Author: Zoe Davidson

Zoe Davidson

Bring environmental topics into your Code Club

Did you know World Environment Day has been marked by the United Nations since 1972? It takes place every year on 5 June to raise awareness of the environmental challenges facing our planet.

It’s a great opportunity to give young people space to explore the issues that matter to them, and to see how technology can be part of the solution, while building skills and sharing their ideas about the planet

A cheerful cartoon panda holding a recycling symbol in one hand and a globe in the other, set against a bright yellow background with clouds.

Coding for creativity, conversation, and change

Our ‘Protect our planet’ project collection is designed to do just that — encourage exploration, spark discussion, and support learners at every level.

Whether your club includes beginners or more experienced coders, there’s something for everyone to create, experiment with, and make their own.

A young man and a girl collaborate on a project at a computer, pointing at the screen. The words 'Make your ideas' are prominently displayed with light bulb graphics.

Projects to try in your club

Here are a few projects you can explore with your learners:

Green goals
Create an animation while learning about the United Nations’ environment-focused Sustainable Development Goals.

Save the shark
Build a game to help a shark survive plastic pollution, highlighting the impact of waste on ocean habitats.

Electricity generation
Create a data visualisation using real-world data to compare how countries generate electricity.

Explore the full project collection in your Code Club.

Meet creator April! 

April is a creator from Code Club Australia, and invites you to try ‘Drone planting’ — a beginner Scratch project inspired by real drones used to restore forests and bushland lost to fires in Australia.

Through the project, young people can explore how technology can help tackle real-world environmental challenges.

Starting the conversation in your Code Club

Code Clubs are a great space to start conversations about issues that matter to young people, and to explore how technology can help address them.

The ‘Protect our planet’ projects are a great conversation starter. You could ask your learners:

  • What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the natural world?
  • What small actions can we take to help the environment?
  • How could technology be used to solve environmental problems?

You might also:

  • Encourage learners to create a project about an issue they care about
  • Support them to share their ideas through storytelling and design
  • Give them time to reflect and discuss their perspectives
Young people in a classroom engaged in a coding session, with several raising their hands to answer questions. A teacher or mentor is seen in the foreground, wearing a 'Code Club' shirt.

World Environment Day isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about giving young people the chance to explore, create, and be heard.

Inspire your learners to take action — explore the ‘Protect our planet’ project collection and start building projects that make a difference.

Celebrate World Bee Day with fun Scratch coding projects

From buzzing bees to blooming gardens, World Bee Day on 20 May 2026 is a great way to explore new Scratch projects in your Code Club. By connecting coding to themes from the real world, creators can take the lead through experimenting, remixing, and sharing ideas in their own way.

Remix, customise, create

Scratch makes it simple to remix and personalise projects. Whether it’s swapping sprites, designing new backgrounds, or adding animations and sounds, small changes can transform a project into something unique.

To get started this World Bee Day, we’ve chosen three projects: ‘Butterfly garden’, ‘Grow a dragonfly’, and ‘Swarm, schools, and flocks’. With something for every experience level, each one helps build core Scratch skills while encouraging creativity.

Not sure where to begin? Marc Scott, a Senior Learning Manager at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, shares practical tips to help you support creators in bringing their ideas to life so they can really make their project buzz.

A vibrant flower garden Scratch animation featuring pink tulips in the foreground and a variety of colorful flowers in the background, with animated butterflies and insects flying around.

Butterfly garden

Start with our beginner Scratch project ‘Butterfly garden’, where creators will make their first animation — a buzzing bee paradise. This project provides a great introduction to sprites and costumes.

To give ‘Butterfly garden’ a World Bee Day twist, creators can swap the butterfly sprite for a bee, then change the backdrop into a bright meadow filled with grass and flowers for their bees to explore.

Once one bee is flying, they can duplicate the sprite to make a whole buzzing group, changing the size, colour details, and direction of each one so the movement feels more natural.

Creators can also draw flowers onto the backdrop as a simple way to personalise the project even further and turn the animation into a lively pollinator scene.

A colorful illustration of three butterflies flying against a light blue background with clouds. The largest butterfly is purple, accompanied by a red and a blue butterfly.

Grow a dragonfly

The creator’s imagination will run wild as they ‘Grow a dragonfly’ — what will happen if their dragonfly eats different food? In this project, creators build on the skills in ‘Butterfly garden’ by using motion and sensing blocks to make a sprite follow the mouse. They can also edit sounds and use if conditions and broadcast messages so insects can be eaten and the dragonfly can grow.

As they extend the project, they explore random positioning and movement, sprite duplication, and more precise sensing such as touching colour, helping them create a richer, more interactive app.

For World Bee Day, creators could remix this into a bee-themed project by changing the dragonfly into a bee and replacing the insects with flowers that suddenly appear around the stage. Each time the bee reaches a flower, it could collect nectar and grow, or add to a score. With different flower colours and a meadow backdrop, creators can turn their project into a lively pollinator adventure.

A stylized purple dragonfly with large wings flying amidst small black and white flies against a teal background.

Swarm, schools, and flocks 

Designed to be customised, ‘Swarms, schools, and flocks’ gives creators the chance to build their own interactive project while developing more advanced Scratch skills.

As they work, they’ll learn how to use clones to create groups of moving sprites, add randomness so each one behaves a little differently, and build game features such as scrolling scenes, food collection, scoring, and predator interactions.

That makes it a great project to remix into a pollinator challenge for Word Bee Day, as bees, butterflies, or other insects move together through a flower-filled habitat.

A whimsical illustration of several brown birds flying above green hills, accompanied by a purple butterfly in the foreground.

Try it out

Explore the projects, remix them for World Bee Day, and see what your creators come up with. Whether it’s a buzzing bee garden, a life cycle story, or a moving swarm, every project is a chance to experiment and create something original.

Get started today and share your creations with the Code Club community on Facebook— we’d love to see how you’ve brought your ideas to life!

Can I start a Code Club? Here’s what you need to know

It’s a common question we hear from teachers, parents, and volunteers around the world: Can I start a Code Club? The answer is simple: yes, you can.

If you’re excited about helping young people turn their ideas into games, animations, and websites, you already have the spark that makes a great Code Club mentor. Starting a Code Club isn’t about being a professional programmer. It’s about creating a welcoming and inclusive space where young people can explore, experiment, and build their confidence.

Children learning at computers in a classroom setting, with an instructor guiding them; text overlay says 'Join the club'.

Who can start a Code Club?

One of the best things about Code Club is that it’s community-powered. Clubs are started by classroom teachers, librarians, youth workers, university students, parents, and industry volunteers. Some leaders have technical backgrounds. Many don’t.

What they share isn’t expert knowledge — it’s enthusiasm and commitment.

“I started running a Code Club when my son was seven because I wanted to understand what this whole programming and coding world was about. I’m not a coder, but I realised I didn’t need to know everything.” – Rachael Coultart, Stevenage, UK

Young people don’t need an expert at the front of the room. They need encouragement, patience, and someone who believes in them.

What do you need to start a Code Club?

Starting a Code Club is often much simpler than people expect. At its heart, you need a safe space, a regular meeting time, and access to computers or tablets. Many clubs run in schools, libraries, and community centres. Some start small — just a handful of creators and a couple of devices — and grow over time.

Consistency matters more than scale. Meeting once a week, or once or twice a month helps build routine and momentum. Over time, the club becomes something young people look forward to — a space that feels different from a typical lesson, where creativity and fun is encouraged.

“Since starting Code Club, I’ve seen students discover strengths they don’t always show at school. Quiet students became leaders, and new partnerships turned into friendships. It showed me how vital it is to create opportunities where all students can succeed and belong.” – Stephanie MacPhail, Bloomington, USA

A man and a young girl engage in a learning activity at a table in a library, surrounded by bookshelves filled with children's books.

Do you need to be a coding expert?

It’s completely natural to wonder if you know enough. Code Clubs thrive when mentors bring different skills, experiences, and perspectives to encourage young creators. We provide free resources such as project guides, certificates, and posters, and we offer support through online workshops, community events, and an online help desk.

Saying, “Let’s work it out together”, shows young people that not knowing is part of learning. When something doesn’t work the first time, it becomes an opportunity to practise resilience. Code Club leaders are there to guide and encourage creators through the process, not provide instant answers.

“The mistakes and the debugging — we learned together. That shared process, sticking with projects week after week and figuring things out side by side, has been really powerful.” – Rachael Coultart, Stevenage, UK

Why start a Code Club in your community?

Starting a Code Club is about more than teaching coding skills. It’s about empowering young people to become creative thinkers and resilient learners 

When young people realise they can design their own games, build their own websites, and bring their ideas to life, something shifts. For many creators, Code Club is the first time they see themselves as someone who can code.

“It makes me proud to know that I’ve made something because I used to think: I’m never going to be able to do that!… I like making games, creating stories. I’m working with the Raspberry Pi today because it looks fun.” – Alex (10), CoderDojo, Barbican Library

These moments are why so many volunteers decide to start a Code Club and stay with us.

A young student in a green school uniform proudly points at a computer screen displaying a coding interface, showcasing a project he created.

How to get started with Code Club

If you’re considering starting a Code Club, begin with a few simple steps. Choose a venue, decide on a regular time, and think about the age group you’d like to support. Once you open your doors, keep the focus on making the space welcoming, inclusive, and creative.

You don’t need everything figured out before you start. Many leaders say the hardest part was simply taking that first step.

So, can you start a Code Club?

Yes!

Start small. Keep it consistent. Celebrate every success. Get started and run a Code Club in your community.