Suitable for upper-primary teachers of computing, this Barefoot Computing activity focuses on the technical aspects of the internet explaining how it differs from the World Wide Web (WWW). Children gain an understanding of the hardware that makes up computer networks and how IP addresses allow communication between...

Very simply, this involves making sparkles flash. The challenge is to work out how long a ‘dot’ and a ‘dash’ are, and to successfully code a message in Morse code.

Using LDRs and sparkles, the student learns how to code a nightlight coming on only once it gets dark. Digital switches can also be incorporated into this.

This short unplugged activity, away from computers, introduces pattern recognition using familiar objects. Children are asked to analyse groups of objects (cats, cars and so on) to identify features common to all of them. Exceptions to the 'rules' are discussed, and parallels with writing computer programs are...

This 'unplugged' activity by Barefoot Computing, introduces pattern recognition and the idea that algorithms can be repurposed. Cooking recipes are analysed to find parts that are common to more than one. Reusable parts are then borrowed to create new recipes which the children share with the class. Additional...

These materials have been developed to give teachers a creative and engaging set of resources for use in the classroom, supplying the tools needed to raise awareness of key issues around personal information.

The primary school lesson plans explore what is meant by personal information, and give students the...

The guide Pictorial representation, from the Nuffield Mathematics Project, was designed to help teachers of students between the ages of 5 and 10. The guide deals with graphical representation in its many aspects. It contains helpful notes for the teachers as well as ideas and examples of students’ work.

This Barefoot Computing activity challenges lower-primary children to debug simple Scratch programs that assemble pizzas on-screen. A simple four-step process for systematic debugging is demonstrated.

Using logical...

The growth of plants in space is a keen area of experimentation, including ongoing work aboard the International Space Station. Successful crops will help astronauts to spend longer in space, boosting their healthy diet while reducing the mass of prepared food that must be transported from Earth.

Using a...

Robots are really useful in space as they can do lots of different jobs, some of which are too difficult or dangerous for humans. This activity looks at the different uses of robots in space exploration, with children...

The resource includes Scratch blocks which can be printed and laminated to allow children to create block algorithms visually and in a hands-on way. A great resource to introduce the idea of Scratch blocks to Key Stage One students in the hope that they will become familiar with the system when they reach Key Stage...

These three resources, from the National Strategies, focus on solving problems.

Logic problems and puzzles...

Ideal for a Halloween-themed coding lesson! Using sparkles to mirror a candle in a pumpkin – can you make it flicker or only come on once it’s dark?

Ideal for a Halloween-themed coding lesson! Using sparkles to imitate eyes in a portrait – but can be made harder using LDRs or making the lights fade in and out.

Find out how engineers who work in disaster response save lives on a massive scale. This Tomorrow’s Engineers poster and accompanying teacher booklet, activities and a lesson plan will help students to understand the scale and impact of disaster response engineering.

Many types of engineering are employed in...