Colonial Heights Families: How to Choose a Class

Discover Builders is the pathway for ages 6–8. The published build examples are motorized creatures and simple cars, gears and pulleys with motion experiments, and intro line-following with visual blocks. The skills listed are fine motor control, cause and effect, teamwork, and following instructions. The outcomes listed are comfort with tools, language for describing a problem, and a habit of trying again. A Colonial Heights student who is new to robotics and likes LEGO-style parts is the fit the page describes.

That pathway points at After School Robotics, not at a product named Discover Builders. Inside after school, a younger student might be in one weekly hour, in VIP for six hours across three days, or in Full After-School if the family wants Monday through Friday, 4–7 PM, for ages 6–12. The five-day option is 15 hours a week in the school-year term. Academy hours are Mon–Fri 4:00–7:00 PM; Sat and Sun closed, which is the same weekday window.

Foundations Robotics is ages 8–10. Published builds include obstacle-avoiding robots, Bluetooth remote-controlled vehicles, and programs that use loops, logic, and sensor data. The page says this student is past pure building, curious about how code moves hardware, and able to read short instructions. Code & Build is ages 10–12. Published builds include Python on microcontrollers, robots that combine an arm and a drive, and sensor fusion demos. Skills include Python basics, debugging, electronics fundamentals, and testing.

Both of those pathways also point at the after-school program. A Colonial Heights family should still read the membership comparison, because the pathway does not tell you whether you need one hour or five days. Gear for in-person class is included. Groups are described as 10–12 students. Friday internal competitions are optional extra time, including for non-members who register on the product page.

Challenge League is ages 12–16. The builds listed are competition-style robots and drivetrains, autonomy basics, and showcase presentations. Skills include project management, prototyping, and presentation. The program page for this age is Teen Robotics & Competition Club. It says students work toward a project they can demonstrate and explain. Example topics include using sensor feedback, breaking a task into steps, and combining mechanics, electronics, and software. The club is gathering interest, so a Colonial Heights family asks what is open instead of citing a team schedule this site does not have.

Online Robotics Lab can sit beside that choice for ages 8–16, including many of the 12–16 students. It is six weeks, one live 60-minute session each week, at most six students, software-first, listed in Eastern Time. It does not include the in-person gear. Summer camp’s Autonomous Vehicle Challenge and Homemade Drone Builder are the in-person camp options marked for 12+. Lego Build Challenge stays with ages 6–12.

The pathways page warns that current products, schedules, pricing, and availability are in the Program Catalog. Colonial Heights families who skip the pathway often land on a product that does not match the age. Read the pathway, open the matching program page, then use the catalog. The Parent Portal collects the account and shows terms before payment.

The phone is (804) 434-0470. The email is robotics@turtlebackrobotics.com. The Google profile uses the name Turtleback Robotics Academy and the address 6815 Commons Dr, Prince George, VA 23875. Colonial Heights is one of the six communities linked from the home page. The site does not describe a shuttle, a school pickup list, or a Colonial Heights classroom.