Los Altos Qualifying Tournament

The SAPphire Force participated in the Los Altos Qualifiers on November 21st 2009. We had a fun and valuable experience. Our team met at Blach Middle School. We got to our pit table, fixing some errors. A last minute mission was programmed to pick up the blue loop, which is worth 10 points. Soon it was time for the opening ceremonies at 1 PM. Our team sat on the stage, squirming around in anticipation. After the ceremony, we spent time to continue on practicing.

Our coaches told us not to worry. 1:44 was our first robot match. We didn't do quite as well ase we wanted, only earning 180 points. But we were determined to do better, and in the next two rounds, we got 280 points each! For us, our team high during meetings was 300 points. Rejuvenated, our team headed to the judging sessions.

The judges thought our robot was really interesting and efficent. Our presentation for the project was next. It went well and the judges realized our idea of Bike Zones was innovative. The last session was teamwork. The judges thought that we collaborated well.

Back in the MU Room, we watched the FIRST team (high school robotics) demonstrate their huge robot spit out plastic balls. It was super cool! Next was the demos of noteworthy robots and projects. The judges were so impressed by our robot and project that we got to present them to everyone in attendance! Following that, it was awards. With bated breaths... we learned that our team had advanced to the 2nd round! And our project got the second place award

Definitely, this First Lego League tournament was worthwhile because it provided a learning experience. We went to Fresh Choice to celebrate our achievements.

Make 'Em Walk

Here is what one typical school child parent might be thinking after reading this blog: “Okay. I know we should walk to school, and I know it will be safe and how to make it even safer. How will I make my child walk to school?”

No, it isn't like this:

Or this:

What you need to do is offer incentives! There are a variety of ways to do this. First of all, you can use a millage club!

A millage club is a club where for every day they walk to school, they earn a little sticker of hole punch on a millage card. When the card is filled out, they receive a cool prize! One example of a very successful one is the iWalk Club. This program is in place in schools all over Canada!

Another incentive is a Walking Bus or Bike Train. These could be considered carpools for walkers and bikers. The children will be able to walk or bike with friends, chatting and having fun all the way there.

These are some ways to get you child to walk to school. Try them out, to make the right choice: walking or biking to school.

Physical inactivity

Free, convenient, enjoyable and does not require special equipment or training: Walking is a great way for adults and kids to be active. Lack of physical activity is a major cause of chronic illness and death for our country’s adults. Being overweight can cause health problems like diabetes during childhood and research shows that physically inactive kids are more likely to grow up to be physically inactive adults – and are therefore at high risk for obesity and related illnesses.

There are plenty of great reasons to walk to school – less traffic, safer streets, cleaner air – but one of the best is that children and parents will be healthier. With obesity rates skyrocketing and only one-quarter of American's able to get the Surgeon General's recommended daily dose of exercise (just 30 minutes), it's an ideal time to encourage people to walk to school for their own health and well-being.

Tips for Safety (Biking)

- Avoid straying too near car doors. Veer to the left to avoid getting hit by an open door.

- Avoid going on rocky paths with pebbles. These often contain spikes.

- Bike with someone else, like a friend, for saftey measures.

- Wear a helmet. Don't forget to buckle the straps!

- Never ride on the sidewalk.

Make Biking and Walking to School Mandatory by Having a Safe Route

Every school should encourage biking, walking, and car pooling. As we all go to neighborhood schools, the distance between homes and schools are not too far off. So kids who live close by should If you can’t walk to school either because you are physically injured or live far away then you can put a certain sticker the school gives you on your car that allows you to drop your child off at the drop off zones. If you bike to school you must be safe at all times! Some ideas to for a safe bike route is, take detours to avoid hazards, take the safest most direct route, ride on bike lane routes, and go on the right side of traffic to avoid collisions. Fact: Kids biking on the side walk have over 2.5 times of colliding with automobile. Just remember you can help us all walking or biking to school.

Tips for Safe Bike Riding

Tips for riding your bike safely:

-Wear reflective gear

-Reflective gear can help cars see you better in day or night. Bike shops sell reflective gear at $10 to $15, including reflective adhesive triangles and reflective vests.

- Get bike lights

-In Florida, roughly 60% of bike accidents happen because cyclists did not have bike lights. In 1999, 39% of all bike accidents nationwide happened between 6 p.m. and midnight. Lights help motorists see you in the dark. Front and back lights help tremendously.

-Always signal your turns

-Signaling your turns can inform cars which way you are going, so they can give you some leeway. Point your left arm out to move left, and point your right arm out to move right. (You might have learned an old way of signaling a right turn with your left arm, but drivers basiclly have no idea what that means, so it's useless. Signal a right turn with your right arm.)

-Restrain from using IPods and cellphones

-The fewer distractions the better. Also, it is good to have you hands

available at all times.

Fact: Around 33,000 people die in car crashes in the U.S. each year.
About 1 in 41 is a bicyclist.

THANKS FOR READING, AND RIDE SAFELY!