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Instagram Live Recap: Learning Coding at Home
- Patria Lincoln Posted On May 28, 2020 | STEM
Learning Resources hosted Amy Torf of Noggin Builders on our Instagram Live last week. Amy is a robotics engineer, teacher, entrepreneur, and mom of three. She founded Noggin Builders in 2013 to help kids build their creative problem-solving skills through STEM.
Why coding?
Amy spoke about different ways to work on coding with your child at home. As adults, it’s easy to think of coding as a profession that requires sitting for hours at a computer typing instructions. Amy debunked this common misconception and shared that coding is a way to build life skills like resiliency, flexibility, communication and creative problem solving. These skills are applicable throughout life, not just in a future career.
Debugging is one of Amy’s favorite parts of coding. Coding itself is hard. But Amy says the more kids learn and practice problem solving skills, they are learning to identify problems be resilient. Coding works to instill in children that a mistake is not a problem, but rather a learning opportunity. Amy uses the example of tying our shoes. Each time we tie our shoes and don’t get it right, we learn a new way to tie our shoes.
Who can code?
Kids can start learning about coding as early as preschool. Activities like sequencing and patterns, cause and effect are basic concepts of coding. There are many different levels to coding besides the coding language itself, so the skills children pick up through activities like sequencing and pattern are helpful at any age. Learning to preserve through challenges and problem solve are both skills directly related to coding.
How can I teach coding at home?
One activity Amy suggests for learning about coding at home is finding ways to incorporate coding lessons in day-to-day activities. Coding requires a computer to understand instructions, so playing Simon Says or other games that require children to follow instructions help build a basic understanding. Amy encourages adding on steps to the original instructions to see how long kids can string together a set of actions.
As kids get older, try reversing the roles and having kids give instructions to you. See if they can take a larger task and break it up into the simple steps. In the world of coding, this is called decomposing. Amy used the example of making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The sandwich doesn’t magically appear when a child wants one, but requires taking out the bread, a knife, the peanut butter and the jelly before assembly even begins. Asking kids what steps are needed to make the sandwich can be a fun activity to see how the sandwich turns out.
Another fun twist is giving one another instructions without seeing each other. Amy says that as humans, we rely heavily on what we see but when writing code, you don’t necessarily see the action that you are writing at the time. There are many different games to play for this, like sitting back to back with a piece of paper and giving instructions of what to draw. Compare the two drawings without the other person seeing the original to see how close they are. You could try this game with building bricks or blocks of any kind too. Another fun way is through storytelling. Pull out some figurines or counting pieces and give instructions of the set-up. The person sitting with their back to you must try to follow your instructions without the guidance of pointing.
Can I teach coding outside?
It’s almost summer, but Amy insists that learning about coding can be taken outside too. Try creating a maze using chalk or obstacles around the yard using balls or cones and encouraging your child to navigate it using step-by-step instructions. This sort of activity is similar to what a coding toy does, but a life-size maze allows kids to learn about following instructions themselves.
Another fun outdoor activity is a treasure hunt. Amy says that in coding, algorithms give a specific set of instructions in a specific order to achieve a goal. A treasure hunt is similar in that the seeker is working to achieve a goal. Encourage your child to write a treasure hunt with step-by-step instructions for you to find the treasure, and this is an early step to learning about creating algorithms.
It’s key to remember that while learning at home is important, it’s also crucial to keep learning fun. We are so grateful that Amy could join us last week and share these helpful tips for learning about coding at home!
Valentine's Pattern Block Activity
Valentine's Pattern Block Activity is a fun and engaging way to incorporate math and problem-solving skills into the holiday. These activity mats feature different Valentine's Day-themed pictures, such as hearts, flowers, and cupids. To complete the activity, students can use pattern blocks to create the pictures on the mats.
This activity is a great way to teach kids about shapes, counting, sorting, reasoning, symmetry, and even fractions. Students will use pattern blocks to create the pictures on the mat, which will help them understand and recognize different shapes and combine them to create a complete picture. Additionally, students will need to count the number of pattern blocks required for each image; this will help to improve their counting abilities.
The activity also includes reasoning, symmetry, and fractions. Students must use their problem-solving skills to determine which pattern blocks to use and where to place them to create the desired picture. They will also practice symmetry by matching the pattern blocks to create a symmetrical picture. And finally, with pattern blocks, students can explore fractions and how they relate to the different shapes.
Valentine's Pattern Block Activity is a great way to incorporate math and problem-solving skills into the holiday while keeping the activity fun and festive. These simple Valentine's pattern Block Mats are an awesome math challenge for kids. Just print them out and start building; it's that easy!
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Valentine's Day Mathlink Cube Activities
Mathlink Cubes are perfect for creating fun and engaging Valentine's Day themed math activities. Additionally, Mathlink Cubes can be used to create patterns and sequences, such as making a pattern of hearts and counting the number of cubes used. These activities will help students practice their math skills in a fun and festive way.
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Mathlink Cubes are great for kids for several reasons:
- Hands-on learning: Mathlink Cubes are a hands-on learning tool that children can physically manipulate and explore mathematical concepts. This can help to make math more engaging and interactive for students.
- Multi-use: Mathlink Cubes can be used for various mathematical concepts, including counting, addition, subtraction, measurement, geometry, and more. This makes them a versatile and valuable tool for teachers and parents to have in their toolkits.
- Develops fine motor skills: Using the Mathlink Cubes requires children to use their fine motor skills, which can help to improve dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
- Concrete to abstract: Mathlink Cubes provide a concrete representation of mathematical concepts, which can help children to understand and internalize these concepts. Then the children can apply what they learned in the tangible form to more abstract problems.
- Fun and engaging: Mathlink Cubes come in different colors, making math activities fun and engaging for children. The fun and colorful aspect of the cubes makes children more excited to learn and practice math.
- Differentiation: Mathlink Cubes can be used to provide different levels of challenge for students, making it easy for teachers to differentiate instruction and provide support for students who need it.
Overall, Mathlink Cubes are an excellent tool for kids to learn and practice math in a fun and interactive way.
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Mid-Summer Minicamp for Five-Year-Olds
Your soon-to-be-Kindergartener was built for summer! There’s so much to do, see, and explore, both inside and outdoors. If you’re looking for some fresh, fun ideas to help keep your rising Kindergartner engaged and learning for the rest of the summer, have we got the activities for you! Read on for three days’ worth of developmental, educational, and social-emotional activities – plus some bonus activities, just for fun. And don’t miss our summer minicamp activity ideas for three- and four-year-olds
Minicamp Day One:
Developmental Activity – Fine Motor Freezer Fun
Kick off your first day of camp with some fine motor fun! Threading is an age-appropriate challenge for four-year-olds, resulting in a colorful creation they can wear or display. Set out some pipe cleaners and pony beads and thread a bracelet, create a beaded pattern for your preschooler to follow, or stick some spaghetti sticks into a ball of molding dough and thread penne noodles to make Stegosaurus. Find more threading ideas here.
Educational Activity – Learning You Can Count On
Download this free, printable worksheet, grab some counters, and practice numbers and counting with your kiddo! Count the letters in their name (writing it out on a sheet of paper might help), their age, the number of siblings they have, and more!
Social Emotional Learning Activity – Paint a Rock
You may have seen the pretty, painted rocks people are leaving around neighborhoods across the country as a symbol of kindness. You can do the same! Take a walk and find some medium-sized rocks with nice flat or rounded surfaces. Clean them off and pop them in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes – you can use the time to talk about things that make your kids happy as inspiration for what they might draw. Let the rocks cool just a bit, then use crayons to draw their ideas! When the rocks are dry, use a Sharpie to write caring messages like “Kindness”, “Love”, or “Joy”. Then place them in your neighbors’ gardens to brighten up their days! Find other kindness activities here.
✨ Bonus Activity – Cool Down with a DIY Snowstorm ✨
End your first day of minicamp with another cool-down activity – making a snowstorm in a bottle! Gather a glass or see-through plastic jar, vegetable oil, white paint, glitter, and an Alka-Seltzer tab, and follow these instructions to make it snow inside!
Minicamp Day Two:
Developmental Activity – Get a Grip
Using the proper pencil grip is the key to legible writing. Help your kiddo practice this summer by providing a sheet of properly formed capital letters to trace using a variety of differently sized crayons, markers, and pencils. Around age five, kids should be able to manipulate a writing utensil with three fingers rather than move their wrists or arms. Learn more about proper pencil grasps here.
Educational Activity – Go on a Math Scavenger Hunt
Brush up on those math skills with a scavenger hunt around the house! Print this list of things to look for and set off to find everyday math items, including number words, items of certain sizes and shapes, pairs of things, and more!
Social Emotional Learning Activity – Create a Gratitude Wall
Playing school is a wonderful way to build your child’s creativity and imagination. It also allows your soon-to-be-scholar to mentally prepare for going to school and build the confidence they’ll need to thrive there. Set up some school-ish materials, like a chalkboard or easel, books, paper and crayons, and stickers, and follow your little one’s lead. Will they read to their stuffed animals? Teach you letters and numbers? Draw a picture?
✨ Bonus Activity – Build a Fort ✨
Nothing is nicer after a day of summer minicamp than a delicious popsicle! Follow our favorite recipe for fruit and veggie pops, working together to squeeze the lime, drop the ingredients into the blender, stir the elements, and insert the popsicle handles. Talk about the foods as you work with them – what color are they? What is their texture like? What letter does that food start with? How might it taste?
Minicamp Day Three:
Developmental Activity – Brew a Batch of Slime
Stretchy, sticky, and squishy, you probably know that slime is awesome. But did you know that slime also helps builds fine motor skills? Measuring, pouring, mixing, stirring, squeezing, smashing, rolling, and twisting are all great ways to strengthen hand muscles and build fine motor skills! Start your last day of minicamp off with some slime, using our favorite recipe.
Educational Activity – Print Letters in Playdough
Practice letter identification, letter sounds, and word building with this simple stamp-and-learn activity! Set out some molding dough (or make your own – another fun minicamp activity!), tools like plastic rolling pins, cutters, kid-safe scissors, and letter blocks or magnets. Then show your child how to flatten the dough and stamp a letter into it. Say the letter name as they stamp, make its sound, and say a word that starts with that letter. See if your child can find the letters in their name and stamp them all in a row.
Social Emotional Learning Activity – Have Fun with Physics
The forces of physics are all around us, and summer is a great time to see them in action. Floating in the pool, rolling a ball, and dropping an ice cream cone (oh NO!) are perfect examples of buoyancy, motion, and gravity. These simple activities will demonstrate some of the most fundamental properties of physics in a fun way – and you can follow up your lesson by making a simple machine (instructions included).
✨ Bonus Activity – Job Talk ✨
Print this free career worksheet, cut out the word cards and images, and match them up! Talk about each job, the responsibilities of each job, the qualities each requires, and which one interests your child the most (and the least).
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