Month: April 2022

Physical computing kits available for Code Clubs in England

From making your first LED blink to creating a musical instrument, physical computing can bring the ‘A-ha!’ moment into your Code Club.

If your Code Club is running within a school in England, you can hire a selection of physical computing kits from an NCCE Computing Hub for free.

Bringing the ‘A-ha!’ moment to Code Club

Physical computing helps club members to build connections between the real world and programming. By designing, programming, and making their own creations, young people get the opportunity to learn about microcontroller boards, LEDs, inputs and outputs, and so much more!  

The kits are designed so that you can get started straight away. No experience is necessary as you’ll have access to:

  • The Teach Computing guide to physical computing kits
  • Step-by-step projects
  • Our online FutureLearn courses 

What are the kits?

The physical computing kits are available from the 34 NCCE Computing Hubs located at secondary schools across England. The kits are split into trays by type of device, and each tray is suitable for teachers to get started with physical computing at different key stages:

  • Crumble trays – aimed at key stage 2
  • Micro:bit trays – aimed at key stages 2 and 3
  • Raspberry Pi Pico trays – aimed at key stage 4
  • Raspberry Pi 3B+ trays – aimed at key stage 4
This is what a Raspberry Pi Pico tray looks like

How can I borrow a kit to use at my Code Club?

If you’re a teacher in England, you can visit the NCCE Hubs webpage to find your local Hub, then contact them to find out what’s available to borrow. Each computing kit is generally available to use for up six weeks at a time. 

If you’re a volunteer, you can still access the free Teach Computing Curriculum to use in your club. 

I’ve hired a kit. How do I get started? 

The Teacher Guide to physical computing kits provides a detailed explanation of all of the equipment and components included in the kits. It also has information about free teaching resources and training. 

The Raspberry Pi Foundation recently launched two fantastic new project paths that your Code Club could explore with the Raspberry Pi 3B+ and Raspberry Pi Pico trays:

Each project has step-by-step instructions to help young coders and educators to learn and develop their coding skills together! 

Raspberry Pi Picos bring Python code to life when connected to breadboards and other electrical components

How have the kits been used?

More than two hundred trays have been loaned out since September 2021. Over 90% of teachers who have borrowed them say that they have used lessons and units from the Teach Computing Curriculum to teach with the physical computing kits, some during class time and others at after-school clubs, like Code Club. 

Ian Cartwright, a teacher from Belvedere Academy, a girls’ secondary school in Toxteth, Liverpool, borrowed a tray of Raspberry Pi Picos to use at his lunchtime club with a small group of 11- to 12-year-old students. Ian started with five students and that quickly went up to a group of ten when they started telling their friends about making the LEDs flash. Ian said, 

“[It’s] massively more engaging than programming Python on a screen — walking into a room with the box of kit grabs their attention straight away. They love the idea of building something physical, like a car. When the lights flash they ask whether they can take their phones out (but they’re not allowed to) so that they can show their mum and dad when they get home.”

Young people can build motorised buggies and bridges with the Crumble tray

Year 5 and 6 students from Purford Green Primary Academy in Harlow, Essex, told us about how they used Crumbles to make buggies drive around tables and control bridges to make them go up and down. When asked how using Crumbles compared with other computing activities, such as using Scratch, one student said, 

“I liked the Crumbles because it helped me develop my block coding and make my bridge move. I couldn’t do that on Scratch.” 

Bring the magic of physical computing into your Code Club and share your adventures with us on Twitter and Facebook. 

Code Club is 10 years old!

 2022 marks ten years of Code Club, a HUGE community achievement.

To mark this amazing milestone, we’re bringing the community together for a two-week coding extravaganza! Put 16 to 27 May in your calendars, and help us celebrate. 

Looking back

Back in April 2012, Code Club co-founders, Clare Sutcliffe and Linda Sandvik published our very first blog announcing the launch of Code Club. Three hundred sixty-five blogs later, we’re celebrating our 10th birthday! 

Tamasin Greenough Graham, Head of Code Club, reflects on where we’ve come: 

“Code Club was really inspired by the idea that kids coding after school as a hobby could be just as normal as going to a sports club. I’m so proud that we have achieved that. 

Code Clubs are now in schools across the world and each week that number continues to grow. Schools now see having a Code Club is just as important an offer to young people as having a sports club. That is something that the team and I are incredibly proud of.”

Code Clubs from across the world

From its inception, Code Club has always provided a fun and supportive space for children to learn and get creative with code. 

Each week, across the globe, we see that lightbulb moment when learners make their first blocks of Scratch code come to life and realise that they have the power to create their own stories, games, animations, and more.

A NEW birthday Scratch project

To help us celebrate, our amazing content team have designed a new birthday Scratch project for your Code Club to have fun with. In this game, your coders will create a simple game where you hit a piñata to release tasty birthday treats and reveal a Code Club celebration message. 

Read on, and see how your club can work on this project at our global codealong party!

You’re invited to our codealong party

The highlight of our birthday will be an online global codealong party on Thursday 26 May. We’re inviting your club to join the Code Club team live from across the world to code our fun birthday project in Scratch

There will be several one-hour codealong sessions running throughout the day, and the event will be open to all schools, community groups, and children, regardless of whether they usually attend Code Club. 

Take a look at our registration form, see which codealong session time suits your club the best, and sign up!

Get Code Club party ready! 

Every birthday requires a party! We’ve created a downloadable party pack containing everything your club needs to host their own party, which includes printable stickers, a coding crossword, and party hats! All you need to do is invite your coders. 

Get ready to put your party hats on and help us mark a decade of coding fun!

To mark this achievement, we want to hear your memories. However big or small, share them with the Code Club community on social media using the hashtag #CodeClubIs10.