Moonhack

September sparks: Four inspiring ideas for you and your Code Club!

Whether you’re a seasoned Code Club educator or just starting out on your club journey, we’ve got some great ideas that will help put some sparkle into your coding adventures and learning this September!

To help you find your spark, four of our team members have picked their favourite upcoming events to share with you:

Members of the Code Club posing for a photos in front of a wall. Some our kneeling, some are standing.
The Code Club team

Zoe’s excited about our new progress charts!

With the support of the Code Club community, I’ve developed a series of progress charts based on our ‘3…2…1…Make!’ project paths as a way to celebrate learners’ coding achievements.

Earlier this year, I introduced the ‘Introduction to Scratch’ chart, which has been widely used. Now, I am thrilled to announce the launch of two new charts: the ‘Introduction to Web’ and ‘Introduction to Python’ progress charts. These charts are available to all clubs worldwide. As learners complete projects, they can collect stickers or colour the badges to mark their achievements and track their progress.

Coding progress charts and stickers for Scratch, web and Python.
Three new progress charts

You can access the progress chart, a sticker template specifically designed for Avery round labels, or the stickers themselves on your resources dashboard. This gives you the flexibility to print in a format that suits your needs.

I hope you enjoy using these progress charts in your Code Clubs, and make sure you share your learners’ coding successes on social media using the hashtag #MyCodeClub.

Zoe Davidson, Programme Coordinator, Code Club

Ellie can’t wait for Moonhack, the online global challenge

I work with partners based all over the world, and one of the things I love to see is young people from different backgrounds coming together to have fun with coding. And in my opinion, one of the best opportunities to code together is Moonhack! 

Moonhack, Oct 10-26 2023.

Moonhack is an online global challenge run by our partner, Code Club Australia, and you can submit an entry to this space-themed event from wherever you are in the world. This year, six new projects have been developed to showcase inventions created for space that we now use in everyday life. The projects use Scratch, Python, and micro:bit to inspire learners’ creativity and critical thinking for digital solutions. 

I’d encourage everyone to have a go and submit a project. It’s a really fun way to learn new coding skills, and there are step-by-step guides if you need some help. 

Moonhack runs from 10 to 26 October and I hope you get a chance to explore the projects with your Code Club — don’t forget to share what you’re up to using the hashtag #moonhack.

Ellie Proffitt, Code Club Global Partnerships Manager

Darren invites you to join him at a Code Club online event!

Starting a Code Club can sometimes feel overwhelming, but don’t worry; I’ve got you covered! My primary goal is to support you, regardless of where you are in your Code Club journey, and I understand that, when it comes to support, nothing beats the value of interacting with a member of the Code Club team. That’s why this September, I encourage you to join me at one of our online workshops.

We’re running workshops for Scratch, HTML & CSS, and Python that cater to both beginners taking their first steps into coding and experienced club leaders transitioning from block-based to text-based programming. And that’s not all: I’m currently curating two NEW workshops on artificial intelligence (AI) and micro:bit! More info on these soon!

A young girl sat at a desk looking at a laptop. A educator is next to her, looking at the screen and smiling.

I’ve designed all these workshops based on your feedback and needs, as well as drawing from my own experience of running a Code Club for the past decade in Ireland. They are literally made for you!

So, come and join me at one of our online workshops to take advantage of our team’s knowledge. You’ll find it easier than ever to kickstart your Code Club with confidence!

Darren Bayliss, Code Club Community Coordinator (Ireland)

Sarah’s counting down to the European Astro Pi Challenge launch 

I’ve found that nothing sparks curiosity and wonder in a child’s eyes like the subject of Space. But one of the struggles of teaching this subject is its intangibility: there are limited ways children can get hands-on with such distant subject matter. This is why I’m so excited about the launch of the European Astro Pi Challenge!

The International Space Station in orbit.
The International Space Station (photo credit: NASA)

Astro Pi brings space into the classroom, giving children access to actual instruments on board the International Space Station (ISS). You don’t need to be an astrophysicist or a coding whizz to get involved as Astro Pi has two programmes aimed at different ability levels.

Learn how your Code Club can get involved.

Sarah Eve Roberts, Code Club Community Coordinator (Wales)

Keep in touch and let us know what you will be working on with your Code Club! We are excited to hear about the projects you’ll be trying and the coding adventures you’ll be going on.

Three reasons to take part in Moonhack 2021!

Code Club Australia are the masterminds behind Moonhack, the much loved global event that brings children together to code on the theme of ‘planet-saving solutions’! 

We share three reasons why your Code Club should join this year’s Moonhack, which takes place between 24 and 30 May.   

1. Learn alongside young coder Clayton

Australian coder Clayton (aged 8) is excited for people to join him on Moonhack to learn about the Gomeroi people of Australia through the Scratch project ‘Dhinawan in the sky’ and the story of the Dark Emu. 

Clayton (8) shares why he is looking forward to taking part in Moonhack

The story of the Dark Emu has been passed down within Australian Aboriginal communities, who are the world’s oldest astronomers. Tess Reading from Code Club Australia explains more about the importance of the Dhinawan story. 

Scratch project ‘Dhinawan in the sky’

2. A great way to get started with code

Nicola Curnow, Program Manager for Code Club Australia, shares why Code Clubs from across the globe should get involved in Moonhack 2021! 

“Moonhack is a great way to get started on, or continue, your coding journey! It’s fun, free, and easy to code your own planet-saving solutions.”

A young male coder is sat at a desk looking at a laptop. A female educator is standing in the background

3. Fun, educational projects!

The Moonhack projects are educational and encourage young people to think about the world around them. 

The Code Club team in the UK are interested to learn from the ‘Nature returns’ project, which was created in the wake of the severe Australian bushfires of 2020. The project helps coders to understand bush regeneration after a bushfire and learn how Indigenous Australian cultures have used fire to manage land areas for centuries. 

Scratch project ‘Nature returns’

How can my Code Club take part? 

Step one: register your Code Club on Moonhack.com.

Step two: if your club is running online or in person, choose a date between 24 and 30 May to code your Moonhack projects. 

That’s it! Your club is now set to have fun and join thousands of other curious coders from across the world to code planet-saving solutions!  

Celebrate your code

Make sure you share your coding achievements with Code Club Australia on Twitter using the hashtag #Moonhack. 

Find out how Nicola from Australia has been delivering a club with a difference!

Over 10,000 miles away from UK HQ, Code Club Australia has entered a new phase of working as schools start to reopen. Nicola, the Programme Manager of Code Club Australia, caught up with  Lucia, the Head of Code Club UK and Ireland. She talked about what she has learnt from running an online club, and the impact that the lack of accessibility to digital devices and the internet is having on children’s learning. 

Setting the scene 

Code Club Australia has around 2000 clubs, half of these are based in schools and use the Code Club projects as part of the digital technology curriculum. A quarter of other clubs are in libraries, led by librarians and volunteers. 

During the eight-week lockdown, schools and libraries adopted new approaches and moved online to create meaningful spaces for learners to join and develop their digital making skills. 

Read about the online experiences of one library in South Australia. 

Supporting teachers 

Nicola was conscious of the pressures on teachers, moving from face-to-face teaching to home learning. To support this, Nicola now hosts an online Code Club. She calls into schools where children are spread out in several classrooms, as well as children coding from home. Nicola is delivering a club with a difference! 

“I was looking at other ways we could support the community and other ways we could continue to recruit volunteers whilst alleviating the pressure to set up a volunteer with a school and any safeguarding concerns.” 

Nicola kicks off each coding session by inviting a guest speaker to talk to the coders about a topic. Keeping within the theme, she then showcases a coding project for the class to work on. This session is recorded and hosted on YouTube to allow teachers to use the resource in their coding sessions. 

Watch this inspired session with guest speaker Rami from Space Australia, who sets the theme for a space coding project. 

Creating an equal learning environment 

Unesco has said 1.6 billion learners across the world have been impacted by school closures to help curb the spread of coronavirus. One of the biggest barriers to home learning has been lack of access to the internet or digital devices at home. 

Australia is no different. Outside of cities and in regional areas, the lack of access is very real. Research completed by Telstra estimates that 14% of houses do not have access to the internet, and this disproportionately affects families who are from Indigenous communities, speak a language other than English, or live in regional and remote areas. Telstra has been helping bridge this gap by providing connectivity to an additional 20,000 students for free when learning moved online.

Nicola has been making sure that no one misses out on learning opportunities, she sees Moonhack as a perfect example of a programme that can bring people together.

Moonhack is a free international event that brings together kids from across the world for a week of coding! This year 34,170 kids coded planet-saving solutions, and Nicola told us why this is such an engaging programme for those with limited access: 

“One of the reasons we have Moonhack online and why the Code Club projects are great is that they require low internet connectivity and the device doesn’t have to be complicated. They can just jump in and have a go!”

Take a look at some of this year’s submissions and the data breakdown.

Nicola also recognises the opportunities that running clubs online can bring to the programme; she hopes that they can help her reach communities in areas that are far away so that there is regular interaction:

“I want to make sure that those [online] offerings are just as valuable as our face-to-face ones.” 

The power of offline projects 

Along with Moonhack, Nicola and the team are adopting new approaches to make sure children with limited connectivity and accessibility have meaningful offline coding experiences. 

The team has been looking at offline projects and the important role they play in developing children’s computational thinking, thought processes, and problem-solving skills: 

“Schools want equity amongst their students, they want to share an equivalent offline resource if their students are unable to take part in an online session. 

It may even be so in line with the content that’s being taught online, that we build a worksheet that looks like Scratch, a print out of Scratch blocks where you physically build the program with the blocks”. 

Just jump in

Lucia saw how Code Club Australia had risen to the challenge, and adopted new approaches to support the Code Club community. She just had one final question for Nicola: What would you say to a teacher who was thinking of setting up their Code Club online? 

“My message is always that coding is not as hard as you think it’s going to be! And, you can do it! That message is still the same for online clubs, just jump in and have a go! It is worth it, the kids still love it, and they’re still engaged and their experiences are fundamentally very very similar to teaching face to face!”

If Code Club Australia has inspired you to set up an online club, we have resources to support you. Take a look at our club guidance or listen back to the community call series. 

To keep up to date on Code Australia, follow them on Twitter or like their Facebook page.