1. Title: Storybook Coders: Make Your Own Animated Tales in a Day! 📖✨
Tagline: Bring your imagination to life with code – no reading needed!
Age Group: Below 7 years (2.5 hours)
Materials/Tools:
- Tablets or iPads (with ScratchJr app installed)
- Printed Story Starter sheets (simple prompts like “A brave knight…”, “A friendly monster…”)
- Crayons, colored pencils, paper for drawing
- Stickers, small rewards
Lesson Plan:
- (Intro – 15min): “Story Time Magic!”
- Interactive Storytelling: Read a short, engaging picture book aloud. Discuss characters, setting, and plot.
- Introduce ScratchJr: “Today, we’ll use tablets like magic drawing boards to make our own stories move!” Show ScratchJr icon and briefly open the app.
- (Activity 1 – 45min): “Code Your Character to Move!”
- Guided ScratchJr Tutorial: Step-by-step guide to opening ScratchJr, choosing a character (sprite), and using movement blocks (blue blocks) to make it move.
- Hands-on Practice: Children experiment with movement blocks to make their chosen character move around the screen. “Make your character dance! Jump! Walk across the playground!”
- (Creative Twist – 30min): “Draw Your Story Scene!”
- Unplugged Activity: “Every story needs a place to happen!” Children draw a background scene for their story on paper using crayons and pencils (e.g., a forest, a castle, a spaceship).
- Share & Inspire: Briefly showcase a few drawn scenes to inspire creativity.
- (Creative Application & Playtest – 45min): “Animate Your Story Scene & Share!”
- Animate Drawings: Guide children to use the ScratchJr paint editor to recreate elements from their drawn scenes as backgrounds in ScratchJr.
- Combine Character & Scene: Show how to put their moving character onto their drawn scene background in ScratchJr.
- Playtest & Share: Children briefly show their animated story scenes to a partner. “Show your friend your magical story world!”
- (Upsell Hook – 15min): “Become a Storybook Coding Genius!”
- Recap: “Wow, you all made amazing animated stories today! Imagine what you could create in 10 weeks!”
- Introduce 10-Week Course: Briefly mention the “Junior Genius Coders: My First Stories & Games with ScratchJr” 10-week course. “In our full course, you’ll learn to add speech, sounds, make games, and become true Storybook Coding Geniuses!”
- Rewards & Sign-Up: Give out stickers: “You are all Storybook Coders!” Encourage sign-ups for the full course.
USP: Combines storytelling with early coding, caters to pre-reading skills, tangible creative output (animated story).
2. Title: Robot Dance Party! Code Tale-Bot to Groove and Move! 🤖🎶
Tagline: Robotics fun without screens – make your robot the star of the dance floor!
Age Group: Below 7 years (2.5 hours)
Materials/Tools:
- Matatalab Tale-Bot Pro robots (1 per pair or small group)
- Large open floor space
- Simple obstacle materials (cones, blocks, cups)
- Music player with upbeat, kid-friendly music
- Stickers, small rewards
Lesson Plan:
- (Intro – 15min): “Meet the Dancing Robot!”
- Interactive Intro: Enthusiastically present Tale-Bot as a “dancing robot friend!” Let children see and touch Tale-Bot.
- Robot Dance Demo: Show Tale-Bot performing a pre-programmed dance move (if possible) or demonstrate basic button commands to make it move and turn. “Look, Tale-Bot wants to dance!”
- (Activity 1 – 45min): “Make Tale-Bot Move and Groove!”
- Basic Command Exploration: Guide children to identify the ‘Forward’, ‘Backward’, ‘Turn Right’, ‘Turn Left’ buttons on Tale-Bot.
- Hands-on Practice: Children experiment with pressing buttons to make Tale-Bot move and turn on the floor. “Let’s make Tale-Bot walk, spin, and wiggle!” Play upbeat music in the background.
- Simple Dance Moves: Introduce simple dance move sequences: “Forward, Turn, Forward, Turn” – “Let’s teach Tale-Bot a simple dance!”
- (Creative Twist – 30min): “Build a Robot Dance Stage!”
- Unplugged Building: “Every dancer needs a stage!” Children use blocks, cups, or other simple materials to build a small “dance stage” or performance area for Tale-Bot on the floor.
- Stage Decoration: Encourage them to decorate their stages with colorful materials.
- (Creative Application & Playtest – 45min): “Program Your Robot Dance Routine & Show!”
- Program Dance Routines: Guide children to program Tale-Bot with sequences of button presses to create their own short dance routines. “Let’s make Tale-Bot dance to the music!”
- Robot Dance Party: Play music. Each child/pair takes turns showcasing their Tale-Bot’s dance routine on their stage. “Robot Dance Party Time!”
- (Upsell Hook – 15min): “Become a Robot Dance Choreographer!”
- Recap: “Wow, Tale-Bot is an amazing dancer thanks to YOU! Imagine creating even more incredible robot dances and stories!”
- Introduce 10-Week Course: Briefly mention the “Junior Genius Robotics Adventures: My First Robot Friend – Tale-Bot!” 10-week course. “In our full course, you’ll learn to make Tale-Bot tell stories, navigate mazes, and become a real Robot Dance Choreographer!”
- Rewards & Sign-Up: Give out stickers: “You are all Robot Dance Choreographers!” Encourage sign-ups for the full course.
USP: High-energy, music-filled, screen-free robotics fun, emphasizes movement and creative expression.
3. Title: Blocky Builders: Code Your Way Through a Coding Maze! 🧱🧩
Tagline: Unlock coding logic with physical blocks – build, code, and conquer the maze!
Age Group: Below 7 years (2.5 hours)
Materials/Tools:
- Matatalab Coding Set Pro (or similar coding block set) – 1 set per pair or small group
- Large floor mat or open floor space
- Masking tape or markers to draw maze lines
- Obstacles (small blocks, cups) to add to the maze
- Stickers, small rewards
Lesson Plan:
- (Intro – 15min): “The Coding Block Challenge!”
- Interactive Intro: Present the Matatalab Coding Set Pro as a “magic coding puzzle!” Show the control board and coding blocks.
- Coding Puzzle Demo: Demonstrate placing a few coding blocks on the control board and pressing ‘Start’ to make the robot move. “These blocks tell the robot what to do!”
- (Activity 1 – 45min): “Explore Coding Blocks and Basic Commands!”
- Block Exploration: Guide children to explore the different types of coding blocks in the Matatalab set (movement blocks – forward, turn).
- Hands-on Practice: Children experiment with placing different blocks on the control board and observing how the robot moves. “Let’s make the robot walk, turn, and explore with coding blocks!”
- Basic Command Sequences: Introduce simple sequences of blocks to make the robot move in straight lines and turn corners.
- (Creative Twist – 30min): “Draw Your Coding Maze!”
- Unplugged Maze Design: “Let’s draw a maze for our robot to solve with coding blocks!” Children draw simple mazes on a floor mat or large paper using tape or markers. Mazes should have clear paths and corners.
- Maze Feature Planning: Discuss maze features: Start, Finish, corners, maybe a simple obstacle.
- (Creative Application & Playtest – 45min): “Build and Code Your Way Through the Maze!”
- Maze Building: Children finalize their maze drawings and add simple obstacles using blocks or cups along the maze path.
- Coding the Maze Solution: Pairs work together to plan and place coding blocks on the control board to program the robot to navigate their drawn maze from start to finish. “Can you code your robot to solve your maze?”
- Maze Challenge & Playtest: Teams test their coded robot in their maze. “Let’s see if your robot can conquer the Coding Maze!”
- (Upsell Hook – 15min): “Become a Coding Maze Master!”
- Recap: “Wow, you all became amazing Coding Block Builders and Maze Solvers! Imagine building even more complex mazes and coding even smarter robots!”
- Introduce 10-Week Course: Briefly mention the “Junior Genius Coding Pro Adventures: Exploring with My Robot!” 10-week course. “In our full course, you’ll learn to use even more coding blocks, explore different maps, and become a true Coding Maze Master!”
- Rewards & Sign-Up: Give out stickers: “You are all Coding Maze Masters!” Encourage sign-ups for the full course.
USP: Focuses on tangible coding and spatial reasoning, problem-solving through maze navigation, emphasizes physical block manipulation.
4. Title: Artistic Algorithms: Create Amazing Art with Code (No Tech Needed!) 🎨✍️
Tagline: Code like an artist – explore patterns, create drawings, and unlock your inner algorithm artist! (No computers needed!)
Age Group: Below 7 years (2.5 hours)
Materials/Tools:
- Large sheets of paper or flip chart paper
- Markers, crayons, colored pencils
- Rulers, stencils (optional for pattern making)
- Unplugged coding activity cards (if available, or create simple ones – e.g., “draw a circle, then a square, then repeat”)
- Stickers, small rewards
Lesson Plan:
- (Intro – 15min): “Art Made by Rules!”
- Interactive Intro: Show examples of art that uses patterns and rules (geometric art, patterns in nature, tessellations). “Can art be made by following rules? Let’s explore!”
- Introduce Algorithms in Simple Terms: Explain “algorithm” in kid-friendly language: “A set of rules or steps to follow to do something.” “Like a recipe for art!” “Today, we’ll be algorithm artists!”
- (Activity 1 – 45min): “Drawing with Algorithms – Simple Sequences!”
- Algorithm Card Activity (Guided): Use pre-made or teacher-created algorithm cards with simple drawing instructions (e.g., “1. Draw a line to the right. 2. Draw a line down. 3. Repeat steps 1 & 2 three more times.”).
- Hands-on Drawing: Children follow the algorithm steps on paper to create drawings based on the rules. “Let’s see what art we can make just by following the rules!”
- Experiment & Observe: Encourage them to try different algorithm cards and observe how different rules create different artworks.
- (Creative Twist – 30min): “Design Your Own Algorithm Card!”
- Unplugged Algorithm Design: “Now it’s your turn to be the algorithm creator!” Children design their own simple algorithm cards with drawing instructions (using words or simple pictures).
- Algorithm Card Swap: Children swap their algorithm cards with a partner.
- (Creative Application & Playtest – 45min): “Artistic Algorithm Challenge & Gallery Walk!”
- Algorithm Challenge: Children follow their partner’s algorithm card to create a new artwork based on someone else’s rules. “Can you follow your friend’s algorithm to make art?”
- Artistic Algorithm Gallery Walk: Display all the algorithm artworks. “Let’s see our amazing Algorithm Art Gallery!” Children walk around and admire each other’s creations, trying to guess the algorithms that created each artwork.
- (Upsell Hook – 15min): “Become an Algorithm Art Master!”
- Recap: “Wow, you are all amazing Algorithm Artists! You created incredible art just by following rules! Imagine what you could create if you learned even more about algorithms and coding!”
- Introduce 10-Week Course: Briefly mention a hypothetical 10-week course (or link to relevant coding/art course). “In a longer course, you could learn to use code to create even more complex and beautiful algorithmic art, and become a true Algorithm Art Master!”
- Rewards & Sign-Up: Give out stickers: “You are all Algorithm Artists!” Encourage sign-ups for future STEM art and coding programs.
USP: Completely unplugged, accessible to all, emphasizes artistic creativity alongside computational thinking concepts, highlights algorithms in a non-technical way.
5. Title: Magical Machine Makers: Build LEGO Machines That MOVE! ⚙️✨
Tagline: Simple machines come to life! Build LEGO creations that spin, whirl, and GO!
Age Group: Below 7 years (2.5 hours)
Materials/Tools:
- LEGO DUPLO bricks and elements (large assortment, including wheels, axles, gears, simple moving parts) – or LEGO Education Simple Machines sets if available
- LEGO DUPLO Simple Motors (or similar simple, battery-powered motors for young children)
- Battery packs for motors
- Building plates or baseplates
- Simple challenge cards (if desired – e.g., “Build a spinning carousel,” “Build a car that moves”)
- Stickers, small rewards
Lesson Plan:
- (Intro – 15min): “Machines That Move – Magic!”
- Interactive Intro: Show examples of simple machines in action (toys with gears, spinning tops, simple vehicles). “Machines can help us do work and make things move! Let’s build our own magical moving machines!”
- Introduce LEGO DUPLO Simple Motors: Show the LEGO DUPLO motors. “These magic motors will make our LEGO creations move!” Explain that batteries power the motors.
- (Activity 1 – 45min): “Explore Motors and Basic LEGO Building!”
- Motor Exploration: Children explore the LEGO DUPLO motors and battery packs. Learn how to connect them and make the motor spin. “Let’s make the motor spin fast! Slow!”
- Basic LEGO Building: Review basic LEGO DUPLO building techniques. Practice connecting bricks, axles, and wheels.
- Motor Attachment Practice: Guide children to attach a motor to a simple LEGO DUPLO baseplate or structure. “Let’s attach the motor to our LEGO and see what happens!”
- (Creative Twist – 30min): “Design Your Magical Machine – Brainstorm & Sketch!”
- Unplugged Design: “What magical machine do YOU want to build?” Brainstorm machine ideas: Spinning carousel, moving car, fan, etc.
- Simple Sketching: Children draw a simple sketch of their machine idea, showing basic structure and where the motor will be placed.
- (Creative Application & Playtest – 45min): “Build Your Magical Moving Machine & Make it Go!”
- Machine Building: Children build their chosen magical machines using LEGO DUPLO bricks and motors, based on their sketches.
- Motor Integration: Guide them to integrate the motor into their LEGO creations to make them move. “Let’s make your magical machine come alive and MOVE!”
- Machine Showcase & Playtest: Children demonstrate their moving LEGO machines. “Show off your Magical Machine Makers!”
- (Upsell Hook – 15min): “Become a Magical Machine Engineering Master!”
- Recap: “Wow, you are all amazing Magical Machine Makers! You made LEGO creations that really move! Imagine building even more complex machines and robots!”
- Introduce 10-Week Course: Briefly mention a hypothetical 10-week course (or link to relevant LEGO robotics course). “In a longer course, you could learn to build even bigger, smarter, and more amazing LEGO machines and robots, and become a true Magical Machine Engineering Master!”
- Rewards & Sign-Up: Give out stickers: “You are all Magical Machine Makers!” Encourage sign-ups for future LEGO STEM and robotics programs.
USP: Introduces simple machines and early engineering through hands-on LEGO building, emphasizes movement and tangible creation.
Let me know what you think of these 5 crash course ideas! Are they hitting the right tone and focus for the “Below 7” age group?