At the very core of what we do are the challenges that bring our programs to life. Every piece of our curriculum is designed to guide students toward the moment they can step into one of our festivals and proudly compete or showcase what they’ve created. These challenges are the culmination of months of learning, experimenting, and growing confidence. They’re not just an add-on, they are the reason our students dive into STEAM in the first place.
Curriculum-Based Bring-Its: Codeliner Robotics and Hydro-Lifters
Our advanced, curriculum-based challenges are for students who want to dive deeper into engineering and robotics. In theCodeliner Roboticschallenge, students learn the fundamentals of electronics and programming to build their own autonomous robots that compete in a follow-the-line event. Similarly, the Hydro-Lifter challenge takes students through months of hands-on work with simple machines and mechanical engineering, leading up to building a working hydraulic lift at the festival. These challenges are for students who love a technical challenge and want to see their learning come to life in a big way.
Art-Based Bring-Its: From Clocks to Skateboard Decks
We also celebrate the artists and the creative thinkers with our art-based Bring-It challenges. Here, students are given the freedom to design and decorate items like clocks, wooden skateboard decks, or even robots made from recycled materials. These projects are completely open-ended, letting kids bring their own artistic vision to life. When they arrive at the festival, their creations are displayed gallery-style, turning the event into a celebration of student imagination.
Build-Its: Creating on the Spot
Finally, our Build-It challenges are all about teamwork and creativity in real time. These events happen live at the festival, where students work together to turn recycled materials into fashion pieces or engineering marvels. They have just a few hours on-site to bring their ideas to life, and the results are always surprising and inspiring. It’s a chance for kids to show how inventive they can be when they have the freedom to create on the spot.
Bridge Builders Challenge
Bridge Builders is a hands-on engineering program that introduces students to real structural thinking through exploration, design, and testing. Students first learn why bridges exist and how different bridge types solve different problems, then discover how shape controls strength by comparing weak and strong structures using simple materials. Finally, teams apply these ideas in a constrained build challenge,
Cardboard Battle Bots Challenge
BattleCode is a creative, safe, and wildly engaging robotics challenge inspired by competitive battle bots, redesigned specifically for students. Teams design and build small scale combat robots using cardboard and foam based construction, simple electronics, and student friendly control systems. Robots enter a dedicated arena and compete head to head with the goal of being the last bot standing.