Computing KS1 
Step 1:
  • Look at systems around and beyond the school for example: the fire alarm, entry system, automatic lights, street lights, illuminated road signs. Introduce vocabulary sensors, effectors and controller. Encourage children to explain how the systems work to each other for an imaginary video. (1,5)
Step 2 (over a number of days):
  • Children bring in battery powered devices from home one at a time and discuss how they work and/or explore low cost devices. Also consider blow out candles, solar robots, pedometers, solar lights (5)
Step 3:
  • Take devices apart –source from parental donations/charity shops/pound shops (1,5) What are the components? What does each bit do? Consider seeing whether they work first, if not discuss possible causes.
Step 4 
  • Time for children to play and explore getting cells to light LEDs, sound buzzers, move motors or simple solenoids. Encourage children to try switches and variable resistors. Plenty of time to play and explore. Can we think of ways that these could be used to make features of toys and systems we have been exploring. For example how a motor could turn a wheel. How an LED could light a room. Provide corks for the motors. 
  • Encourage sharing and ideas for robots or systems that could be created using the components 
Step 5
  • Making robots -vibrobots/solenoid bobbers/wobblebots
  • Discussion about how they compare with 'real' robots, introduce Thymio/Beebot etc. Draw out lack of controller.
Step 6
  • playing with real robots: Beebot, Hexbug crab, Thymio plenty of real hands on opportunities, loose objectives around exploration, sensors, actuators, programs. Discussion opportunities.


Step 7 Programming
  • Juicy Drinks Machine -draw out the difference between Algorithms and Programs

Step 8 You are smart and computers are stupid
  • Jam Sandwich activity (1)
  • Jigsaw activity
  • Being a robot activity


Step 9
  • Beebot Bowls (8 beebots needed)


Step 10
  • Beebot Pyramid (Ipad App)
  • Beebot delivery van/cube maze &balloon burst/dance routine
  • Cup Robotics


Step 11
  • creating a computer program using Lego Wedo
  • events to start a sequence of musical phrases and display your name
  • loops and finite repeats


Step 12
  • motor blocks
  • sensor blocks



Step 13
  • Pulleys introduction
  • Wedo singing birds activity (loops and repeats)


Step 14
  • Further Wedo projects, children choose each week.

Craft Computing!

Resources:
Thinkersmith

Switched on ICT
Espresso

Online activities TES Iboard
Humpty Compose
Lilly hop
Pollen Hunter
Spider Web
  
Apps for 



  1. Let’s build our little craft computer, it’s a card cube template, which each child gets to cut out, and glue together
  2. We then learn about the main components inside a computer by putting in the Brain (CPU),  Memory and Storage
  3. Next we talk about how computers aren’t clever, they’re quite dumb really, it’s you that makes it clever by writing programs
  4. Pixel Art – We use big paper punch cards to learn about files and how computers like numbers
  5. Internet – We then link our little craft computers together with sparkly pipe cleaners (it’s important they are sparkly!)
  6. File sharing – we swap our little pixel art files along our networks and this gives us the chance to talk about the internet
  7. Algorithms – we play a little game as a group which teaches children what algorithms are and what debugging is