FIRST Robotics Day Camp, hosted for the first time at Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati in collaboration with the SMT’s TitaBots, a high-spirited robotics team from St. Mother Teresa Catholic Academy. Utilizing a weekly system, every week there is a new group of campers ready to learn about LEGO robotics and coding. By the end of the week, these young coders get to show their parents what they have been learning, building, and coding at the Parent Showcase!

Run by the FRC (First Robotics Competition) team 6140, under the organization of FIRST, the robotics camp focuses on activities related to the First LEGO League (FLL) for students in grades 4 to 8. Throughout the week, campers learn to design, build, and program robots using LEGO Education Spike Prime Kits.

On the 16th of July at Frassati, the FOY Media Team found Uriel Fuentes-Perez (Robotics Captain) with Nathaly Vargas-Peneranda, demonstrating the robots to the campers and teaching them basic coding tricks on a rainy day.

A typical day at the robotics camp would have campers engaged in one of the three different robotics activities throughout the camp hours. They first get their hands on the Simple Missions, where they learn basic movements like going forward, backward, and turning. During the next day, they take on the Cup Challenge, programming their robots to move 10 cups out of a circle in 30 seconds using the color sensor. Finally, in the Maze Challenge, campers use the gyro sensor to make precise turns, honing their accuracy.

Every single day in the robotics classroom is an exhilarating and enlightening experience for the campers. The overall goal of the robotics camp is to inspire a love for robotics and technology in a fun and supportive environment. After mastering these foundational activities, campers are given a Kahoot game on Fridays, tackling what they have learned throughout the week, in order to receive prizes. They apply the skills they’ve learned to more complex challenges, building confidence as they strategize and program their robots to complete tasks.

In addition to building robots, campers develop teamwork and problem-solving skills as they immerse themselves in small groups to complete these real-world inspired challenges. The robotics camp also hosts a parent showcase every Friday where campers present what they have learned throughout the week. By the end of the program, campers gain a deep understanding of what it truly takes to achieve success in FLL competitions.