Month: January 2022

Go on a coding adventure with our NEW project paths!

To celebrate the new term, we’re bringing new coding discoveries to your Code Club. Find out how you can support your club members to become independent tech creators with our free educational project paths. 

Our new project path learning resources are structured so learners develop skills, knowledge, and increased independence as they progress through each path.  

Each path contains six projects. In the first three projects, known as ‘Explore’, new skills are introduced and learners are provided with step-by-step instructions to build their confidence. Next up are two ‘Design’ projects, to give children the opportunity to practise their new skills by creating their own personalised projects. The final ‘Invent’ project encourages coders to meet a project brief and decide how they want to develop their ideas using the toolbox of skills they’ve learned in previous projects. 

The project paths

Explore the project paths and choose one that suits your club this term. 

Introduction to Scratch: sprites, scripts, and loops
Club members find out how to add code, costumes, and sounds to sprites. They can make animations, games, apps, and books within this path.

Space Talk Scratch project

More Scratch: broadcast, decisions, and variables
To build on what they have learnt in the ‘Introduction to Scratch’ path, learners explore message broadcasting, if..then and if..then..else decisions, and variables.

Liz Smart, Learning Coordinator, shares why she’s enjoying the Grow a dragonfly project with her Code Club: 

“When club members realised the range of edits they could make to existing Scratch sounds, and how these could be used in their code, the club sessions got super creative! Every session since then has had an extra level of noise….and I love it!

An added bonus to this project was the amazing dragonfly facts that we all learned.”

Grow a Dragonfly Scratch project

Further Scratch: clones, my blocks, and Boolean logic
To take their Scratch learning a stage further, club members learn how to use Boolean logic, functions, clones, and more within their projects.

Introduction to Python: variables, functions, and loops
Coders are introduced to the text-based programming language Python. They code with variables, loops, and functions to create visual and interactive artwork, animations, simulations, games, and more.

Physical computing with Scratch and the Raspberry Pi
Bring physical computing into your club! This path guides you through how to use input and output electronics with Scratch and a Raspberry Pi computer.

Introduction to Unity: 3D objects, character controllers, colliders, text, and buttons
Help your coders take their first exciting steps in learning how to create 3D worlds and games with collectibles, timers, and non-player characters. These projects are brought to you with generous support from Unity Technologies.

Join us at an online workshop and discover how your Code Club can make 3D worlds with our NEW Unity project path!  

Unity 101: Setting up for success
Wednesday 2 February, 11:00 GMT / 6:00 EST / 16:30 IST

Unity 102: Creating 3D worlds
Wednesday 9 February, 13:00 GMT / 8:00 EST / 18:30 IST

Celebrating success 

Once club members have completed a path, celebrate their achievements by downloading one of our editable path certificates. 

If you’re based in the UK, the USA, India, or Ireland, head to your dashboard to download. If you’re based outside of these countries, visit our Code Club International website. 

Share your completed projects with the Code Club community on Twitter, using the hashtag #MyCodeClub.

Astro Pi Mission Zero gives real-world coding experience to club members!

In December, we watched two brand-new Astro Pi units launch into space for the European Astro Pi challenge. They’re now on board the International Space Station (ISS) ready to run young learners’ Astro Pi Mission Zero code! 

What is Astro Pi Mission Zero? 

Astro Pi Mission Zero is an engaging beginners’ coding challenge, open to all young people under the age of 19 in ESA member and associate states.

Using the step-by-step instructions young people will write a simple Python programme, which will display a message to the astronauts on board the ISS using the Astro Pi units.

First-hand experience 

Teacher Sophie Hudson, from Linton-on-Ouse Primary School, shares her experience taking part in Astro Pi Mission Zero, and why the bespoke certificates caused excitement amongst her club members!

“Although it might look daunting, it is actually very manageable! I did complete it myself first so that I knew what to do and had got my head around it. The instructions were very clear and helpful, making it manageable step-by-step.

Make sure you emphasise the real-world impact the activity has – their work is actually going into space!

The certificates were also a big excitement as they were interested to find where on the ISS their code was run.”

Educator, Sophie Hudson

Conversations on space

Our fascination with space is universal! Astro Pi Mission Zero gives young coders real-world experience, whilst supporting curriculum learning outside of the classroom.

Inquisitive minds are able to explore space science first-hand, asking questions that matter to them. Educator Ruth Laird from St Paul’s Code Club in York, has had just this experience: 

“It makes them more aware of what sort of things happen on the International Space Station and lets them be a part of it too. The excitement on the kid’s faces when you tell them that their code will actually be run there is unbelievable. 

Projects like this open up other conversations too. I had kids asking me how the astronauts go to the toilet and what they do with the waste!”

Get ready for blast off

Here are five things to remember before you head to space with Astro Pi Mission Zero:

  • You don’t need special equipment or coding skills
  • Register your club to take part in Mission Zero 
  • Plan one to two sessions in the new term to complete your mission
  • Club members will receive a special certificate showing exactly where the ISS was when their program ran
  • The closing date for entries is Friday 18 March 

Connect with the Code Club team on Twitter at Code Club UK or Code Club World and let us know how your coders get on with Astro Pi Mission Zero!

New year, new resources! Welcoming well-being in 2022

Here at Code Club, we’ve been talking about our New Year’s resolutions. Like many people around the world, our focus this year will be on our health and well-being.

In this blog post, we’ll be sharing how we plan to look after ourselves, each other, and you — our amazing Code Club community! Spoiler alert: It involves three new resources for you.

As we welcome 2022, we want to talk about what we can do to look after our mental health this year. Focusing on good mental health is an excellent New Year’s resolution and it ties in brilliantly with Children’s Mental Health Week, which takes place next month (7–13 February). 

Last year, the team got active to help our physical and mental well-being. We put on our walking shoes to take part in a virtual walk from London to Delhi that took 12 months and 14,251,903 steps! We also had a go at yoga and practised mindfulness to help us stay healthy.

To help us continue with our well-being mindset, we’ve been thinking hard about how we can support the health and well-being of our clubs in the coming months.

NEW well-being project collection

Following the success of our project collections in 2021, we are excited to launch a new project collection all about health and well-being. Each project has step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow to help young coders and educators to learn together and develop their coding skills! 

The Relax and stretch project is an ideal beginner Scratch project. Your coders will motivate people to stretch and exercise regularly throughout the day. 

Your confident coders can work on our Mandala project to create beautiful images by repeating geometric symbols. This is known to be a relaxing and mindful activity, and your young people can make their own mandalas in Scratch with this project.

Mandala Scratch project

And there’s more!

Our NEW Scratch and Python word searches are now live. We hope that your young coders enjoy them as much as our team did! These resources are not only great offline activities, but also encourage mindfulness and a moment of calm for coders in the classroom. 

So whether you are coming back to Code Club after a break or simply want to focus on well-being in your club this term, check out these new resources.

If you’re based in the UK, the USA, India, or Ireland, head to your dashboard to download these three new resources. If you’re based outside of these countries, head to our Code Club International website and find the collection and word searches inside your Club Organiser Pack.