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micro:bit Robot Track Meet
9:00–10:00
Three events, real robot cars, all coded by you: Sumo, Drag Race, and Precision Parking.
This was the deep dive after Day 1. You programmed your robot for Sumo (push the other bot out of the ring), a synced-launch Drag Race, and Precision Parking (drive an exact distance and stop on the line — harder than it sounds!). Every coder went home with a ribbon.
Block codingRoboticsProblem-solving
🤓 Fun fact
"Precision Parking" is real robotics: self-driving cars and Mars rovers have to drive an exact amount and stop on target. Your code had to control time, speed, and distance — just like theirs.
💬 Ask your camper
"Which event was hardest to code, and why? How did you make the car stop in exactly the right spot?"
🏠 Try it at home
Keep your coding streak alive — race the reaction game below, then build real programs in Bit Quest.
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Mini-game: Reaction Drag Race
Play
Wait for green, then LAUNCH! How fast are your reflexes? (Jump early and you false-start.)
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Solar-Powered Cars
10:00–11:00
You built a car that turns sunlight straight into motion — then drove it with a remote.
A solar panel catches light and turns it into electricity, which spins a motor, which turns the wheels. Sun → electricity → motion, no gas and no plug. You built the wooden chassis, wired the solar cell and battery, and raced it outside.
Renewable energyCircuitsMechanical build
🤓 Fun fact
A solar panel is millions of tiny light-catchers. When sunlight hits them, it knocks electrons loose — and moving electrons are electricity. Cloud rolls over? Your car slows down!
💬 Ask your camper
"What happened to your car in shade vs. bright sun? Where else have you seen solar panels?"
🏠 Try it at home
Put a solar-powered calculator or garden light in different amounts of light and watch it change. Hunt for solar panels around town.
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Grand Prix Garage
11:00–12:00
The finale: power a car any way you can dream up — then race for the trophy.
Balloon jet? Mousetrap snap? Rubber-band wind-up? A combo?! You modified a car base with any propulsion you wanted and entered races for speed, distance, and the Innovation Prize. The cool twist: different kinds of power win different events — fast off the line isn't always farthest.
Physics: energyEngineering designCreativity
🤓 Fun fact
Every one of these stores energy and releases it: a stretched rubber band, a squished spring (mousetrap), squeezed air (balloon). Releasing it fast = a quick burst; slow = a long roll. That's why no single car wins everything.
💬 Ask your camper
"What powered your car? If you raced again, would you build for speed or distance — and what would you change?"
🏠 Try it at home
Make a balloon car from a water bottle, bottle caps, and a straw. Tape a balloon on, blow it up, and let go!