Our current FIRST LEGO League work
FIRST LEGO League 2026/27 – BIOGLOW
From first ideas to competition day.
STEMBus is supporting primary school pupils through the 2026/27 FIRST LEGO League BIOGLOW season.
BIOGLOW gives pupils opportunities to explore habitats, ecosystems and biodiversity before applying science, engineering, coding, creativity and teamwork to increasingly challenging problems.
But at STEMBus, we don't begin by choosing the ten children who can already code. We give a wider group of pupils the opportunity to discover what they are good at.
Some become fascinated by programming. Others discover engineering and building. Some generate extraordinary ideas, investigate the science, organise their team or discover the confidence to stand in front of a classroom and explain what they have created.
Over the programme pupils learn, build, experiment, make mistakes, improve and gradually develop towards a FIRST LEGO League competition team.
The bigger picture
We don't start with a team of 10.
We finish with a team of 10.
The team grows out of opportunity, curiosity and the strengths pupils discover along the way.
Real equipment. Real missions.
Build. Code. Compete.
BioGlow brings robotics, engineering and environmental problem-solving together in a hands-on LEGO challenge. Learners don't just watch a robot — they programme it, test it, improve it and use it to tackle missions across the challenge field.
Hands-on control
You program the robot
BioGlow puts learners in control. They explore how motors, gears, sensors, attachments and software work together before programming the robot to complete real missions.
Every attempt provides feedback. Learners adjust their code, rethink the mechanism and try again.
- Build
- Code
- Test
- Improve
The challenge field
A whole world of STEM challenges
The BioGlow field transforms robotics into a series of practical missions. Learners must investigate the challenge, develop a strategy, programme their robot and engineer attachments capable of completing different tasks.
The full field also helps visitors understand that BioGlow is much more than simply driving a LEGO robot around a mat.
A progressive experience
The STEMBus LEGO Journey
A pathway from the first spark of curiosity to a lasting legacy in school.
- 01 / 06
Discover
BIOGLOW • Habitats • Ecosystems • Creativity
- 02 / 06
Explore
LEGO • Robotics • Coding • Engineering • Research
- 03 / 06
Develop
School LEGO Club • Challenges • Innovation Project • Teamwork
- 04 / 06
Refine
Robot Missions • Reliability • Communication • Problem-Solving
- 05 / 06
Compete
Robot Game • Robot Design • Innovation Project • Core Values
- 06 / 06
Legacy
Equipment • Staff Confidence • Pupil Skills • Future Teams
Mission in progress
Build → Code → Test → Adapt → Solve
Engineering is rarely right first time.
Learners programme the robot, watch what happens, identify what needs to change and improve their solution. That cycle of experimentation turns coding into something physical, visible and memorable.
- Build
- Code
- Test
- Adapt
- Solve
Every strength has a place
More Than Robots
LEGO and robots are tools, not the final objective. Different pupils discover different strengths — in making, investigating, collaborating and sharing ideas. No child needs to be the strongest coder or the highest academic achiever to belong in STEM.
We make room for every kind of contribution.
For schools and teachers
No previous robotics or coding experience required.
Teachers don't need to become robotics experts before their pupils can begin.
STEMBus supports teachers and pupils to learn together through practical, progressive challenges. The teacher becomes a coach and facilitator while STEMBus provides the structure, guidance and progression.
Ways to get started and keep going
A pathway that grows with your school
From introductory activities to longer-term school capability, we're developing a connected approach to LEGO robotics and competition learning. Contact us to discuss current delivery and future programme options.
Free Starter Activities
Introductory LEGO robotics experiences. In development.
STEMBus Robot Club
Progressive robotics, coding and engineering challenges for schools. In development.
Competition Club
Structured support through a FIRST LEGO League season. In development.
LEGO Legacy Programme
In-school STEMBus delivery, equipment, teacher support, pupil development and competition preparation. Enquire about current delivery.
Interested in bringing LEGO robotics or a STEMBus programme to your school?
Enquire about a programmeA first BIOGLOW experience
It Starts Before the Robot Moves
STEM isn't just coding.
Our BIOGLOW introductory activities begin by encouraging pupils to explore habitats, ecosystems and the extraordinary ways living things survive.
Working in small teams, pupils can be challenged to invent their own ‘BioBug’ – a new species designed for a particular habitat.
The team then has to do something equally important: explain its ideas to everyone else.
From the first session, pupils are developing creativity, collaboration, communication, confidence and problem-solving alongside science and engineering.
Invent a BioBug
Questions for a new species
- Where does it live?
- What does it eat?
- What might eat it?
- How does it move?
- How does it protect itself?
- What adaptations help it survive?
Hands-on STEM in action
From questions to working ideas
As pupils progress, LEGO robotics gives them a way to apply design, coding and engineering to challenges they can test, discuss and improve together.