FIRST and LEGO Education Challenge Students from More Than 100 Countries to Explore the Layers of the Ocean During the FIRST LEGO League SUBMERGED Season | FIRST

MANCHESTER, N.H., August 6, 2024 — FIRST^®, a robotics community that prepares young people for the future, and LEGO^® Education announced that the 2024-2025 FIRST^® LEGO^® League season, SUBMERGED^SM (for students in grades PreK-8), will inspire students to use their STEM and collaboration skills to explore life beneath the surface of the ocean. 

During the FIRST LEGO League SUBMERGED season, teams will discover what lies beneath the surface of our planet’s most complex ecosystem and explore the role each inhabitant plays in building a thriving environment. Through critical thinking and design skills, students will create new ways to build a better world with healthy oceans. 

“FIRST LEGO League SUBMERGED will give students the chance to explore the depths of the ocean while honing important STEM and holistic skills. Throughout the season, they will uncover their own potential to solve real- world problems and design innovative solutions alongside their teammates.” said Chris Moore, CEO, FIRST. “I cannot wait to see these students bring their learnings and ideas to the surface this season.” 

Team registration for all FIRST LEGO League divisions is now open. 

• FIRST^® LEGO^® League Discover students (grades PreK-1) will explore the season theme through collaboration, building, and playful learning. They will create and test their ideas and solutions and share and communicate what they have learned with others.  
• FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore students (grades 2-4) will investigate concepts in a variety of ocean environments. Students will build ocean habitats, animals, vehicles, and places where research can be conducted. They will explore coding and motorizing parts of their team model.  
• FIRST^® LEGO^® League Challenge students (grades 4-8, ages 9-16 outside of the U.S. and Canada) will learn about how and why people explore the oceans. Students will identify and research a problem related to the season theme and then design and create a possible solution. They will also identify a mission strategy and design, create, and code a robot to complete missions during a 2.5-minute Robot Game. 

“The ocean connects everyone and yet there is still so much to learn about it. This year’s theme will naturally engage students as they relate to and explore the world around them,” said Camilla Bottke, Global Head of Competitions, LEGO Education. “LEGO Education is excited to see how teams collaborate and discover the many intriguing connections between ocean life and STEAM.” 

FIRST LEGO League SUBMERGED is part of the 2024-2025 FIRST^® DIVE^SM season, presented by Qualcomm Incorporated. FIRST LEGO League Global Program Sponsors are LEGO^® Education and The LEGO^® Foundation. The FIRST LEGO League Challenge Division Sponsor is Rockwell Automation. 

FIRST LEGO League is available as an individual team or Class Pack depending on the number of students participating in the program. FIRST Class Packs can be implemented in classrooms or structured after-school programs and provide educators and communities with flexible, high-quality STEM learning experiences for students using evidence-based practices. Each Class Pack registration includes support guides, teaching slides, exclusive division sets, and access to digital materials through the FIRST Thinkscape Portal. 

 

About FIRST^® 

FIRST^® is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12) that can be facilitated in school or in structured after-school programs. Boosted by a global support system of volunteers, educators, and sponsors that include over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, teams operate under a signature set of FIRST Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual challenges.

An international not-for-profit organization founded by accomplished inventor Dean Kamen in 1989, FIRST has a proven impact on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school. Participants and alumni of FIRST programs gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships and employers, and a place in the FIRST community for life. Learn more at firstinspires.org.