A hands-on program where kids program a real drone to fly an obstacle course they helped build, then show what they can do in front of their families. Along the way they learn to measure, test, fix and try again, the way engineers do.
Every session ends with a drone in the air, and every flight teaches something that outlasts the program.
A run that misses the hoop is not a failure, it is data. Kids learn to name the problem precisely, change one thing, test, and adjust, without an adult handing them the answer.
"It touched gate 2, so I'm lowering the height by 10 centimetres."
Drones do exactly what the code says. Students measure the course with a tape, write the numbers down, and tune distances, turns and heights until the flight is clean.
Math you can see: centimetres, degrees, seconds.
Students work in pairs: one codes, one pilots and spots, and they swap roles every run. Both jobs matter, and both get practised.
Coder and pilot. Everyone flies, everyone codes.
Pilots follow real flight rules from day one: fly in the lane, hands off the propellers, spotter on duty, know your stop. Safety is a skill we teach, not a sign on the wall.
Six rules every pilot can recite from memory.
Each student keeps an engineering notebook: drawings, measurement tables, test logs and reflections. By the end they can explain their program to a parent in plain words.
"Here's what I tried, and here's why it worked."
The program ends in front of an audience. Timed runs, a live leaderboard and a crowd of families is a lot for a nine-year-old, and they rise to it.
Challenge day is the proudest hour of the season.
Each session adds one new idea and one new piece of the course. By the end, students are flying the whole thing from code they wrote themselves.
Block coding. Students snap together visual blocks to build their flight programs, so the thinking comes first and typing never gets in the way.
Python. Students write real Python, the language used by professional engineers and data scientists, from the very first flight.
The program builds to a real course and a real audience. Families take their seats, pilots line up, and every student flies the course against the clock using the program they wrote.
Flying a course well takes math, science, engineering and clear communication, all at once. That is how we teach every Wize program.
Distances in centimetres, turns in degrees, time in seconds. Scale drawings of the course. Averages across test runs.
Lift, thrust and drift. What a range sensor measures. Why a colour sensor needs matte paper and good light.
Plan, build, test, improve. Students design a course element, measure it, fly it and change it when the data says so.
Notebooks, pseudocode, partner hand-offs and explaining your program to a judge on challenge day.
Every session follows the same five-step arc, built on the 5E model used by research-backed science classrooms. Kids spend most of every session doing, not listening.
Every challenge comes in three heats. Mild proves the skill, Medium is the target most pairs reach, and Spicy stretches early finishers. Students pick their own heat, so nobody is bored and nobody is lost.
A hook question and a quick turn-and-talk. No lecturing yet.
Try the idea with the drone in hand and record what you notice.
The concept in plain words, then the code, shown live on one drone.
The flight block: most of the session on that day's mini course at your chosen heat.
A three-question exit ticket and a "show me" check before anyone packs up.
No. The first session starts with the drone on the table and the first program is three blocks long. Students who have coded before move to the Spicy challenges sooner.
Yes. We fly small classroom drones with guarded propellers, indoors, inside a taped lane, below two metres and never over people. Every student learns the six flight rules in the first session and a partner spots every run. An instructor can stop any drone instantly.
Grades 3 to 8. Younger students program with visual blocks; middle schoolers write Python. Both groups fly the same course and both take part in the final challenge.
Nothing. Drones, laptops, batteries, course materials and the engineering notebook are provided.
In the final session families are invited to watch. Each pilot flies the full course against the clock, a judge scores every obstacle, and a live leaderboard shows the results. Every student who clears the course is recognised.
As a weekly enrichment block at schools and Wize locations, or as a camp. Email us and we will connect you with the Wize location nearest you for dates and details.
Ask us about the program for your child, or bring it to your school. We reply within one business day.
We are committed to keeping you informed and up-to-date with the most recent updates from our programs and initiatives. From exciting new courses and workshops to special events and achievements!
