Hour of Code

Today, the kindergarteners had the opportunity to guide a robot in his quest to light squares  during their Hour of Code experience. The kindergarteners were paired with a 5th grade buddy that brought an iPad for their use. The 5th graders acted as guides and reading assistants as the kindergarteners worked within the Lightbot app to move their robot using icons to represent commands. The adults in the room had the chance to overhear amazing conversations between the children as they problem solved, thought through situations sequentially, and examined cause and effect behaviors. These skills translate across the curriculum, but with the coding experience, students had the chance to practice them in a game based setting. 
The code.org site is a wonderful free resource for coding and app creation opportunities for children. I would also encourage you to check out Scratch Jr. (works well as an iPad app) and Scratch for more advanced coding experiences. Scratch offers a platform for students to write code and create a game that can be shared with others in a safe online setting. Your child might also be interested in experimenting with a Makey Makey (If I explain it, I won't do it justice). Take a look at this wonderful device that makes it possible to turn bananas into a keyboard. In conjunction with Computer Science Week and Hour of Code, the Tynker app, is offering free in-app purchases until December 11th. This app provides coding and problem solving challenges for all ages and levels. Coding is the perfect opportunity for kids to utilize their problem solving and spatial reasoning skills over the winter break.
An extra special thank you goes out to Nicholas Wong, Eric and Lisa Wolff, Chris Kaufield, and Mike Check (dad to Josie in 1st and Braeden in 3rd) for their help in facilitating this process for the students.