Nobody gets left behind
A lesson only moves on once they've actually built it. No bluffing, no clicking through to the end.
Ages 8–16 · Small groups
Your kid writes
Your kid writes
real code.
The blocks just make it easier to start. What they build is the real thing — a game that actually runs, a robot that actually moves.
- 0% real Python
- 0games & robots
- 0setup needed
when ▶ clicked
move 10 steps
read pin GP26
repeat 10
Snap blocks together. That's the code.
Every block is a line of real code, and they can see it appear as they build.
Blocks
Their code — real Python, as they build it
We wrote the software ourselves
Nobody sells what we needed, so we built it — and we keep changing it every term based on where kids actually get stuck.
Real code
They're really writing it
The blocks take away the fiddly parts — the typos, the punctuation, the things that make beginners give up. What's underneath is Python, the same language professionals use every day.
It's right there on screen as they build. They can change it, and watch their blocks change to match.
- They see their code as they build it
- Edit the code, the blocks follow
- Move on to typing it themselves whenever they're ready
import pygame
from tmlab_game import *
@when_play_pressed
def main():
while True:
player.move(10)
if player.touching_edge():
player.bounce()
Build the circuit
Wire it up on screen first
Drag the parts onto a workbench and connect them up. The app checks the wiring the way a real circuit would, so mistakes show up on screen rather than in a robot that won't switch on.
Then press simulate and watch the power travel round. They can see why it works before touching a single wire.
- Lights, buttons, dials and sensors
- Catches wiring mistakes before they build it
- Watch the power flow through the circuit
Simulating circuit
Where it clicks
Turn a real dial, move the game
Their game runs on the laptop. Their robot sits on the desk. Connect the two and the real world starts controlling the game.
Twist a dial and the paddle moves. Cover a light sensor and the game goes dark. This is usually the moment it stops feeling like homework.
- Build a real controller for their own game
- Sensors in, lights and motors out
Game
speed = 0Robot
speed = 0What parents ask us first
Getting stuck is fine
A nudge first, then a hint about where to look — never the answer. The moment it clicks still belongs to them.
Always a next thing to build
Finishing a project unlocks new ones, so they can see how far they've come and pick where to go next.
Nothing to install
It all comes built in — so no lesson ever starts with twenty minutes of something not working.
Their work follows them
Projects save to their own account, so they can sit at a different machine next week and carry straight on.
You'll know how they're doing
We can see exactly what your child has finished and where they're stuck — so when you ask, you get a real answer.
They can see what they've done, and what's next
Finishing a project unlocks the ones after it. Nothing is handed out on a schedule — the map fills in as they earn it.
- Finished
- Ready to start
- Still locked
We teach them, or you take the software
Same platform either way. Most families come to us; some schools and parents would rather run it themselves.
What most families pick
In person · ages 8–16
We teach them
You drop them off, we do the rest. An instructor in the room, six to eight kids, and a finished project in their hands at the end of every term.
- Game Makers · 8–10 · their first working game
- Robotics Lab · 10–13 · lights, sensors, a robot to keep
- Build Track · 13–16 · big builds, and typing real code
$—/ term
Book a free trial
At home or at your school
Just the software
The same app our instructors teach with, licensed on its own. The lessons are built in and mark themselves, so whoever is supervising doesn't need to know how to code.
- Every lesson and project already in the box
- Installs on any Windows laptop
- Shows whoever's teaching who is stuck and where
- No timetable, no travel, go at your own pace
$—/ licence
Ask about access
Not everyone wants a weekly slot
School partnerships
We turn up with the laptops, the kits and the whole course, and run it as a club, an elective or an enrichment block. You provide the room.
Holiday camps
Five days, one big build. It goes home with them on the Friday.
First lesson is free
Sit in on a whole session. They'll leave having made something, and you'll have seen how we teach before paying for anything.
Come and see a lesson
Not sure which track fits, or whether they're too young? Ask us — a two minute conversation usually settles it.
Email us
Call or text
Visit the studio
Opening hours
Already a student or instructor? Open the TMLab portal →