October 26, 2024
Adventures and Innovations After Fall Break 

The team regrouped after a week-long fall break, with each member sharing their experiences while apart.

Alina visited the Grand Canyon and nearby sights, including Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon. Haoyang worked out on a newly built monkey bar at home. Wesley shared his recent trip to Machu Picchu, while Ian also talked about his time in Peru, which included visits to a chocolate factory and the Inca Museum. Ava recounted her camping experience inside a Tesla.

Next, the group played a game called "Guess Who." Each member wrote down five activities they had done over the past three weeks. They took turns drawing a paper and guessing who wrote it. Activities included riding a train, having a playdate, playing a math game, and rock climbing.

The team then updated everyone on their homework progress. Wesley shared his newly updated game where a diver collects trash. He had previously created a similar version in Scratch Junior but upgraded to Scratch to count the number of trash bags captured. The team even had a friendly competition to see who could collect the most bags. Ian also shared his game: a timed challenge on Scratch Junior where he uses a basket to catch fish eggs. The game ends once the player captures 80 eggs.

Max made an upgrade on the submarine. The pincher and chopper are now motorized properly and could move at a discretionary speed. A color sensor and a distance sensor were also added. Next, he's planning to work on the coding for the sensors with his teammates, ensuring they can effectively respond to their surroundings and enhance the submarine's capabilities. They’ll collaborate to integrate the sensors into the existing system and test their performance in various scenarios. Haoyang shared his Scratch game where the user controls a blue fish that must dodge a shark within 30 seconds. The team took turns to see if they could successfully dodge the shark's bite.

Finally, the team placed various objects on the FLL map, including a research lab, a fish house, a seaweed factory, and a submarine. Haoyang then used the Spike Prime app to maneuver a vessel from the distant ocean to the research lab.

To finish up, the team members volunteered to be the coach of the day. Starting next week, a member will serve as the coach to lead the team in a fun game reflecting core values for 10 minutes at the beginning of each class. Alina will go first.