Join us for our Festivals

Ontario FIRST LEGO League Explore Festival
December 11, 2021
Virtual event only

Ontario Provincial FIRST LEGO League Explore Festival
Virtual reviewing on April 14, 2022
In-person showcase on April 16, 2022

Virtual reviewing with an in-person showcase

Ontario FIRST LEGO League Explore Festival
June 4, 2022
Virtual event only

Join us for our Festivals

W.A.F.F.L.E.S. Community Robotics is pleased to host annual FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore Festivals for the Ontario FIRST community. If you have a FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore team, our Festival will connect you with reviewers and allow you to show off your team’s achievements through a celebration. In the 2021-2022 season, some events will be hosted virtually so that teams from around the province can participate. We hope that later in the season, we will be able to have in-person meetings following FIRST Canada’s vaccine rules. W.A.F.F.L.E.S. Community Robotics has hosted festivals for the Kingston community for ten years and is proud to invite Ontario teams to our virtual events.

More Information

To get help with your team (including advice and remote mentoring), contact W.A.F.F.L.E.S. Community Robotics at info@wafflesrobotics.com and our FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore mentors will try their best to help out.

To find out more information about our competition, reach out to the Expo Director:

Dress

Teams are encouraged to dress up for the event. They can wear team t-shirts or dress in a way that connects to their project or Inspire Model. Have fun with the team’s dress; the day is meant to be a celebration for your team.

Remote participants are still encouraged to dress up to join the fun.

Cost

Event registration is:

• $25 for virtual registration
• $25 for hybrid event registration

Registration fees can be sent by E-transfer. Information on the recipient address will be provided to registrants.

Out-of-Province Teams

Teams may participate virtually from outside of Ontario. Please be advised that all times are given in Toronto, Ontario time. All fees are assessed in Canadian dollars. Additional expenses will be added to registration for the cost of shipping awards out-of-province. Since international shipping fees for parcels are quite high, international teams may opt to not receive the physical awards/trophies and pay the flat registration fee given above. Please contact the Festival Coordinator for additional information if you plan to participate from outside of Ontario.

Reviewing Process

• Teams participating in-person (not possible for the 2020-2021 season) will be asked to check-in between 12:30 and 1 pm. Reviewing will commence promptly at 1 pm according to the schedule. A team queuer will inform you of any schedule changes and will queue your team prior to your review period.
• Teams participating remotely will be sent a reviewing time. Currently, we plan to use Zoom for as our video conferencing platform (subject to change per regulations from FIRST for remote event participation). Your team can check-in five to ten minutes before your review time. At your review time, you will be sent to a private room with your reviewer. Parents and teachers are encouraged to join the review call and can watch the proceedings. If your team requires accommodation for a different process (i.e. to comply with your school board’s policies for video conferencing), contact the Festival Director to make arrangements. Our reviewers can be flexible to accommodate different requirements.

In the Review Room

Your team will bring its Inspire Model and Show Me Poster to the review room. For teams participating virtually, both the Inspire Model and the Show Me poster may be split between the students (that way, teams do not need to meet and combine their work).

Reviewing will take between 10 and 15 minutes. Your team will be asked about their Show Me poster and Inspire Model. Your team may prepare a one or two minute presentation (or your team may present informally, depending on your students). Reviewing is designed to be informal, encourage discovery, and celebrate your season. Teams are not ranked against each other during the review session.

Review Feedback

Team rubrics will be sent to teams via e-mail after the festival.

Team Celebration

Following review period, teams are invited to a team celebration. This recognizes each team’s participation and allows teams to show off their Inspire Model and Show Me poster. Teams will be asked for more information about their team about one week prior to the event to be included in this celebration.

• Challenge Solution Award: These teams showed excellent problem-solving skills to create an innovative and helpful solutions to the challenge.
• Coding Award: These teams gave effective explanations about how their code made their team models move and showed good communication skills.
• Core Values Award: These teams demonstrated great teamwork as they explored the challenge, showing they fully understood the FIRST^® Core Values.

• Team Poster Award: These teams showed creativity on their team poster and clearly explained what they had learned through their FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore team journey.
• Team Model Award: These teams displayed innovation and creativity through the design and building of their team models.
• Additional Awards: Teams can be recognized for achievements outside the award list, for example, the Community Impact Award.