A Petersburg Guide to the Prince George Lab

The Learning Pathways page tells Petersburg families to read age fit before they open a cart. Discover Builders covers ages 6–8: motorized creatures and simple cars, gears and pulleys, and intro line-following with visual blocks. The student who fits is new to robotics, likes LEGO-style parts, and needs quick wins. Foundations Robotics covers ages 8–10: obstacle-avoiding bots, Bluetooth remote vehicles, and basic programming logic. The student who fits is ready for more than pure building and can read short instructions.

Code & Build covers ages 10–12: Python on microcontrollers, a robot with an arm and a drive, and sensor demos. Skills named there include debugging and electronics fundamentals. Challenge League covers ages 12–16: competition-style drivetrains, autonomy basics such as line following, and showcase presentations. The teen pathway expects feedback, iteration, and sometimes mentoring younger students. None of those four names is the thing you purchase. The pathways page says each one describes skills and projects, then points you to a program page and the Program Catalog.

Ages 6–12 who can come on a weekday look at After School Robotics. Weekly Class Membership is one instructional hour, one regular day, one day change per month, renewing automatically. VIP Membership is six instructional hours on any three available days, also renewing. Full After-School: Five Days/Week is ages 6–12, Monday through Friday, 4–7 PM, 15 hours in the school-year term, charged weekly. The building hours published for the academy are the same window: Mon–Fri 4:00–7:00 PM; Sat and Sun closed.

Friday competitions sit beside the memberships. Members have them as additional time. Non-members can register through the product page when the description allows it. Workshops are the fixed-date option, including tailored workshops for learners 17 and older. A Petersburg student who is 12 or older and wants a team should read Teen Robotics & Competition Club and then contact the academy. The club is collecting interest. It is not advertised as a season you can assume is open.

Summer camp is the way to use the Prince George lab without a renewing membership. Lego Build Challenge is ages 6–12. Homemade Drone Builder is listed for ages 6–12 and for 12+. Autonomous Vehicle Challenge is ages 12+ and uses microprocessors to turn ordinary RC vehicles into vehicles that follow lanes, avoid obstacles, and run timed courses. The camp page names half-day and full-day options and says dates vary by season. It does not print this year’s daily schedule. Confirm that with the team.

A birthday is a one-time visit for up to 14 people, recommended at 2 to 3 hours, with indoor drones, mission cards, and a guided build. Online Robotics Lab is the choice when Petersburg attendance at the lab is not the plan. Ages 8–16, six weeks, one live hour a week, six students maximum, Eastern Time, software-first. Prices for all of these are in the catalog, not in this guide.

Write down one address: 6815 Commons Dr, Prince George, VA 23875. The phone is (804) 434-0470. The email is robotics@turtlebackrobotics.com. The lab is near the Prince George Government Center. Petersburg is named in the areas we serve because families from Petersburg already come to that building. The site does not claim a classroom, pickup point, or partner organization inside Petersburg.

To enroll, open the Program Catalog, continue in the Parent Portal, select the student, and review the terms before you pay. If the age pathway and the catalog product seem to disagree, stop and use the contact page. Tell us the student’s age and which of the four pathways sounded closest. That is enough for a useful answer.