Lego love promotes computer programming in LaCrosse

Emily Thompson watches the robot drop a “barrel of water” into a reservoir. Thompson was fine tuning the program to get the distance to the drop point just right.

While many people in Whitman County have seen the robots built by area high schoolers at the fair or other public gatherings, they may not be aware of a younger crowd that is using a popular toy as a prequel to a deeper understanding of robotics and computer programming.

First Lego League is an organization where school children explore real world engineering challenges by building Lego-based robots to complete tasks. It takes basic...