FIRST® Mentorship
At Red Tie Robotics, we are committed to providing
We use the FIRST® Robotics Curriculum
FIRST® is the world’s leading youth-serving nonprofit organization that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK – 12). The programs are backed by a global network of mentors, coaches, volunteers, alumni, and sponsors. FIRST® has a proven impact on learning, interest, and skill-building inside and outside of the classroom.
Red Tie Robotics is proud to guide, mentor, and lead interested students in joining one of the FIRST® programs. Our Robotics programs are open to all families in the San Ramon Valley, Dublin – Pleasanton, Walnut Creek and more. Kindly note that we are a volunteer-driven organization, and parents serve as team coaches, so please consider volunteering.
More questions? See FAQs or email outreach@redtierobotics.
Here are the two FIRST® Robotics programs that Red Tie Robotics Foundation will be supporting:
FIRST® LEGO® League Explore
Explore introduces STEM concepts to kids ages 6 – 10 years (K-3 grade) through fun, exciting hands-on learning. Participants focus on the fundamentals of engineering as they explore real-world problems, learn to design, and code and create unique solutions made with LEGO® bricks and powered by LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential.
FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge
Friendly competition is at the heart of FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge, as teams of students (4-8 grade) engage in research, problem-solving, coding, and engineering-building and programming a LEGO® Education SPIKE™
Interested in starting a team? Submit the interest form and one of our team members will reach out to you.
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How does coaching work?
A: Red Tie Robotics is a volunteer-run organization, and we are here to help, guide, and support you in your journey with FIRSTⓇ, the curriculum we follow. We start by coaching the coaches. For any FIRSTⓇ program, coaches are typically parents. Each team needs two coaches and practices could be held at any location of the team’s convenience – home, garage, school, community organizations. Coaches will coordinate the practice schedule with their team, but FIRSTⓇ provides a comprehensive kit with step-by-step guides and detailed instructions for each session.
Q: What resources are available for coaches? Is engineering experience necessary to coach?
A: No experience necessary! We provide everything you need. FIRSTⓇ provides guided lesson plans and digital tutorials for the kids. Additionally, Red Tie Robotics provides an annual Coaches Training and support throughout.
Q: What’s the best way to form a team? How can I ensure friends are together? What if we don’t know anyone?
A: The best way to register is with a friend group AND two volunteer coaches already pre-selected. Otherwise, we’ll do our best to honor preferences and match kids with coaches and based on vicinity/logistics. We always need more coaches, so if you are able, please indicate your desire to coach during registration. Coaches do not need any prior experience!
Q: What is the time commitment?
A: Usually, if you form a competitive team- one practice per week for FLL (1-3 hours, depending on the team). During the Competition Season, you will participate in one league scrimmage on a weekend and one league tournament on a weekend. Competitive teams may opt to participate in more tournaments outside of one Tournament as well. We fall under the NorCal division and there are several NorCal Tournaments in the Bay Area.
For non-competitive teams on the other hand, there are standard number of sessions detailed out by FIRSTⓇ and you can follow that just like you would for a typical Scout meeting. For example, FLL Challenge has 12 sessions detailed by FIRSTⓇ. You can meet as often as you’d like and complete the 12 sessions at your own pace. We recommend that after doing one non-compete season, you should try to get into the Competitive session the next season! It’s so much fun!
Q: When can I register with a competitive team?
A: Each year FIRSTⓇ registration opens around May. The season launches in August and the team registration closes by Oct 31. However, FLL Explore program registration is still open for this year. Also, all these teams allow for a non-competitive program as well with fully guided resources and tutorials.
Q: I do not want to compete this year but I am interested in starting a robotics team – What can I do?
A: You absolutely can start a non-competitive team with the help of the fully guided resources and tutorials, where Red Tie Robotics volunteers will be happy to come and support you throughout.
Q: What are the programs of FIRSTⓇ Lego League?
A: The 2 most relevant and popular FLL programs are:
1. FIRSTⓇ LEGO League Explore – $295/student
FIRSTⓇ LEGO League Explore (K-3rd grade) is designed to introduce STEM concepts to kids ages 6 to 10 while exciting them through a brand they know and love − LEGO®
2. FIRSTⓇ LEGO League Challenge – $495/student
FIRSTⓇ LEGO League Challenge (4th-8th grade) is a LEGO Spike Prime-based robotics competition with Scratch/Python coding and includes a team Innovation project based on the season’s theme. The regular season runs from August through November. If you are new to robotics or coding, we recommend this level.
Q: How do I get started?
A: Please scan our QR code or fill this form with your information and we will reach back out to you within a week to set up a time for us to connect with the parents to do a presentation. It would be ideal if you have 3-5 students who are friends of your child and who would like to do this together. If not, we can match up students with similar age and skill level to form teams. Once we have a good number of students to form a team for you, we can guide and coach you on how to register and get started. Our high-school volunteers will help you step-by-step and guide the two parent coaches with the help of FIRSTⓇ’s curriculum. Red Tie Robotics will be excited to see these students develop a passion for STEAM and make an IMPACT in our community!