Roatán Treasure Hunters Win Innovative Solutions Award at FIRST Lego League Honduras 2026

On February 27 and 28, 2026, our team, Roatán Treasure Hunters, traveled from Roatán to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to participate in the FIRST Lego League Honduras (FLL) UNEARTHED season, organized by the Honduras STEM Foundation and hosted at the Universidad Católica de Honduras (UNICAH).

This participation marked a historic milestone for our school, Play Based Projects, as it was the first time a school from the Bay Islands took part in this national robotics event.

We are proud to share that the team returned with the 🏅 Innovative Solutions Award recognizing the creativity and originality of their project.

Roatán Treasure Hunters at FIRST Lego League Honduras 2026, held at UNICAH in Tegucigalpa.

What is FIRST Lego League?

FIRST Lego League (FLL) is an international educational program created through a partnership between FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and LEGO® Education.

Through this collaboration, children engage in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) using LEGO® materials and robotics platforms. Teams design, build, and program solutions using LEGO® Education tools, such as SPIKE, while exploring real-world challenges connected to an annual theme.

In Honduras, the program is organized by the Honduras STEM Foundation. Each year, teams explore a global theme. In 2026, the theme UNEARTHED focused on exploring the past and understanding its connection to the present.

The experience integrates research, robotics, and teamwork, with an emphasis on collaboration, creativity, and communication.

A Project Rooted in Roatán

Our project, “La Polea del Rescate” (The Treasure Picker), emerged directly from the ideas of the students.

Guided by our National Director, Ms. Jennifer Lopez, the process was intentionally child-led:

“We never imposed ideas. The children guided the entire process.”

From the beginning, students explored how to represent something meaningful about Roatán. Initial ideas included everyday island life, but the direction became clearer after engaging with local history.

Through conversations with historian, Jericca Warren, students learned about caves, archaeological sites, and shipwrecks in the region . This led them to focus on the concept of a sunken ship and the recovery of treasure from beneath the sea.

Students developed ideas inspired by the history and environment of Roatán.

From Idea to Innovation

The final model combined storytelling, robotics, and mechanical design.

Students built an island representation and programmed a robotic boat using LEGO® Education Spike technology. The boat was designed to move across the model and detect a signal indicating the location of treasure.

Once the treasure was located, students used a manually constructed pulley system to retrieve it, integrating programming with simple mechanical principles.

For many students, this was their first experience with robotics and programming. As described during the process:

“They didn’t know what a pulley was or how sensors worked… they learned everything through exploration.”

The “Treasure Picker” model combining a robotic boat and pulley system.

Learning in the Atelier

A key part of the project development took place in the atelier, where students explored ideas through materials, design, and representation.

Working alongside Laura Fantini, who supported the process as both atelierista and coach, students developed visual thinking, model construction, and creative problem-solving.

This environment allowed the team to move fluidly between imagination and technical development, strengthening the overall depth of the project.

Collaboration Across Ages and Community

The Roatán Treasure Hunters team brought together students from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade, creating a mixed-age learning environment.

Throughout the process, students learned to collaborate, make decisions collectively, and respect each other’s ideas. Many decisions were made through dialogue and voting, including defining roles and shaping the direction of the project.

Parents also played an active role in the process. They participated in sessions, supported the development of the project, and accompanied the students throughout the journey. Their involvement strengthened the sense of community and enriched the overall experience.

Students and families engaged in the project process together.

Representing Roatán in Honduras

Traveling from Roatán to Tegucigalpa marked an important moment for the team.

At UNICAH, students joined schools from across Honduras in a large-scale event dedicated to innovation and learning. During the event, they presented their project, responded to questions from judges, and explored the work of other teams.

This experience allowed them to connect with a broader educational community and participate in a national platform.

FIRST Lego League Honduras 2026 brought together teams from across Honduras.

Learning Through Play Based Projects

At Play Based Projects, learning is grounded in play, inquiry, and real-world connections.

This project reflects that approach in practice. Students were supported in developing their own ideas, testing solutions, and building knowledge through experience.

By integrating history, design, and technology, the project became a multidisciplinary learning experience that reflects the values of the school.

A Shared Achievement

Our team, Roatán Treasure Hunters, returned from Tegucigalpa with medals and the Innovative Solutions Award.

We are proud to have represented Roatán in its first participation in FIRST Lego League Honduras.

We congratulate our students for their dedication and hard work, and we thank the families who supported this journey every step of the way.

Innovative Solutions Award 2026