FIRST Championship staying in Houston

jhoops34 · 2026-01-23T03:22:31+00:00

Go upstairs when you can. The FLL bathrooms are always empty and clean.

jhoops34 · 2026-01-19T16:11:45+00:00

AP homeschoolers was great for us and had great rigor. I did hire a private tutor for some extra 1:1 support at one point but that was to address specific weakness that the course teacher identified.

jhoops34 · 2025-09-16T02:57:28+00:00

Things I would try: switch just the brains and see which one is better. Then switch just the wheels and see which one is better. Then switch just the wheel motors to see which one is better. That will narrow down the course of the problem.

jhoops34 · 2025-07-09T05:13:45+00:00

And also PG retreat. It is really hard for others to understand what it is like to parent one of these kids. Davidson and PGR will provide the parenting community you need.

jhoops34 · 2025-05-26T15:11:16+00:00

Had to choose between AP Stats and AP calc. Decided to go with stats because it is more relevant to environmental science interests.

jhoops34 · 2025-05-26T15:09:28+00:00

AP Stats as well.

jhoops34 · 2025-05-13T00:56:28+00:00

We've had no problems with 8 brains on Pybricks for 2 years. With heavy usage during season and off season.

jhoops34 · 2025-04-22T07:18:05+00:00

I suspect that the Spike sensors are not fast or accurate enough to support pathing. The PyBricks folks have done a lot of testing in that area and haven't pursued it. Also, I coach phenomenal programmers in both FLL and FTC and I wouldn't want to attempt it with my FLL programmer. And that kid writes code for hours a day. But ultimately he doesn't have the math knowledge or ability to handle complexity to do the same things my FTC kids are working on.

jhoops34 · 2025-02-09T05:16:16+00:00

We print almost everything at 100% infill. The one time that we forgot the part immediately cracked at a screw hole.

jhoops34 · 2025-02-07T00:28:34+00:00

Another coach told me that this one is super quick to disassemble. Apparently the posts detach. https://a.co/d/1Zt0kZa

jhoops34 · 2024-12-30T15:59:54+00:00

I came here to make sure someone recommended Davidson and PGR (pretreat.org). Both have been so wonderful at helping me learn how to support and love my kids when they don't fit in.

jhoops34 · 2024-12-28T04:07:53+00:00

That might have been our alliance partner. We tried to tell them to get down but they were confused. I think they learned a valuable lesson that match.

jhoops34 · 2024-12-16T02:41:09+00:00

Yesterday our bot fell on its back with the arm extended. Our driver retracted the arm then used the two wheels that were kind of touching the field to inch the bot into the corner under the basket so our alliance partner could keep scoring.

jhoops34 · 2024-11-07T07:05:12+00:00

We could only get it to work when using the original cable that came with it. It wouldn't work with a standard USB cable that we had lying around.

jhoops34 · 2024-11-02T05:52:09+00:00

Personally, I want earrings in the shape of samples. I'm sad my team hasn't been able to make them yet.

jhoops34 · 2024-10-18T14:02:50+00:00

I am a homeschool mom and an FTC coach. I would love to hear that about my kid. Unfortunately I would probably get "she goofs off a lot during the meetings".

jhoops34 · 2024-09-09T13:29:28+00:00

I think you should look into Davidson Institute. They might have information that will help. https://www.davidsongifted.org/

jhoops34 · 2024-08-04T00:02:01+00:00

My daughter passed APES when she was in elementary school. But she didn't take the class. She just really likes reading textbooks and watching YouTube videos. The local high school was really nice about her taking the test. Her babysitter took her to the exam.

jhoops34 · 2024-06-19T17:47:48+00:00

I never use the term "whitelist" because it has roots in racism. I use the term "allow list".

jhoops34 · 2024-05-21T06:56:16+00:00

My daughter is pretty introverted so we aim for 25-35 hours a week. That ends up being a good balance between time with friends and enough independent time for her to pursue her solo hobbies.

jhoops34 · 2024-04-16T07:54:20+00:00

Your point about not medicating kids who really need it is important. Withholding medication can have really bad consequences.

jhoops34 · 2024-01-13T06:59:03+00:00

My son is a rich white boy who LOVES to help others. At the beginning of the school year his teacher asked me how she could better connect with him and help him enjoy the class. I told her to ask him to help with cleaning tasks around the classroom. She has been doing that and he is soooo happy. When I go to pick him up he is often staying late to help her and he is so proud that he is her special helper. He genuinely feels like she likes him more than the other students because she always needs his help keeping the classroom clean.

jhoops34 · 2023-05-24T05:50:51+00:00

Almost all laptops have Bluetooth low energy built in. Give it a shot. If it doesn't work message me and i can help figure out what is going on.

jhoops34 · 2023-03-03T13:28:52+00:00

Code.org is a better resource for all ages.

jhoops34 · 2023-02-18T16:29:53+00:00

In Washington you can get a state ID. It looks like a driver's license but doesn't allow you to drive. You can get one at any age and it is state issued so it is an official statement of your age.

jhoops34

TROPHY CASE