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Program Finch robots and build an interactive capstone in this 3-week program for elementary school students at Fairfield University.
Course Description
A robot can draw a pattern or perform a dance, but it needs clear instructions. A small change in the code can send it somewhere unexpected.
In this course your child will explore how sensors, instructions, movement, and feedback work together. Playing human “robot and programmer” shows why precise commands matter. Then Microsoft MakeCode and Finch robots bring those ideas to life through block-based code controlling movement, lights, and sound. Your child will measure paths, reproduce patterns, and test one change at a time when a result looks wrong.
For an interactive Finch performance or art challenge, students can draw inspiration from the movements bees use to communicate or art made from lines and blocks of color. They’ll plan what the robot should do, write and test the code, keep notes on changes, and demonstrate the result. The creative idea is theirs; getting the robot to follow it is the challenge.
This three-week course for elementary school students is part of Summer Discovery’s Institute for the Gifted program on Fairfield University’s campus. The course is available to commuter students.
A supplemental course fee of $195 applies.
What You Will Do
• Investigate familiar robots and the jobs they do
• Give precise commands in a human robot-programmer activity
• Control Finch movement, lights, and sound with MakeCode
• Measure geometric paths and fix unexpected robot movements
• Turn animal behavior or artwork into coding rules
• Create an interactive Finch performance or art challenge
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Explain how instructions and feedback guide a robot’s actions
• Break a programming problem into smaller steps and test possible fixes
• Connect patterns in movement or art with rules a robot can follow
You’ll leave with your tested MakeCode programs, engineering notes, and a certificate of completion.
Why Robotics Skills Matter
A robot makes an instruction visible. When it moves too far or draws an unexpected shape, children can compare what they meant with what their code actually says. Testing one change at a time helps them work out why.
Turning a dance or an image into programmable rules brings creativity and logic together. It’s practice in breaking down an idea, measuring what happens, and improving it, useful habits for the next thing they want to build.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 4th or 5th grade.
For a child who likes making things move, figuring out a pattern, or changing a design to see what happens, robotics brings those interests together. Your child will turn creative ideas into code they can test on a Finch robot. Shared equipment and collaborative challenges make trying ideas with classmates part of the experience; safe equipment use matters throughout.
Institute for the Gifted eligibility requirements apply; see the program FAQ.
Your Summer at Fairfield University
Fairfield gives elementary students a fun and welcoming first taste of campus life in a coastal Connecticut town along Long Island Sound. The day includes hands-on classes, outdoor courtyard time, shared meals, and opportunities to make friends in a setting that feels active without feeling overwhelming.
The commuter-only Institute for the Gifted has operated at Fairfield for more than two decades. Students try new challenges and build confidence within a clear, structured program day. For families, Fairfield offers an age-appropriate combination of learning, creativity, friendship, routine, and support. Students get the fun of a summer program and the satisfaction of discovering what they can make, solve, and explore next.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification of completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive