Elissa Milto brings more than two decades of hands-on experience running LEGO® robotics camps, spanning generations of LEGO Education platforms and thousands of student learners. As part of Tufts University’s Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO), a globally recognized leader in innovative STEM education, Elissa combines deep practical expertise with research-driven best practices to create engaging and effective learning experiences. This blog series draws on that unique blend of real-world insight and academic rigor to help educators design, run, and continually improve high-quality robotics camps.

‍

LEGO Camp Starts Soon!

Designing and running a LEGO robotics summer camp for K–8 students is a rewarding but complex undertaking. From planning an engaging sequence of activities to organizing the robotics kits to training the counselors, there is a long to-do list even before the campers walk through the door. This blog series is based on Tufts CEEO’s thirty years of experience running LEGO robotics workshops and is designed to support those running a LEGO camp. The insights and best practices for planning and running successful camps will provide information to those doing this for the first time as well as those looking to refine programs that they have run for years.

One of the first things to do as you plan a LEGO robotics camp session is to think about your goals for the participants that align with the core purpose of your program. Answering the questions below will help you as you design the curriculum and also when you think about marketing. 

• What do you want participants to learn, feel, and be able to do by the end of the camp?
• What is your target age group, community, and skill level of the participants? 
• What age levels will do you want to participate and how will you 
• What gap does your program fit that doesn’t already exist locally? 
• Are your goals primarily academic, social, physical, creative, or a mix? 
• What does success look like for individual participants? 
• How much freedom do you want students to have as they design robots and work on design challenges? 

‍

Over the course of this series, we'll walk through details to think about as you plan your camp. Not only will we talk about what to do before children arrive, but we’ll also discuss implementation of activities, how to work effectively with students of diverse needs, and establishing productive norms that lead to student engagement. One section of the blog series outlines a series of foundational activities that supports open-ended, hands-on learning. We'll also cover training counselors and often-overlooked details such as communication with families to keep them informed and engaged through daily updates and photos. We hope this series offers a practical roadmap for delivering a summer LEGO camp that is educationally meaningful, fun, and operationally sound

‍