Understand it
What is electricity doing here? What does this little part actually do? Why does the code say what it says? Told simply, with animations they can play with.
COURSE CL-01Grades 5-810 SESSIONS · 90 MIN● ENROLLING
They build the thing that lights up, beeps and moves.
Every gadget at home has a tiny computer inside it. In CircuitLab 1 your child builds one of their own. They join real parts with real wires, write the code that tells it what to do, and watch it come alive on the desk. No experience needed. We start at the very beginning.
Starts from zeroAll parts suppliedA tutor at the bench
$39.00 a session · kit supplied in centre
Every part above is a part they hold during the course
01 · HOW IT WORKS
See why it works. Then make it work.
Every new idea turns up twice in the same session. First we show them what is going on, in plain words and pictures. Then they do it themselves with the parts in their hands.
Build it
Now they wire it up. Each step is shown on a real board first. They watch the step, do the step, then test it.
02 · A SESSION
What 90 minutes looks like
The same five steps every session, so students always know what is coming next. Something is built and switched on every time.
Warm up
A quick challenge that picks up where the last session finished.
One new idea
What a sensor is, or why a resistor has to be there.
Watch the build
The build shown on a real board, close enough to see every wire.
Build it
They wire it and send the code to the board.
Make it theirs
Change a number, add a part, break it and fix it.
03 · THE KIT THEY WORK ON
Open the box. Everything in here gets used.
This is the real kit, not a picture of a toy. Tap any part to find out what it does.
Two students, one build, one laptop. Classes stay small, so a tutor is beside them the moment something does not work. That moment is where most of the learning actually happens.
- Read a simple circuit drawing and build it
- Wire a breadboard neatly and safely
- Send their own code to a real board
- Read a sensor and use what it says
- Tell an on-off signal from a changing one
- Check what a circuit is doing on screen
- Find a fault step by step instead of guessing
- Change the code and say what will happen first
04 · THE 10 SESSIONS
Pick a session. See what they make.
One new part at a time, and nothing gets dropped. Early on something is blinking. By the final session they design the whole thing themselves.
Welcome to Electronics
What is hiding inside a TV remote, a microwave and a toy car? We pull the idea apart and find the same thing every time: something goes in, a tiny computer decides, something comes out. They meet the board they will use for the next ten weeks.
First lookNo experience needed
05 · WHAT THEY LEARN
Three things at the same time
It looks like a fun build. Underneath it is technology, science and a way of thinking that works on any problem.
Technology
How to make something that did not exist an hour ago.
- Building circuits
- Coding a real board
- Inputs and outputs
Science
What is actually happening inside the wires.
- Electricity and current
- Sensing the world
- Signals
Thinking
The habit that matters most when it will not work.
- Finding the fault
- Testing one thing at a time
- Sticking with it
06 · WHAT THEY BUILD
Four builds, each one bigger
Every build uses everything from the one before it. The last one is their own idea, built and explained by them.
My First Circuit
Power in, a light out. The first time a circuit they wired actually works.
LED Challenge
Patterns, speed and brightness, all set by the code they write.
Smart Sensor Project
The circuit notices the world and decides what to do about it.
Interactive Device
Their own design. Something goes in, the code decides, something happens.
07 · PRICE
What is included
Everything they need to build. Nothing extra to buy.
- 10 tutor-led sessions of 90 minutes
- An Arduino UNO, breadboard and full parts kit supplied in centre
- Every build shown on real hardware
- An interactive workbook each session
- Badges earned across the course
- A written report at the end
08 · QUESTIONS PARENTS ASK
The ones we hear most
Does my child need to know anything already?
No. Session one assumes they have never seen a circuit board or written a line of code. Everything is taught in order.
What do they need to bring?
Their own laptop. ACROBO supplies the board, breadboard and every part. They use the same kit each session.
What happens when it does not work?
That is the course. Finding the fault and fixing it is the real skill, and a tutor is beside them while they do it.
Is it safe?
Yes. Everything runs on low voltage from a USB lead. Safe handling is taught before any wire goes in.
Can they keep a kit at home?
In centre the kit stays with us and comes out for each session. Ask your centre about home kit options.
What comes after CircuitLab 1?
The next level moves into longer builds and a bigger project of their own. Ask your centre what is running next term.
Ask us anything.
Tell us a little about your child and we will come back to you with the next available start date at your centre.