OKEECHOBEE — The Okeechobee County Library has joined FIRST! This robotics program was made possible through the collaborative efforts of FIRSTAmericorp VISTA, South Florida Robotics and the Okeechobee County Library. The library has received training and funds to kick off its 2020-21 rookie season. With the funds, the Okeechobee County Library was able to secure a LEGO WeDo Robotics Kit and this season’s Explore Set.

Children in grades two through four can join a FIRST LEGO League Explore Team at the Okeechobee County Library. The team will spend the season learning about robotics, coding or computational thinking to solve this year’s FIRST challenge.

FIRST introduces kids to engineering projects that they will tackle through innovation and teamwork. South Florida Robotics and FIRST AmeriCorp VISTA member Marion Ross introduced the FIRST programs to Okeechobee in 2019. Starting with 1 FIRST LEGO League team in 2019, the program has grown to a total of four teams — two FIRST LEGO League Explore Teams, one FIRST LEGO League Challenge team and one FIRST Tech Challenge Team.