Frequently Asked Questions
Students are billed on the 1st of each month and your student's seat is reserved for them at the same time each week. Students are required to let us know by the 25th of each month if they are not returning. Cancellations made after the 25th will receive an 80% refund. There will be no refunds once classes have begun. If you wish to change your child's class time, please contact us directly (see 'Schedule Change Request' button above). Please note, Mindstorms Fundamentals and Scratch Introduction payments will not recur until your student moves up to the next level.
No. We are a small family business dedicated to the small class sizes and great teachers that provide such enriching experiences for children. We will try to schedule a make-up class if at all possible, but usually it is not. Young Engineer and Robot Academy, Jr. students who have opted for the take home kit will have the opportunity to build missed projects at home once they receive their kits.
The take home kit option is available for Young Engineers and Robot Academy, Jr. students only. Students have the same in-class experience each week. Students opting for the take home kit are given a 3-in-1 kit to take home at the end of each month with access to the pre-recorded video classes. In addition to building a great LEGO Technic home library, the purchase program allows students to make-up missed projects and rebuild their favorite projects at home.
Go to https://www.therobotgarage.com and click on the Subscription Login button in the upper right. Here you will enter the email address used to purchase your subscription. We will immediately send an email to that address with the code you will need to enter the portal. Enter the code where indicated and you're logged in!
Kits are ineligible for return. We have stringent quality control expectations but should you find you are missing a piece, please notify us within 10 days of kit receipt. For the LEGO WeDO starter kit, Refunds, repairs, and/or replacements are made if we determine an item is defective. It is the customer's responsibility to handle these 3 electronic pieces carefully. Please contact us at programs@therobotgarage.com if you need to discuss a WeDo quality problem. Return shipping costs are the responsibility of the customer.
Deposits on birthday parties, field trips, and other special events are non-refundable.
Classes may be cancelled anytime before the 25th of each month for the upcoming month. Cancellations made after the 25th will receive an 80% refund. There will be no refunds once classes have begun.
Camps may be returned up to 10 days before the first session for a 10% registration fee. Between 9 and 1 day before the first session, a 50% refund is available. No refund is available once the program has begun.
In the case of discipline issues, we reserve the right to remove students from programs with no refund. There will be a $1 per minute charge for students picked up more than 15 minutes after the event ends. Students will not be refunded for missed classes.
Our guided video classes for use at home are designed to provide about 3 hours a month of parent/child (or often grandparent/child) enrichment and exploration and we highly recommend adult participation.
For in-person classes adults are welcome to stay but we generally discourage it. Our teachers are experts at what they do. They recognize that students mature differently at this age and in addition to a top tier goal that each student completes each project successfully, they are working behind the scenes to build confidence and independence which can be more challenging with parents helping. We do encourage parents to join the class each week at the end to see what their children have built.
For Virtual Classes, students can join at the start of any month and are billed monthly. Payments can be paused or stopped at any time before the 20th of each month. Please email us at programs@therobotgarage.com if you’d like to stop your next payment.
For in-person classes students can join at the start of any month, although they can join mid month if we have an open spot. In-person classes can be cancelled at any time before the 25th of each month. Cancellations made after the 25th will receive a 80% refund. There will be no refunds once classes have begun.
Virtual video class subscriptions are designed to reach students anywhere in the world. Because students have access to the kits and videos at home projects can be done at their own pace. Pause the video and take a break or replay a section that didn't make sense the first time.
In-person classes are a more traditional environment with other students and at teacher leading the class and assisting as needed. There is an option for students to purchase a take home kit for an additional fee.
In both cases, students have access to the same great teachers, and same great projects. In-person classes cost more to cover our instructors’ costs.
Once you receive your first kit, you will simply log into the video portal on our website and will automatically receive access to your videos each month.
-1 Motor
-1 Battery Pack
-1 Brick Separator
-1 Minifigure
-1 16 stud x 16 stud plate
Not at all! Our parties are designed for everyone, regardless of prior LEGO or robotics experience. Our team ensures each child understands the activities, so everyone can join in on the fun!
We don’t just celebrate birthdays—we create memorable experiences. From battling sumo robots to designing Hexbug mazes, our activities engage children, their friends, and families. With 95% of our party guests ranking their experience as one of the best parties they’ve ever attended, we know how to make your child’s day extra special.
Our team is here to make your party stress-free! From guiding the kids through each activity to helping with food service, we handle all the details. Our goal is to ensure both you and your child have an unforgettable experience!
Our booking form has up-to-date availability, so you can easily see open dates when scheduling. We recommend booking at least 6 weeks in advance for the best selection, but last-minute openings may also be available!
The base party price includes up to 10 children. Additional guests can be accommodated for an extra fee. For groups of 24+, we recommend adding an extra room to ensure everyone has plenty of space to enjoy the activities comfortably.
Our regular office hours are Monday-Thursday from 1 PM to 5 PM EST. We are also available various hours during programming on evenings and weekends. If we are not available when you call please leave us a message, or send us an email to programs@therobotgarage.com and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.
We are generally open most weekday afternoons but actual hours vary based on our in-house programs and events. We do still have a small retail area but generally do not have drop-in activities. If you are curious if our store is open, please give us a call in advance. For a list of events being offered in-store, please refer to our 'Events' tab.
You can visit our online store at shop.therobotgarage.com or visit us in-person in Birmingham, Michigan. Our store is open to the public but hours vary based on in store events, so give us a call first to make sure we are open at that time.
Yes! Be sure to check out our Birthday Party Page for all the information you need! Any unanswered questions can either be emailed to us or give us a call.
Our guided video classes for use at home are designed to provide about 3 hours a month of parent/child (or often grandparent/child) enrichment and exploration and we highly recommend adult participation.
For in-person classes adults are welcome to stay but we generally discourage it. Our teachers are experts at what they do. They recognize that students mature differently at this age and in addition to a top tier goal that each student completes each project successfully, they are working behind the scenes to build confidence and independence which can be more challenging with parents helping. We do encourage parents to join the class each week at the end to see what their children have built.
For Virtual Classes, students can join at the start of any month and are billed monthly. Payments can be paused or stopped at any time before the 20th of each month. Please email us at programs@therobotgarage.com if you’d like to stop your next payment.
For in-person classes students can join at the start of any month, although they can join mid month if we have an open spot. In-person classes can be cancelled at any time before the 25th of each month. Cancellations made after the 25th will receive a 80% refund. There will be no refunds once classes have begun.
Virtual video class subscriptions are designed to reach students anywhere in the world. Because students have access to the kits and videos at home projects can be done at their own pace. Pause the video and take a break or replay a section that didn't make sense the first time.
In-person classes are a more traditional environment with other students and at teacher leading the class and assisting as needed. There is an option for students to purchase a take home kit for an additional fee.
In both cases, students have access to the same great teachers, and same great projects. In-person classes cost more to cover our instructors’ costs.
Guided video classes walk students through building and coding, step-by-step, and enable them to learn at their own pace.
Once you receive your first kit, you will simply log into the video portal on our website and will automatically receive access to your videos each month.
It’s an investment in learning that will last for years to come, both because of its quality, and its infinite applications.
$119 WeDo Starter Materials Include:
1 Lego WeDo 2.0 Smart Hub
1 Lego WeDo 2.0 Motion Sensor
1 Lego We Do 2.0 Medium Motor
1 Brick Separator
1 Minifigure
1 16 stud x 16 stud plate
While the Young Engineers materials fee just uses a battery pack and motor to move, Robot Academy, Jr. integrates LEGO WeDo 2.0 Robotic Coding and includes three costly electronic components including a hub, motion sensor, and motor. These materials aren't a one-time-use parts, but rather an investment in robotic components that can be used for countless future projects.
Nope! Our classes operate on a progressive basis. Fundamentals introduces students of all skill levels to the basics of robotic engineering, and then progressively incorporates more to each weekly session. By the end of the six week session, all students are equipped with the knowledge to enroll in our Robotic Challenges courses, where they will apply everything they've learned to overcome the trial-and-error process of robotic engineering.
MIT’s Scratch program is kind of the LEGO of coding. It’s used by millions around the world and teaches complex concepts and problem solving logic with age-appropriate tools. “With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community” https://scratch.mit.edu
While we use other coding languages for older students, those are not yet available as part of the on-demand subscription program. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century.
We’ve been teaching Scratch for years and have developed a unique teaching formula to address questions that can arise. We know where kids get confused and we address this head on with each project. The goal is to have each student design 3 new games a month they can be proud of. There is no question that success leads to confidence which leads to continued engagement and learning… painlessly.
For Virtual Classes, students can join at the start of any month and are billed monthly. Payments can be paused or stopped at any time before the 20th of each month. Please email us at programs@therobotgarage.com if you’d like to stop your next payment.
For in-person classes students can join at the start of any month, although they can join mid month if we have an open spot. In-person classes can be cancelled at any time before the 25th of each month. Cancellations made after the 25th will receive a 80% refund. There will be no refunds once classes have begun.
Virtual video class subscriptions are designed to reach students anywhere in the world. Because students have access to the videos at home projects can be done at their own pace. Pause the video and take a break or replay a section that didn't make sense the first time.
In-person classes are a more traditional environment with other students and at teacher leading the class and assisting as needed.
In both cases, students have access to the same great teachers, and same great projects. In-person classes cost more to cover our instructors’ costs.
The video portal is where you will find all of the welcome videos needed to get everything set up. These videos will explain how to make an account and navigate the website. Step 1: Click on the Subscription Login button in the upper right. Here you will enter the email address used to purchase your subscription. Step 2: We will immediately send an email to that address with the code you will need to enter the portal. Enter the code where indicated and you're logged in! Step 3: Once you have watched the Welcome videos, you’re ready to start your first lesson. As a bonus to new families, we have included three Introduction to Scratch classes to help familiarize students with the Scratch environment and coding basics.
Scratch can be run using most current web browsers on laptops, desktops, and tablets. We recommend using a second screen to keep both the video and Scratch programming screen up at all times.
MIT’s Scratch program is kind of the LEGO of coding. It’s used by millions around the world and teaches complex concepts and problem solving logic with age-appropriate tools. “With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community” https://scratch.mit.edu
While we use other coding languages for older students, those are not yet available as part of the on-demand subscription program. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century.
We’ve been teaching Scratch for years and have developed a unique teaching formula to address questions that can arise. We know where kids get confused and we address this head on with each project. The goal is to have each student design 3 new games a month they can be proud of. There is no question that success leads to confidence which leads to continued engagement and learning….painlessly.
Absolutely. Your subscription will renew monthly based on your purchase date (or every 3 months if you purchase the 3-month bundle. You can cancel or pause your subscription any time before it renews by contacting us at Tibor@therobotgarage.com
Absolutely. If you are in the Southeast Michigan area we offer in person classes at our Birmingham location from September thru June.
The video portal is where you will find all of the welcome videos needed to get everything set up. These videos will explain how to make an account and navigate the website. Step 1: Click on the Subscription Login button in the upper right. Here you will enter the email address used to purchase your subscription. Step 2: We will immediately send an email to that address with the code you will need to enter the portal. Enter the code where indicated and you're logged in! Step 3: Once you have watched the Welcome videos, you’re ready to start your first lesson. As a bonus to new families, we have included three Introduction to Scratch classes to help familiarize students with the Scratch environment and coding basics.
Scratch can be run using most current web browsers on laptops, desktops, and tablets. We recommend using a second screen to keep both the video and Scratch programming screen up at all times.
This includes the electronics your child will need to bring their robots to life.
-LEGO WeDo 2.0 Hub: This is your robot’s brain. It transmits data between a tablet or desktop computer and your robot’s components using low-energy Bluetooth technology.
-LEGO WeDo 2.0 Motion Sensor: Sensors give robots information about the world around them. This motion sensor can detect objects or motion within a range of 15 cm.
-LEGO WeDo 2.0 Motor: This gets your robot moving! Your motor can be programmed to move at different levels and to turn clockwise or counterclockwise
-LEGO 16 x 16 plate
-LEGO brick separator
-LEGO Mini Figure
-Engineering Dictionary
-Customized Ruler
Not at all! These classes are designed for the novice as well as students with prior experience.
You can cancel or pause your subscription renewal at any time. Students get new projects each month to keep learning but we understand life can get busy.
Once you receive your first kit, you will simply log into the video portal on our website and will automatically receive access to your videos each month.
Our guided video classes for use at home are designed to provide about 3 hours a month of parent/child (or often grandparent/child) enrichment and exploration and we highly recommend adult participation. In-person classes can be attended by adults but we discourage it. Our classes are limited to 7 students and our Young Engineers teachers are experts at what they do. They recognize that students mature differently at this age and in addition to a top tier goal that each student completes each project successfully, they are working behind the scenes to build confidence and independence which can be more challenging with parents helping. We do encourage parents to join the class each week at the end to see what their children have built, Covid-Safety permitting.
Children can join at the start of any month and are billed monthly. Payments can be paused or stopped at any time with 2 weeks notice. Please email us at Tibor@therobotgarage.com if you’d like to stop your next payment. That said, as long as children are engaged and having fun, they are learning. We see incredible changes at this age in fine motor skills, confidence, and independence, not to mention a pretty amazing grasp of engineering concepts.
Guided Video class subscriptions are designed to reach children anywhere in the world, and include the same monthly projects as the in-person classes.
In-person classes automatically include the monthly subscription program (video access, 3-in-1 kit, etc) but the students keep their new monthly LEGO kit at The Robot Garage to use in class each week, and then take it home at the end of each month. They may only need to use the videos if they miss a class, or they may want to rebuild class projects at home.
In-person classes cost more to cover instructors’ costs and overhead.
In both cases, students have access to the same great teachers, same great projects, and everything they need to start building a LEGO Technic library at home for future exploration and creativity. In-person classes cost more to cover our instructors’ costs.
Guided video classes walk students through building and coding, step-by-step, and enable them to learn at their own pace.
Once you receive your first kit, you will simply log into the video portal on our website and will automatically receive access to your videos each month.
It’s an investment in learning that will last for years to come, both because of its quality, and its infinite applications.
$119 WeDo Starter Materials Include:
1 Lego WeDo 2.0 Smart Hub
1 Lego WeDo 2.0 Motion Sensor
1 Lego We Do 2.0 Medium Motor
1 Brick Separator
1 Minifigure
1 16 stud x 16 stud plate
Our guided video classes for use at home are designed to provide about 3 hours a month of parent/child (or often grandparent/child) enrichment and exploration and we highly recommend adult participation. In-person classes can be attended by adults but we discourage it. Our classes are limited to 7 students and our Young Engineers teachers are experts at what they do. They recognize that students mature differently at this age and in addition to a top tier goal that each student completes each project successfully, they are working behind the scenes to build confidence and independence which can be more challenging with parents helping. We do encourage parents to join the class each week at the end to see what their children have built, Covid-Safety permitting.
Children can join at the start of any month and are billed monthly. Payments can be paused or stopped at any time with 2 weeks notice. Please email us at Tibor@therobotgarage.com if you’d like to stop your next payment. That said, as long as children are engaged and having fun, they are learning. We see incredible changes at this age in fine motor skills, confidence, and independence, not to mention a pretty amazing grasp of engineering concepts.
Guided Video class subscriptions are designed to reach children anywhere in the world, and include the same monthly projects as the in-person classes.
In-person classes automatically include the monthly subscription program (video access, 3-in-1 kit, etc) but the students keep their new monthly LEGO kit at The Robot Garage to use in class each week, and then take it home at the end of each month. They may only need to use the videos if they miss a class, or they may want to rebuild class projects at home.
In-person classes cost more to cover instructors’ costs and overhead.
In both cases, students have access to the same great teachers, same great projects, and everything they need to start building a LEGO Technic library at home for future exploration and creativity. In-person classes cost more to cover our instructors’ costs.
Once you receive your first kit, you will simply log into the video portal on our website and will automatically receive access to your videos each month.
-1 Motor
-1 Battery Pack
-1 Brick Separator
-1 Minifigure
-1 16 stud x 16 stud plate
Our guided video classes for use at home are designed to provide about 3 hours a month of parent/child (or often grandparent/child) enrichment and exploration and we highly recommend adult participation. In-person classes can be attended by adults but we discourage it. Our classes are limited to 7 students and our Young Engineers teachers are experts at what they do. They recognize that students mature differently at this age and in addition to a top tier goal that each student completes each project successfully, they are working behind the scenes to build confidence and independence which can be more challenging with parents helping. We do encourage parents to join the class each week at the end to see what their children have built, Covid-Safety permitting.
Children can join at the start of any month and are billed monthly. Payments can be paused or stopped at any time with 2 weeks notice. Please email us at Tibor@therobotgarage.com if you’d like to stop your next payment. That said, as long as children are engaged and having fun, they are learning. We see incredible changes at this age in fine motor skills, confidence, and independence, not to mention a pretty amazing grasp of engineering concepts.
Guided Video class subscriptions are designed to reach children anywhere in the world, and include the same monthly projects as the in-person classes.
In-person classes automatically include the monthly subscription program (video access, 3-in-1 kit, etc) but the students keep their new monthly LEGO kit at The Robot Garage to use in class each week, and then take it home at the end of each month. They may only need to use the videos if they miss a class, or they may want to rebuild class projects at home.
In-person classes cost more to cover instructors’ costs and overhead.
In both cases, students have access to the same great teachers, same great projects, and everything they need to start building a LEGO Technic library at home for future exploration and creativity. In-person classes cost more to cover our instructors’ costs.
Once you receive your first kit, you will simply log into the video portal on our website and will automatically receive access to your videos each month.
-1 Motor
-1 Battery Pack
-1 Brick Separator
-1 Minifigure
-1 16 stud x 16 stud plate
Absolutely. This program is designed to bring The Robot Garage to your doorstep. If you subscribe to a LEGO robotics program, a new kit will arrive around the 1st of each month and will contain everything you need to build the three new projects for the month. You will sign into a video portal on our website, and there you will be able to access the hours of video tutorials for the three projects.
Yes! The LEGO is all yours. Most of the LEGO we use is from the more expensive Technic engineering line and designed for building projects that can move. Think Ferris wheels! Kits will focus on Lego Technic gears, axles, pins, lift arms, tires, etc. You may have a lot of LEGO at home already, but this is a great way to start building a LEGO engineering library for your child. Many kids like to pretend their creations can move, but this program is designed to teach them how to make those ideas come to life in a fun way.
Our starter kit includes the electronics that will operate all your monthly projects. For Robot Academy ,Jr and Robot Academy, it includes a LEGO WeDo hub, motor, and motion sensor. Once you download the free WeDo software, these tools will turn each build into a robot by connecting the programs you code with the project you build. For Young Engineers, the starter kit includes a battery pack and motor. We are not teaching this youngest group of preschoolers to code just yet, but the battery pack and motor will make all their projects move.
Monthly subscription boxes are ineligible for return. We have stringent quality control expectations but should you find you are missing a piece, please notify us within 10 days of kit receipt. For the LEGO starter kit, refunds, repairs, and/or replacements are made if we determine an item is defective. It is the customer's responsibility to handle these three electronic pieces carefully. Please contact us at programs@therobotgarage.com if you need to discuss a WeDo quality problem. Return shipping costs are the responsibility of the customer.
In addition to the electronics, the starter kit includes a 16 x 16 LEGO base plate, a LEGO mini-figure, a tray liner to build on, a brick separator, extra pins, and worksheets to help develop a strong engineering vocabulary.
We highly recommend you return everything to your starter kit after each build to be there for the next project. This process is a great way to work on responsibility and organizational skills with your child. Help them understand this kit is special and they need to care for these pieces differently than they care for their other LEGO.
We’ve been teaching hands-on robotics classes for years, and we’ve developed our unique teaching formula to address the questions that can arise. Once you get your kits, you can log into our video portal to see the videos for the month. We release a video on the 1st, 8th, and 15th of each month so your child can pace themselves. Videos will remain available to you as long as you are a subscriber. If you subscribe to 2 different age levels, both will be available in your family video portal. Each of the three monthly videos will be approximately an hour long, with one of our incredible teachers walking students through each project step by step. Engineering fundamentals, vocabulary, and concepts will be woven into each project, and there will be a bonus game or activity at the end to encourage your child to keep learning and playing after the project is complete.
We are as careful as we can be pulling your kits, but we admit, we are humans and not robots, so mistakes can happen. There will be a bill of materials in each kit, and you have until the 10th of each month to let us know if you are missing something. We recommend you inventory the parts as soon as they arrive, so we can ship you anything missing in time to do all three projects that month.
Please contact us at programs@therobotgarage.com if you’d like to purchase the monthly starter kit without the electronics.
Please understand that while we have been teaching these robotics programs to students for years, the national subscription program is new. As a small family business coming out of a year-long Covid closure, we do our best to purchase our kits in a fiscally responsible way and still meet demand. We will get better with this each month, but if the month you subscribe is sold out, we will let you know, and your subscription will begin the following month. We apologize for any delays and genuinely appreciate your understanding.
Yes! You can choose between a monthly renewal or a 3-month renewal bundle with a significant discount when you subscribe. If you choose monthly, you can cancel your subscription online by the 15th of the month to discontinue the following month. Auto pay will be billed on the 17th of each month, in order for us to ship by the 20th. If you purchase the three-month bundle, your 3-month subscription will automatically renew on the 17th of your 3rd month. You can cancel that by the 15th of your 3rd month as well. Should you need to pause your subscription, please contact us directly at programs@therobotgarage.com by the 15th of the month. We know kids get busy, and you can pause your subscription once a year.
Starting in the fall, subscribers will also have the option to upgrade to Live Zoom classes capped at six students each or register for in-person classes. The videos and monthly kits will be yours regardless of which of these three learning styles works best for your child. If you register for in-person classes, the kits will be given out at The Robot Garage each month and stored on-site, so they are there for each class and not forgotten at home. At the end of the 3rd project, students will take their kits home to keep.
Our goal has always been to make engineering and robotics fun and accessible to all students. About 50% of the students we serve in person are from underserved communities. We are not yet able to offer the subscription program at a lower price because the costs are so high (video production, curriculum development, LEGO, electronics, shipping). We are working with organizations that serve these communities to make them available to more students and hope to launch a rent-to-buy starter kit program by the end of the year. You may also want to check out our Scratch video game design subscriptions with no materials that are far more affordable.
MIT’s Scratch program is the LEGO of coding. It is used by millions worldwide and teaches complex concepts and problem-solving logic with age-appropriate tools. “With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community.” Visits https://scratch.mit.edu for more information.
While we use other coding languages for older students, those are not yet available as part of the on-demand subscription program. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively—essential skills for life in the 21st century.
We’ve been teaching Scratch for years and have developed a unique teaching formula to address questions that can arise. We know where kids get confused, and we address this head-on with each project. The goal is to have each student design three new games a month of which they can be proud. There is no question that success leads to confidence which leads to continued engagement and learning...painlessly.
Yes! When you subscribe, you can choose between a monthly renewal or a 3 month renewal bundle with a significant discount. If you choose monthly, you can cancel your subscription online by the 15th of the month to discontinue the following month, Auto pays will be billed on the 17th of each month. If you purchase the 3 month bundle, your 3 month subscription will automatically renew on the 17th of your 3rd month. You can cancel that by the 15th of your 3rd month as well. Should you need to pause your subscription, please contact us directly at programs@therobotgarage.com by the 15th of the month. We know kids get busy and you are able to pause once a year.
Starting in the fall, subscribers will also have the option to upgrade to Live Zoom classes capped at six students each or register for in-person classes. The video tutorials will be yours as long as your subscription continues, regardless of which of these three learning styles works best for your child.
We’ve been teaching Scratch classes for years, and we’ve developed our unique teaching formula to address the questions that can arise. As soon as you purchase your subscription, you can log into our video portal to see the videos for the month. We release a video on the 1st, 8th, and 15th of each month so your child can pace themselves. Videos will remain available to you as long as you are a subscriber. Each of the three monthly videos will be approximately an hour long, with one of our incredible teachers walking students through each game project step by step. Coding fundamentals, vocabulary, and concepts will be woven into each project, and there will be a bonus game or activity at the end to encourage your child to keep learning and playing after the project is complete.
FIRST Robotics is the largest organized youth robotics program in the world and we are BIG supporters at The Robot Garage. We encourage you to visit their website. They run 5 divisions
FIRST LEGO LEAGUE Discover - PreK-1
FIRST LEGO LEAGUE Explore - Grades 2-4 / aligns with our WeDo classes
FIRST LEGO LEAGUE Challenge - Grades 4-8 / aligns with our Mindstorms classes
FIRST TECH CHALLENGE- Grades 7-12 / aligns with our Tetrix classes
FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION - High School
*Some locations follow slightly different age brackets
https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc
Daniel Kimura, our VP of education, is something of a legend in the FRC world and began his career mentoring a high-school robotics team that went on to win 2 world championships. While he has been with The Robot Garage for 8 years, his dedication to FIRST has never waivered and he continues to volunteer and work closely with organization leadership.
We actively recruit within the FIRST community to help staff our programs and develop curriculum kids will love. The rigor and dedication required to compete in FIRST, is excellent training for The Robot Garage. It’s an organization that emphasizes teamwork and respect as much, as it promotes coding and mechanical engineering skills which fits well into our company culture as well.
No. We realized years ago that if we had our own teams, we would be competing with our own students so we made the decision to support ALL robotics teams. We partner with FIRST in Michigan to offer the following programs annually:
FLL SeasonKick offs (The Robot Garage hosts these annually to explain the new game and help teams get off to a good start)
FLL Studio nights (The Robot Garage team runs weekly workshops during build season to assist mentors and students participating on an FLL team).
FTC Studio nights (The Robot Garage team runs weekly workshops during build season to assist mentors and students participating on an FTC team).
FRC Rookie Workshops -(FIRST in Michigan began hiring The Robot Garage to train high school rookie teams years ago and we have trained more than 50% of the teams in our home state to date.
FIRST Mentor Workshops - (The Robot Garage has been training mentors to train teams for years and began offering our first virtual workshops in 2020 to school districts.
The idea for The Robot Garage actually began when the Jacobs’ oldest daughter got into middle school in 2009 and joined an FLL team. It was life changing for her and she went on to captain a world championship robotics team in high school. (We’re proud to say she graduated from Yale in 2020 with a dual degree in engineering and architecture) As great as the FLL experience was, there were challenges:
Many kids did not have access to a FIRST team
The FIRST season is only a few months long and participating kids had no place to continue learning and practicing most of the year.
The experience was inconsistent from team to team, depending on the mentor and team itself.
Sports kids who were interested in engineering, had to choose between sports and robotics schedules as they were both after-school programs.
Girls were often the only girl on a team of boys, and often did not feel comfortable in that setting.
The Jacobs founded The Robot Garage to bridge these gaps by creating a community space for all kids to learn year-round. Today, we get students from the FIRST community who want to learn more, as well as students who never even considered joining a team but would like to give coding and engineering a try.
Absolutely. This program was designed to bring The Robot Garage to your doorstep. If you subscribe to a Lego robotics program, a new kit will arrive around the 1st of each month and will contain everything you need to build the 3 new projects for the month. You will sign into a video portal on our website, and there you will be able to access the hours of video tutorials for the 3 projects.
Yes! The Lego is all yours. Most of the LEGO we use is from the more expensive Technic engineering line and designed for building projects that can move. Think ferris wheels! Kits will focus on Lego Technic gears, axles, pins, lift arms, tires, etc. You may have a lot of LEGO at home already but this is a great way to start building a LEGO engineering library for your child. Many kids like to pretend their creations can move but this program is designed to actually teach them how to make those ideas come to life in a fun way.
Our starter kit includes the electronics that will operate all your monthly projects. For Robot Academy Jr and Robot Academy Sr, it includes a LEGO WeDo hub, motor, and touch sensor. Once you download the free WeDo software, these are the tools that will turn each build into a robot by connecting the programs you code with the project you build. For Young Engineers, the starter kit includes a battery pack and motor. We are not teaching this youngest group of preschoolers to code just yet, but the battery pack and motor will make all their projects move.
These parts are designed for kids and fairly durable. We guarantee them for a year and with normal wear and tear they can last for many years. You need to treat them well, which means not holding things by their cords, keeping food and liquid away from them, etc. Please contsct us at LINK if you need to replace something.
In addition to the electronics, the starter kit includes a 16 x 16 lego base plate, a LEGO minifigure, a tray liner to build on, a brick separator, extra pins, and worksheets to help develop a strong engineering vocabulary.
We highly recommend you return everything to your starter kit after each build so it will be there for the next project. This is a great way to work on responsibility and organizational skills with your child. Help them to understand this kit is special and the need to care for these pieces in a different way than they care for their other LEGO.
We’ve been teaching hands-on robotics classes for years and we’ve developed our own unique teaching formula to address the questions that can arise. Once you get your kits, you can log into our video portal to see the videos for the month. We release a video on the 1st, 8th, and 15th of each month so your child can pace themselves. Videos will remain available to you as long as you are a subscriber. If you subscribe to 2 different age levels, both series will be available in your family video portal. Each of the 3 monthly videos will be approximately an hour long, with one of our incredible teachers walking students through each project step by step. Engineering fundamentals, vocabulary, and concepts will be woven into each project and there will be a bonus game or activity at the end to encourage your child to keep learning and playing after the project is complete.
We are as careful as we can be pulling your kits but we admit, we are humans and not robots so mistakes can happen. There will be a bill of materials in each kit and you have until the 10th of each month to let us know if you are missing something. We recommend you inventory the parts as soon as they arrive so we have time to ship you anything missing in time to do all 3 projects that month.
Please contact us at _____LINK if you’d like to purchase the monthly starter kit without the electronics.
Please understand that while we have been teaching these robotics programs to students for years, the national subscription program is new. As a small family business coming out of a year-long Covid closure, we are doing our best to purchase our kits in a fiscally responsible way and still meet demand. We will get better with this each month but if the month you subscribe is sold out, we will clearly post that in the website purchase area and you will receive your kit the following month. We apologize for any delays and truly appreciate your understanding.
Nope! Our programs are designed for children of all skill levels to participate.
Campers only need to bring a lunch, two snacks, and a water bottle. It is recommended to not pack these items in a backpack as there is a limited amount of space available for lunch boxes. There is a drinking fountain location within the building. All project materials are provided by The Robot Garage.
Summer Camps may be returned up to 10 days before the first session for a 10% administration fee. Between 9 and 1 day before the session, a 50% refund is available. No refund is available after that. Campers asked to leave for disciplinary reasons will receive no refund.
If you can no longer attend a camp session that you registered for, you can either receive a refund per our refund policy, or we can move your registration to a different date at no extra cost. Registration changes must be made a week prior to the first day of the original camp you booked and is only based on availability of the new date you select.
While the 4-6 Graders will remain in their own group, due to the number of registrations of 1-3 Graders, we typically split them into a group "A" and group "B". Both groups complete the exact same projects. If you are registering for a summer camp with a friend, family member, etc., and would like your students to be in the same group, please let us know ahead of time and we can easily make that happen!
Before Care is from 8-8:50AM for a flat-rate fee of $15. After Care begins each day at 3:15PM at $15/hour per camper (one hour minimum, pro-rated every 30 minutes thereafter). There is no pre-registration for Before & After Care, although we do ask that you inform the front desk upon drop-off if you intend to make use of the service. Before & After Care charges are taken care of at the end of the week.
Two things! One, campers will receive a popsicle as a special afternoon snack to celebrate the end of the week. We try our best to accommodate most food allergies & limitations, so if you have questions please feel free to ask what kind of popsicles we will be serving closer to your camper's week. Two, we encourage family members to pickup their children a bit earlier on Friday (around 2:45PM) as they will get the opportunity to show off all the projects they worked on throughout the week. If you can't make it to pickup on Friday, no worries! We do our best to document everything they've worked on throughout the week via photos, which will be shared with each & every family members each week.
Our regular office hours are Monday-Thursday from 1 PM to 5 PM EST. We are also available various hours during programming on evenings and weekends. If we are not available when you call please leave us a message, or send us an email to programs@therobotgarage.com and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.
We are generally open most weekday afternoons but actual hours vary based on our in-house programs and events. We do still have a small retail area but generally do not have drop-in activities. If you are curious if our store is open, please give us a call in advance. For a list of events being offered in-store, please refer to our 'Events' tab.
You can visit our online store at shop.therobotgarage.com or visit us in-person in Birmingham, Michigan. Our store is open to the public but hours vary based on in store events, so give us a call first to make sure we are open at that time.
Yes! Be sure to check out our Birthday Party Page for all the information you need! Any unanswered questions can either be emailed to us or give us a call.