enabling the science and discovery centre to host the event and run training to support the team coaches

The Participants

Thank you to all the below schools and groups that took part in this year's competition:

• Augher Central Primary School
• Larne and Inver Primary School
• Holy Cross Girls' Primary School
• Kilmoyle Primary School
• Enniskillen Integrated Primary School
• St Kieran's Primary School
• Ballykelly Primary School
• Dickson Primary School
• St Ronan’s Primary School
• Hogwarts Builders