Our Philosophy
A lot of the engineers and scientists who work on these launches started with LEGO®s … and egg drops … and back yard experiments …
The Great Adventure Lab wants to bring LEGO® robotics and other fun, educational science programs to more elementary school students at a younger age. Our goal is to make science, technology, engineering and mathematics irresistibly FUN for the next generation.
Our students leave our LEGO® Robotics and other science classes wanting more. We want our students – boys and girls – to enter middle and high school actually wanting to sign up for that class in robotics, or physics, or electronics.
Are we succeeding? Yes! Since The Great Adventure Lab started up in fall 2010 with just nine classes taking the same LEGO® robotics classes at three schools, we’ve expanded to more than 60 classes a week at two dozen schools. All told, we’ve taught more than 3,000 students to write their first programs. Students and parents think we’re doing an awesome job.
My son G. adored this after school program. I have never seen him more excited about anything before. He loves LEGOs and now, loves programming robots. This is a brilliant program and we will definitely be interested in anything else you have to offer. Thank you! -Woodlin E.S. parent
Check out our class list and class reviews. And while you’re at it, check our LEGO® robotics and other birthday parties and party reviews! No, we won’t turn your kid into Einstein. But we’ll certainly spark his or her interest in science, robotics and engineering!
As parents, you have choices for after-school robotics and science programs.
Why choose The Great Adventure Lab?
Because, unlike our competitors, we offer:
Read MoreClasses
We offer the following after-school and evening classes for students in grades K through 7. Click on the blue buttons for complete descriptions and pricing.
Sign up through your PTA or check your school listserv for a registration link for a class at your school. If we’re not at you’re school, invite us!
LEGO® Robotics This is our core class, where beginners learn to build and program LEGO® robots using LEGO® Education’s award-winning WeDo robotics and programming software. Grades 2-4.
Robo Challenge Took our LEGO® Robotics class and want more? And more of a challenge? This class is for you. Instead of working with step-by-step building directions and sample programs, we’ll start each class with a programming challenge … Grades 3-5.
Mindstorms Students will have an awesome time building robots that can navigate obstacle courses and respond to a multitude of sensors, including motion, touch, sound … Grades 4-7
Video Game Programming Does your kid dream of writing his or her own video games? We’ve found a great way to get started: Scratch, the super-simple drag-and-drop multimedia programming language designed by MIT‘s Lifelong Kindergarten project … Grades 3-5.
Early Engineers Even the littlest hands will enjoy this class, where kids use larger bricks to build spinning tops, seesaws and more! Grade K. Can also be done for pre-K (age 4+)
LEGO® Engineers Young builders LOVE this opportunity to build catapults and other creations while learning engineering concepts. Grades 1-2.
Young Engineers Lots of people follow recipes for 30 years and still can’t cook. We don’t want that to happen to your budding engineers. In this class, kids will learn basic engineering concepts, while designing and building cool things like toothpick bridges and catapults … Grades 3-5.
Electronics All about the fundamentals of electricity. We’ll learn about series and parallel circuits and more, while building awesome projects including simple motors, noise makers, burglar alarms and more! Grades 3-5.
Crime Science Join us for a 7-week investigation of a mystery. During our first meeting, we’ll gather clues from a crime scene, plot them in our casebooks and start right in on solving the mystery, which changes each term. Grades 2-5
Storybook Science Mythbusters meet storybooks! Each week, we’ll read one of our favorite stories and then conduct hands-on experiments to test the truthfulness of certain elements of the story … Grades K-1. Adding pre-K version for 2013!
Read MorePhotos
The Great Adventure Lab really is making science and all STEM irresistibly fun for the next generation. Here’s photographic proof of what happens when you put kids together with highly educated, fun-loving instructors who know how to lead hands-on, brains-on science-based activities for every kid, every class meeting.
What you won’t see in these photos from classes : the looks on the parents’ faces when their kids suddenly start talking about programming or mechanical engineering principles, or the various blood types … turns out kids do listen!
Feel free to explore our Flickr Photo Stream, which includes full captions for each photo.
Propeller in motion ...
Flying machine
Nice gear ratio!
Off to the races
Duck on a car...
Crash Avoidance-mobile
Propeller car.
Crash Avoidance test
A little crash avoidance usually grabs attention
Serious wings
With wings like that ...
Crash avoidance vehicle
Experimenting with the randomizer
The Motor Speed Challenge
Now that's cool ...
Crash avoidance ...
Look mom, no hands! (just gears)
It's a bird ...
Fun with tilt sensors
Looking good, Bird!
Reviews
The Great Adventure Lab instructors get many, many verbal compliments from parents whose children take our LEGO® Robotics and other science classes. Here are some of the written compliments. We update this page regularly. If you are a club coordinator, please contact us about observing one of our classes!
J. is having a great time, and he particularly likes you as the instructor. He can’t stop talking about everything you did in class and gives me a step by step account of everything!
-North Chevy Chase E.S. parent, Chevy Chase, Md. (class: Mindstorms), October 2012
These emails are great! I really appreciate your taking the time to inform us of the class activities. My son really enjoys this class and your professional management and execution has really impressed me too. Thanks for setting a high bar for how after school activities should be run.
-Bradley Hills E.S. parent, Bethesda, Md. (class: LEGO® Robotics), October 2012
Thanks! You and your team were impressive today! And the children were totally engrossed in their project. Well done.
-Wood Acres E.S. parent and club coordinator, Bethesda (class: LEGO® Robotics), September 2012
Thank you very much for providing such a great learning opportunity for Y. and other kids at Spring Hill. Y. really loves your class and had a lot of fun. Thanks and look forward to hearing from you every Monday after the class.
-Spring Hill E.S. parent, McLean (class: Storybook Science), October 2012
I wanted to thank you for the detailed email you sent about the first [Robo Challenge] class. It’s so nice to know exactly what goes on in each class. I also wanted to tell you how much my son enjoyed the class. I even heard from a friend of mine that her son loved it so much, he couldn’t stop talking about it.
-Barnsley E.S. parent, Rockville (class: Robo Challenge), October 2012
We really appreciate you sending the photos/videos. Great to see what A. and the others are doing! Thanks so much.
-Woodlin E.S. parent, Silver Spring (class: LEGO® Robotics), October 2012
Thank you very much for a great first session. Our son had a great time in your class. I arrived early and saw all the children engaged and you giving attention and responses to all children. Thank you for providing the children with a wonderful atmosphere to learn to work together, and for all the wonderful and informative emails.
-Westbrook E.S. parent, Bethesda (class: LEGO® Robotics) September 2012
Thanks for such a detailed review of the first [class]. My son is very much into robotics and enjoyed the first day of Robo Challenge!
-Chevy Chase E.S. parent, Chevy Chase (class: Robo Challenge), October 2012
That was simply a wonderful class. Thank you so much for your excellent teaching. And your great communications with families. You have set a high standard for other clubs and the practice is spreading!
-Woodlin E.S. club coordinator & parent, Silver Spring (class: LEGO® Robotics) May 2012
The Great Adventure Lab just ended and I would say that it was the absolute best after school program we’ve ever participated in. …Thank you sooooo much for bringing that program to Wyngate. It taught my son that he absolutely loves computer programming…which is a big deal for me, since he doesn’t seem to like anything but watching tv!
-Wyngate E.S. parent, Bethesda (class: Video Game Programming) Mar. 2012
[My daughter] LOVES your class and is so excited to share with me her experiments and discoveries from class. Thanks for making class so fun & interesting. I love seeing her enthusiastic face & she has no idea right now that she is learning about science! (class: Storybook Science) Spring 2012
-Burning Tree E.S. Parent, May 2012
[My daughter and son] REALLY loved this past class. They love them all, but this one like the fingerprint one kept them talking and experimenting! I know my kids are learning and having a blast.
-Kensington Parkwood E.S. parent, Silver Spring (class: Crime Science) May 2012
I just wanted to let you know that [my son] had a great time in the Young Engineers class. It was the perfect activity for a kid like him who loves to learn using hands-on activities. Out of all of the after school activities my kids have participated in over the past 5 years, this was definitely the best! I hope that you will do a “Young Engineers 2″ in the future. So thank you so much for teaching D. and offering this class. It was a great experience for him.
-Bradley Hills ES parent, Bethesda (class: Young Engineers) Mar. 2012
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