Summer Sessions

The Brooklyn Robot Foundry summer sessions offer fun, educational week-long sessions where kids get a chance to design, build and play with robots. They will also engage in brainstorming, experimenting, and spending time outside.

While the emphasis is on play, kids learn mechanical and electrical principles as well. They will create robots that have systems similar to such everyday objects as vibrating cell-phone motors and scooters, and build on their prior knowledge and experience.

The Robot Foundry is located in Gowanus (Brooklyn) at 303 3rd Avenue. We have a wonderful, large space with the right set of tools and materials that allow creative, guided robot design and creation. We are a short walk from the Old Stone House/J.J. Byrne park, and spend part of every day outside — and sometimes the robots come with us!

OUR PROGRAMS:

We will be offering three different types of sessions this summer.

Robot Vehicles

Robot vehicles week will have kids building robots that scoot, wobble, stagger, slide, hop and/or roll. We will start off with hands-on exercises that reinforce basic mechanical skills and familiarity with electronics, and then apply those skills to robot building. Once we’ve build a few robots, we’ll engage in playful activities such as races, parades, and sumo matches that are not only exciting, but also help reinforce the engineering concepts that the kids have learned.

Robot Forts & Cities

During this session we will be building all different types of structures and buildings. We will be learning electrical and mechanical principals and integrating them into our creations. From LEDs to motors, the creations will be something your kids will love and be super proud of! We will wrap up the week with the creation of a giant 14 foot tall Godzilla-like robot! A truly memorable experience!

 

Introduction to Robot Programming

We will only be offering one week of this super awesome camp! We will be using the fantastic Hummingbird robotics kit to teach programming. This versatile platform was designed at Carnegie Melon’s CREATE lab.

It is the perfect introduction to programming as it combines hands-on building and art with real electronics (servos, LEDs, motors, sensors) with programming. No previous programming experience is necessary. The kids will work in small groups and create robots that interact with the other robots and environment.

Age of Students:

Our programs are for children entering 1st grade through entering 7th grade. The weeks are broken down by age group. See below for the specific age ranges by week.

Price:

$475 + $50 materials fee (for all weeks except June 12-14)
$285 + $30 materials fee (for June 12-14)
Extended day from 3:00-6:30pm= $10/hour (except for June 12-14 when extended day will NOT be offered)

Session Dates & Registration

All registration must occur online. If you already have an account, please use your account information to register your child. If you do not yet have an account, you can create one during the registration process.

Please make sure you complete the entire form during registration. One of the last screens of the registration process will be where you enter your email address. If you haven’t reached that screen, you aren’t quite done. The very last screen will be a confirmation screen. 

June 12-14: Robot Vehicles

• For students entering 1^st grade through entering 3^rd grade
• This session only last three days (Wednesday-Friday)
• No extended day option for this week only
• Spots still available as of 3/7/2013

June 17-21: Robot Vehicles 

• For students entering 2^nd grade through entering 4^th grade
• Spots still available as of 3/7/2013
  

June 24-28: Robot Forts & Cities 

• For students entering 2^nd grade through entering 4^th grade
• Spots still available as of 3/7/2013

July 8-12: Robot Vehicles 

• For students entering 1^st grade through entering 3^rd grade
• Sold out. Feel free to put your name on the waitlist (above).

July 15-19: Robot Forts & Cities

• For students entering 1^st grade through entering 3^rd grade
• Sold out. Feel free to put your name on the waitlist (above).

July 22-26: Robot Vehicles 

• For students entering 2^nd grade through entering 4^th grade
• Sold out. Feel free to put your name on the waitlist (above).

July 29-Aug 2: Robot Forts & Cities

• For students entering 2^nd grade through entering 4^th grade
• Sold out. Feel free to put your name on the waitlist (above).
  

Aug 5-9: Intro to Robot Programming

• For students entering 5^th grade through entering 7^th grade
• Students will not be taking home any projects at end of session as everything we do this week will be in a group
• Spots still available as of 3/7/2013

Aug 12-16: Robot Vehicles

• For students entering 1^st grade through entering 3^rd grade
• Sold out. Feel free to put your name on the waitlist (above).
  

Aug 19-23: Robot Forts & Cities

• For students entering 1^st grade through entering 3^rd grade
• Sold out. Feel free to put your name on the waitlist (above).

Aug 26-30: Robot Vehicles 

• For students entering 2^nd grade through entering 4^th grade
• Sold out. Feel free to put your name on the waitlist (above).
  

FAQS:

1. Will my child take the robots home? For Robot Vehicles and Robot Forts & Cities, kids will be bringing all sorts of robotic projects home. One of the criteria we use when designing our activities is selecting materials and projects that kids can continue to work on and tinker with after the program is over. For the Introduction to Programming session, the kids will be working in small groups on a joint project. The projects will stay at the Foundry at the end of the session.
2. Will there be outside time each day? We will spend some time outside every day. Please send your child with appropriate clothing (raincoats, sunblock, etc).
3. What ages do you accept into the sessions? Each week has a different age range but we accommodate kids as young as entering 1st grade and as old as entering 7th grade.
4. What does a typical day look like? 
   • 8:40-9:00 Drop off
   • 9:00 Discovery & exploration
   • 9:30 Robot/structure building activity #1
   • 10:30 Snack
   • 11:00 Testing & modifying creations through play
   • 12:00 Visit to park to eat lunch and play
   • 1:00 Robot/structure building activity #2
   • 2:30 Testing & modifying creations through play
   • 3:00 Pick-up and the start of extended day
   • 3:00-6:30 Extended day option ($10/hour)
5. Is there a sibling discount? Yes. You will receive a 10% discount if you register two or more siblings. The discount will occur automatically in your online cart at checkout.
6. My child has never built robots before, is that okay? Sure, no problem at all! They don’t have to have any experience, we will teach them all they need to know.
7. My child took your summer session last year. Will there be new material this year? Yes, there will be loads of new projects. Feel free to enroll your child again this summer.
8. Can my child take multiple weeks of the same curriculum (e.g. two weeks of Robot Vehicles)? We would not recommend this as the weeks will have the same curriculum and your child may become bored. But feel free to sign your child up for multiple weeks of different curriculum (e.g. Robot Vehicles and Robot Forts & Cities).
9. What is the child to teacher ratio? The ratio is about 5-6 children to one adult staff member.
10. We may want to do extended day but aren’t sure on the exact days/times yet. What information do you need from us ahead of time? We don’t need anything. Each day when you sign your child in for the summer session, you can tell us the estimated time your child will be picked up that day. Then when the child is picked up, we will ask you to pay for that day’s extended time ($10/hour).
11. Who are we?
    We are two friends (Jenny Young & Dave VanEsselstyn) who started Brooklyn Robot Foundry to inspire and motivate kids by teaching them about the fun of building. We love the idea of learning and coming together through making things. We believe in the DIT—do it together— mentality and the importance of building a community around this common goal. We have backgrounds in mechanical engineering, software, educational psychology and have both been working with our hands since we were children. We strive to make an environment that is educational, community based and most of all fun.
12. Will food/lunch/snacks be provided? No, we do not provide food. Please send your child with a packed lunch and snacks that do not contain any nuts or peanuts of any kind. If your child will be staying for extended day, please provide them with 1-2 extra snacks.
13. What should my child bring each day? 
    1. A packed lunch (that does not contain any nuts or peanuts)
    2. At least one snack & 2-3 snacks if the child will be staying for extended day (that does not contain any nuts or peanuts)
    3. A water bottle
    4. Rain gear & sunscreen if applicable (we will go outside every day)
    5. A reusable tote to bring their robots home each day
14. What is your cancellation policy? You may cancel up to 3 weeks prior and use the amount towards a different summer session, class or birthday party. We reserve the right to cancel a program due to low registration. If this happens, you will be refunded your full amount.
15. When is drop-off in the morning? Our doors open at 8:40 am. Class officially starts at 9:00 am.
16. When is pick-up? Normal class ends at 3:00. We offer extended days from 3:00-6:30 pm for an additional 10$/hour.
17. Did my registration go through okay? If you completed the registration process, the last thing you will see is a confirmation screen. You will also receive an email confirming your order. If you didn’t get to a screen where you entered your email address and credit card information, then you didn’t complete the registration.
18. Some summer sessions that my children attend require medical forms from our doctor. Does your summer session require this form? No, we do not need that form. We just need you to fill out all information during the registration process which includes general medical questions about your child.
19. Do I pay the full amount up front? Yes. See #13 above for cancellation policy.