Farmington Public Schools

Designed for Kindergarten students, DISCOVER teams explore the basics of STEM and building as they are introduced to real-world problems and challenges. "Engineer a thriving planet with FIRST. Nothing on Earth thrives alone. Every gene, species, and ecosystem is part of a rich web of biological diversity that powers clean air, fresh water, and food. With STEM as their tool and nature as their inspiration, today's boldest innovators are finding new ways to strengthen the connections that protect our shared home. Building, problem solving, and growing stronger through teamwork. Students will experience the vibrancy of the world's ecosystems in the BIOGLOW™ challenge. Welcome to our 2026–2027 biodiversity-themed robotics season, FIRST CANOPY®." Using LEGO®, students will build, create, and explore this year's theme of biodiversity through hands-on engineering challenges. Working together as a team, students will develop habits of learning, confidence, and collaboration along the way. They will think and act like designers and engineers — learning to observe, question, gather information, and think critically about the world around them. Parent Coaches Needed! This program cannot run without Parent Coaches, and we would love to have you involved! If you are interested in coaching a team, please contact FIRST LEGO League Program Manager Tuhan Nguyen at nguyent@fpsct.org or Enrichment Supervisor Aakash Terra at terraL@fpsct.org for more information. Coaches will work with a team of up to eight children, including their own. The program is run in partnership with the Farmington High School Robotics team, and each coach will be supported by a student mentor throughout the season. Coaches serve as the responsible adult in the room and are welcome to be as hands-on or hands-off with the actual instruction as they choose — a weekly curriculum guide will be provided, and student mentors are fully prepared to lead the teaching. The program manager will also be present at all meetings to provide support and supervision. The course fee includes all required supplies.

Designed for students in grades 1–4, EXPLORE teams dive into the fundamentals of engineering as they tackle real-world problems, learn to design and code, and create unique solutions built with LEGO® bricks and powered by LEGO® SPIKE®. "Engineer a thriving planet with FIRST. Nothing on Earth thrives alone. Every gene, species, and ecosystem is part of a rich web of biological diversity that powers clean air, fresh water, and food. With STEM as their tool and nature as their inspiration, today's boldest innovators are finding new ways to strengthen the connections that protect our shared home. Building, problem solving, and growing stronger through teamwork. Students will experience the vibrancy of the world's ecosystems in the BIOGLOW™ challenge. Welcome to our 2026–2027 biodiversity-themed robotics season, FIRST CANOPY®." Using LEGO® Education SPIKE®, students will learn to code their team model to move and respond interactively using sensors, all while exploring this year's theme of biodiversity. Working together to solve hands-on engineering challenges and build creative LEGO® models, students will develop habits of learning, confidence, and collaboration along the way. They will think and act like designers and engineers — learning to observe, question, gather information, and think critically about the world around them. At the end of the program, on January 24, students and their families will then celebrate their learning at the Farmington Valley Expo, hosted by the Farmington Robotics team. At this Expo, students will be able to show off their Lego builds and learning to their families, experience activities that delve further on their learning about biodiversity, and check out what awaits them at the middle school and high school levels for robotics! Parent Coaches Needed! This program cannot run without Parent Coaches, and we would love to have you involved! If you are interested in coaching a team, please contact FIRST LEGO League Program Manager Tuhan Nguyen at nguyent@fpsct.org or Enrichment Supervisor Aakash Terra at terraL@fpsct.org for more information. Coaches will work with a team of up to eight children, including their own. The program is run in partnership with the Farmington High School Robotics team, and each coach will be supported by a student mentor throughout the entire season. Coaches serve as the responsible adult in the room and are welcome to be as hands-on or hands-off with the actual instruction as they choose — a weekly curriculum guide will be provided, and student mentors are fully prepared to lead the teaching. The program manager will also be present at all meetings to provide support and supervision. The course fee includes all required supplies.

Get ready to make something colorful, sparkly, and totally your own! Students will create a beautiful faux stained-glass design using permanent markers, rubbing alcohol, tinfoil, and a glass frame. Watch the colors blend and shimmer as you turn simple materials into a one-of-a-kind piece of art! Choose Your Design! Students will have several fun designs to choose from, so they can pick a style they love. The photo shown is just a sample—your finished artwork can look completely different! All materials are included! Materials include: Permanent markers Glass frames Tinfoil Rubbing alcohol Students will take their finished artwork home to display and enjoy! *** PLEASE NOTE OUR YOUTH DISMISSAL AND PICK-UP POLICY*** On the day of the course be sure to inform your child's school office, using their prescribed dismissal change policy, that your child will be attending EXCL for the enrichment course you have signed up for. Refunds will not be provided for missed classes. At the end of the school day when dismissed, students who are attending will be sent to EXCL where they will be supervised until the start of the course, and be offered an afternoon snack. When the course starts, they will be brought to the course classroom by the instructor. Parents are not allowed bring their children to the school to attend this course, students are only to be dismissed directly from school. Parents should be prompt to pick up at the course dismissal time as charges will accrue if parents are late. Dismissal will occur at the entrance of the building and will be facilitated by the school security guard and instructor. Parents will not be permitted into the building and it is advised that parents stay in their cars until the dismissal time, or until the instructor is visible at the front door. Each parent will need to sign their child out and must have a valid I.D. ready. The I.D. must match that of the parent/guardian who signed up the child or by an authorized pick-up. To authorize an additional pick-up, please call 860-404-0110 Ext. 7072. Students who are attending EXCL on the day of the course will be dismissed back to EXCL.

Join Food Explorers for a fall baking series! Each week you’ll be making a warm and cosy dessert: Maple Butter Blondie Bites, Churro Mini Donuts, Apple Cider Cakes and Pumpkin Cakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting. Recipes are nut free but will contain dairy, eggs and gluten. The course fee includes the cost of ingredients and supplies.

Gather & Bloom: Thanksgiving Centerpieces Get creative and bring a little fall beauty to your Thanksgiving table! Students will explore the basics of floral design, including flower placement, color coordination, balance, and arrangement techniques, as they design their own festive Thanksgiving centerpiece. Using beautiful artificial flowers and seasonal accents, each student will create a unique arrangement to take home and display during the holiday season. Best of all, their creation will last for years to come, making it a reusable decoration for many Thanksgivings ahead! *** PLEASE NOTE OUR YOUTH DISMISSAL AND PICK-UP POLICY*** On the day of the course be sure to inform your child's school office, using their prescribed dismissal change policy, that your child will be attending EXCL for the enrichment course you have signed up for. Refunds will not be provided for missed classes. At the end of the school day when dismissed, students who are attending will be sent to EXCL where they will be supervised until the start of the course, and be offered an afternoon snack. When the course starts, they will be brought to the course classroom by the instructor. Parents are not allowed bring their children to the school to attend this course, students are only to be dismissed directly from school. Parents should be prompt to pick up at the course dismissal time as charges will accrue if parents are late. Dismissal will occur at the entrance of the building and will be facilitated by the school security guard and instructor. Parents will not be permitted into the building and it is advised that parents stay in their cars until the dismissal time, or until the instructor is visible at the front door. Each parent will need to sign their child out and must have a valid I.D. ready. The I.D. must match that of the parent/guardian who signed up the child or by an authorized pick-up. To authorize an additional pick-up, please call 860-404-0110 Ext. 7072. Students who are attending EXCL on the day of the course will be dismissed back to EXCL.

In just a few hours, you can learn enough secrets of the trade to give you years of musical enjoyment. Learn to play piano the way professionals do-using chords. The chord method is LOTS of fun and dramatically easier to learn than reading notes. Fee includes the online book, online follow up lessons, a recording of the class and also an optional periodic question and answer session. Class is held online using zoom and is partly hands on instruction and partly lecture demonstration. Course fee includes Chords are Key for Piano book and videos (electronic copy). Students should have a keyboard or piano available. Instruction will take place through Zoom. Registrants will receive an email containing a link and instructor information before the start of the course.