Learn it, then build it

Our Robotics Engineering class runs on a simple idea borrowed from how real engineers learn: understand how a machine actually works first, then design and build your own. Students start with the fundamentals — grip and traction, gears, and the trade between speed and strength — then design a robot they keep, program it to sense and react, and put it to the test.

The robot is always in their hands, and the code is how they give it a brain. Nothing is pre-built and nothing is a black box — every student can explain why their machine is built the way it is.

What your student works through

A term moves from first principles to a working, reliable robot — roughly this arc:

Build & test — build a first robot and drive it exactly one meter; measure the error, then fix it.
Grip, gears & strength — why some robots push and others spin; gear ratios that trade speed for power.
Design your own — choose the gearing, wheels and shape, and build the robot you keep.
Make it move — motors, sequence and accurate turns; drive a repeatable path without babysitting it.
Add senses — touch, color and distance sensors let the robot notice the world.
Make it decide — if/else logic: at the edge, back off; on contact, push.
Make it reliable — a robot that works once is a lucky robot; count the failures and fix the cause.
Compete & showcase — the term ends with a friendly tournament or mission showcase in front of families.

By the end, your student will be able to

Build a working robot from loose parts and explain why it is built that way
Make a design choice and defend the trade-off behind it
Write a program that moves it accurately and reacts to what it senses
Find and fix code that is not doing what they expected

By age band

K–2

Sparks

Build sturdy LEGO machines and code them with icon-only blocks — no reading needed. First motors, first sensors, first "it moved because I told it to!"

Grades 3–5

Builders

Bigger builds and word-block coding with real logic — conditions and loops — plus sensors that let the robot react and decide on its own.

Grades 6–8

Engineers

Deeper mechanisms and text-based logic. Tune sensor thresholds, debug systematically, and make a robot run the same way every time.

What we provide

Everything — robot kits, sensors, laptops and spare parts are here every week. There is nothing to buy and nothing your student needs to bring, and each student keeps their own engineering notebook. Students work in small teams, rotating through builder, programmer and tester roles, so everyone does every job.

Where this leads

The class follows the same build–test–improve format used by FIRST® LEGO League. Students who finish are ready to step onto an FLL competition team next season — and we help them do it.

How it works

Weekly 60-minute sessions, in a real workshop
Saturday mornings — a consistent weekly slot for your builder
Small teams, with real bench time and coaching for every student
Three age bands — Sparks (K–2) · Builders (3–5) · Engineers (6–8)
$175/month per course · we supply the robots, kits and tools
No prior experience needed — complete beginners welcome

Robotics Engineering