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🚀 Teaching Kids to Think Like Programmers! 🧠👾

Looking for a fun way to introduce kids to algorithms? Try these hands-on activities that turn everyday tasks into problem-solving adventures!

💡 1️⃣ Build a Paper Airplane
Have kids write out step-by-step directions for creating a paper airplane. Then, switch directions with a partner and see if the airplanes fly! 🛩️ If something doesn’t work, help each other find and fix the “bugs” in the algorithm.

💡 2️⃣ Make a PB&J Sandwich 🥪
Students write a detailed set of directions for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then, YOU (the teacher) run their algorithms—literally! Follow their steps exactly as written, even if it means doing something silly like putting peanut butter on the outside of the bread. 🍞 Watch as students laugh, learn, and refine their algorithms to make them more precise.

These activities help kids learn the importance of clear instructions, debugging, and thinking critically—essential skills for future coders and problem solvers!

Here are a couple of fun and interactive ways to teach algorithms in your classroom:

1. Lego Build Challenge
• Give students pictures of simple Lego builds and pair them up.
• One student gives step-by-step directions on how to build the design without showing the picture, while the other follows the “algorithm” to recreate it.
• Once finished, compare the build to the original picture and discuss what worked or where the algorithm might need improvement.
• This is a great way to introduce the importance of clear and precise instructions!
2. Drawing Algorithms
• Start by giving students vague verbal directions to draw a picture (e.g., “Draw a circle with some lines coming out of it”).
• After everyone has drawn, reveal the actual image they were supposed to replicate.
• Discuss how unclear instructions lead to different outcomes. Then, have students rewrite the algorithm using specific, detailed steps and try the activity again.
• This helps them understand how precise instructions are key to successful algorithms.

Both activities make coding concepts hands-on and fun while reinforcing the importance of clear communication in problem-solving!

Our last commercial for our holiday day

I’m not a strict teacher. Kids definitely need strict teachers but they also need a soft place to land. I use to get notes like these all the time from my elementary students but I never thought I would get one from my high school students. I am my students soft place to land. They come to me everyday because they know that they are loved. They feel it. It’s what I’m most proud of as a teacher. A kid only needs one adult in their lives to believe in them to make a huge impact in their lives. We learn and experience a lot in my classroom but my greatest contribution to them is the love I show them everyday ❤️💕