Future City Competition: Designing Fire-Resistant Cities of Tomorrow
The 16-session plan
Introduce the Future City Competition, the fire-resistant city challenge, and team roles. Brainstorm what a safe, futuristic city threatened by wildfire might look like.
Research how wildfires start, spread, and enter neighborhoods. Study why some buildings and communities survive fires better than others. Fire Detectives from Space: Track live fires by satellite, compare before-and-after images, and look up fire risk in your own town. Tools: NASA FIRMS, Copernicus Browser, wildfirerisk.org
What Makes a City Fire Resilient?: Discover the big ideas, like firebreaks, green buffers, fire-safe materials, and escape routes, through real examples such as Paradise, California rebuilding after the Camp Fire and goats grazing hillsides to clear dry brush. Tools: photos, short videos, a class idea wall
Frequently asked questions
Who is this project a great fit for?+
BlueRobins projects are designed for curious students in Grades 3-12 who want to build. No prior experience is needed — mentors start wherever your child is and grow the challenge as they grow.
What does a typical session look like?+
Your child meets 1-on-1 with their mentor every week over Google Meet. Programs run 16 sessions of 45 minutes each. Sessions are hands-on from minute one — building, designing, coding, writing, experimenting — with the mentor coaching live, asking great questions, and unlocking the next step.
What will my child build by the end?+
A finished project they're proud of and can show the world. Across 16 sessions, your child turns an ambitious idea into a working app, prototype, research write-up, portfolio, or published artifact. Every student finishes with a completion certificate signed by their mentor.
Why a free trial first?+
So your child can meet their mentor, get a feel for the project, and leave the call excited. The trial is a complimentary 1-on-1 free trial session — no credit card needed. After the trial, you decide if it's the right fit. Most families know within the first 15 minutes.