At SchoolAmanda Vaden
Learn how to properly store your Sphero BOLT robots over the summer.

The end of the school year is on the horizon which means summer is not far behind. For many educators and their students, summer is a welcomed and well-earned opportunity to relax and recharge before the next school year. Likewise, for some, it’s also a time to focus on fun activities that encourage collaborative learning in a summer camp, or other summer program. These types of hands-on programs are gaining in popularity with kids, teachers, and parents, and can even help to bridge learning gaps over the break. 

No matter how you plan to spend your summer, this guide will help you prep your Sphero robots for the months ahead. From planning a STEM summer camp to understanding how to properly clean and store your robots for an extended period of time, we’ve got you covered. Let’s dive in! 

Host a STEM Summer Camp 

If you’re planning to keep using your robots and host a STEM summer camp this year your students are in for a treat. STEM summer camps are a fun way to keep kids engaging and learning, outside of the traditional classroom setting. 

Whether you have an hour, a week, or more to commit to a STEM summer camp this year, we offer free guides with a range of challenges and activities for Sphero BOLT, indi, and littleBits. 

Make a Splash with Sphero BOLT this Summer  

BOLT is not only our most popular programmable robot, it’s also our most versatile. Dress it up, deck it out, or throw it in the pool – the creativity with Sphero BOLT is seemingly limitless. 

Get the BOLT Guide 

Speed into Summer with Sphero indi 

Planning a program for early learners this summer? Look no further than our activities for Sphero indi, programmed by color and designed for kids in Pre-K (as young as four years old)–2. 

Get the indi Guide

littleBits Mean Big Summer Fun

Design it, build it, then bring it to life. littleBits easily snap together to create fun inventions, teaching the foundations of circuitry and electronics. What will you and your students create?

Get the littleBits Guide 

How to Properly Store your Sphero Robots Over the Summer 

Summer is a great time to unplug and recharge! Planning a trip over the summer and won’t use your robots for several weeks or months? To ensure you store your robots correctly and prolong the battery life, just like any of your electronic devices with a lithium polymer battery, here are some steps to take ahead of time.

Charging and Storing Your Sphero BOLT & SPRK+

Anytime your robot is not in use, we recommend putting your robot into deep sleep and keeping it off the charging base. 

The best way to maintain your battery, prior to putting the robot into deep sleep, is to first run the battery down to 50% and then put it in deep sleep. Prolonged time at empty or full charge can damage the lithium ion battery’s matrix. You can put your robot into deep sleep via the app you're using, or you can put your robot into deep sleep by simply placing your robot on the charging base and holding down the button on the side of the charging base while simultaneously lifting the robot off of the base. Your robot is now in deep sleep! 

The most important thing to note is that, when not in use, the robot should be stored in deep sleep off of the charging base and in a cool area between 50-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

To wake your robot from deep sleep, simply place your robot back on the charging base.

These steps work for Sphero BOLT and SPRK+ since they use inductive charging bases.

Charging and Storing Your Sphero BOLT Power Pack

If you are not using the robots for a few weeks, it’s best to charge them to approximately 50%, turn them off, and then store them.

With the Power Pack on, press and hold the cradle button and simultaneously remove BOLT to turn it off. Repeat for all robots and place them aside. You can also turn off your robot in the settings of the Sphero Edu app.

Toggle the power switch off and unplug the Power Pack.

Place robots back inside the Power Pack and store at room temperature. To turn robots on after storage, plug in and turn on the Power Pack. After storing for several months, you may need to recharge the robots.

Cleaning Your Sphero Bots and littleBit

As the school year winds down, prepping your classroom for the break is important for a variety of reasons. Much like tidying up your house before going on vacation, cleaning your classroom and teaching tools before the break can alleviate some stress when you come back to start a new school year. 

Sphero robots and littleBits are hands-on teaching tools, which means they get touched a lot by a lot of different hands. We put together a quick guide for cleaning your bots and Bits before you properly store them away for summer.

Read our Cleaning Guide 

Conclusion: Summer Break Prep 

Teachers and students alike deserve a much-needed break and the opportunity to live their summers to the fullest this year. But no matter how you plan to spend the next few months, we’re here to help. Check out the full Sphero collection of robots, design-and-build kits, and our library of free activities

At school