Beginner-friendly VEX IQ camp for Grades 4–7 with hands-on building, team challenges, and a mini-competition. Campers will learn core robotics skills—mechanical building, simple mechanisms, teamwork, and driver practice—while working in small teams to build and improve their robot through iteration. The session wraps with a structured mini-tournament so teams can showcase what they built and celebrate progress.

Have younger students (2nd-4th grade) that are interested in robotics? Beginner-friendly VEX IQ camp for Grades 2-4 with hands-on building, team challenges, and a mini-competition. Campers will learn core robotics skills—mechanical building, simple mechanisms, teamwork, and driver practice—while working in small teams to build and improve their robot through iteration. The session wraps with a structured mini-tournament so teams can showcase what they built and celebrate progress.

Returning or advanced VEX IQ campers get extra build time for prototyping, open build, and challenge sessions—perfect for leveling up before the season. Campers can choose between two tracks: VEX IQ Robotics Competition 2026–27 Game Prep(strategy, mechanisms, and driver practice) or Robot Olympics (a fun mix of creative build challenges and mini-events). Great for experienced students who want a head start on the new game, or for families who simply want a productive week of hands-on building.

This is the perfect first step into combat robotics for students in grades 4-7 who want the excitement of BattleBots-style matches—without needing CAD experience or an advanced design background. Over 16 hours, students build a complete 260g combat robot (choose from two proven models), learn safe operation and match strategy, then upgrade and personalize their bot before a final mini-tournament. Students take home their robot and controller at the end of the session.

What students build (and keep): a full combat-ready Repeat Robotics kit that includes a handheld remote/controller, Core 6.0 control module, servo, rechargeable 450mAh battery, charger, and wheels.

How the class runs (4 days):

• Day 1 – Build Day: Students assemble their robot from start to finish (typical build time ~4 hours for a 4th grader with support).
• Day 2 – Battle Day: Driver practice + first fights. Students learn controls, match flow, and how to improve reliability.
• Day 3 – Mod Day: Upgrade time—students brainstorm and build improvements (and may add an “impactor”/attachment depending on the session plan).
• Day 4 – Tournament Day: Final tuning + a structured mini-tournament and awards.

Pricing: $449 total (instruction + robot kit)

Best for: Grades 4–7 students who love building, tinkering, and friendly “smash” competition—and want a structured, success-guaranteed entry point before more advanced combat design programs.

July 6–9 AND July 13–16

Mon–Thu, 1:30–5:30pm* (Grades 7-10)

Train like an Impact Robotics League (IRL) competitor with a two-week camp built around the real workflow teams use to get a robot competition-ready.

Week 1 is design-focused: campers spend the week in Onshape learning layout, packaging, and combat-ready design decisions (durability, drivability, and smart geometry) while modeling their robot.

Week 2 is build + compete: campers assemble their 3D custom printed parts for their robot, wire and troubleshoot systems, dial in reliability, and run through a build–fight–fix cycle leading into a final tournament bracket.

Prerequisite: Working Onshape knowledge (Placer Robotics 3D Design summer camp or Onshape Online Beginners course, or equivalent).

Final day (July 16) will run late for a full tournament.

Intro to CAD design and 3D printing for students who want to create their own parts and real-world projects. Led by Placer Robotics combat robotics mentors, campers learn Onshape fundamentals—sketching, constraints, solid modeling, and assemblies—plus design-for-3D-printing best practices. Students will design their own custom projects, and we’ll 3D print selected take-home parts so they leave with both new skills and something they built from scratch. This camp is also the recommended prerequisite for our Impact Robotics League Combat Robotics Training Camp.

V5 Robotics Competition Bootcamp (Formerly V5 Fundamentals) is an accelerator camp for students who want to jump into VEX V5 competition—and a great “try it and see” option for students who are curious about robotics but aren’t sure yet. Designed for grades 7–10 (best fit is 7–9, and ideal for first-time V5 students), campers learn the core building blocks of competitive V5: how the parts system works, reliable robot construction, basic mechanisms, driver practice, teamwork, and what a real competition season looks like.

This is a true high school student-led camp. Campers learn directly from experienced V5 teammates and mentors—getting authentic insight into competitive robotics culture, faster hands-on reps, and real-world problem solving. That also means the experience is intentionally “real”: students lead the pacing, troubleshooting, and coaching, with adult oversight for safety and structure. It’s a high-energy week that builds confidence, skills, and a clear next step—whether that’s joining a competition team or simply discovering that robotics is (or isn’t) their thing.

June 15–18

Mon-Thur, 1:30-4:30

A beginner-friendly coding camp focused on the kind of programming students use in robotics: making sensors and motors work together to create predictable behavior. Students start with block-based coding to learn core logic—events, conditionals, loops, variables, and debugging—then apply it immediately to robotics-style challenges (drive routines, “do X until sensor says Y,” simple automation, and repeatable match actions).

Perfect for students with little to no coding experience who want a fun, confidence-building intro that still feels hands-on and practical.

June 22-25

Mon-Thur, 1:30-4:30

The next step for students who are ready to level up from blocks and start writing real code. This camp teaches Python through robotics-focused problems: reading inputs, controlling outputs, building reliable routines, and learning the debugging habits that make code work under pressure. Students will translate common block concepts into Python (loops, functions, variables, logic), write simple autonomous-style sequences, and learn how to structure code so it’s readable, testable, and easy to improve. Great for students who have done a blocks camp (or similar) and want a clear path into more advanced robotics programming.