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In this guest blog on how to build times tables confidence, the creators of the tacklingtables method offer helpful advice on how to build times tables confidence, and why it matters.
Tim Caird is parent, engineer, former primary school teacher and the STEM enthusiast who recently gave Botley 2.0 a whirl on his YouTube Channel, Mr Caird Makes. As an experienced teacher and cofounder of CodeFest, a programme of community-based coding events for kids in the Plymouth area, Tim has some easy, fun ideas for families to nurture a coding mindset at home to help children grow with coding.
Coding is an important form of literacy in the digital age. Everything from using a smart phone to setting up a TV is done through coding, and research puts coding at the forefront of a diverse range of future careers. Parents know that coding is an important skill but often aren’t sure how to start introducing it to their children.
Fortunately, coding doesn’t begin in front of a screen but with fostering a coding mindset. And that is something any parent can do with their children from a young age in any area of life and with a little imagination.
At its heart, coding is simply giving a machine or programme a set of instructions. These instructions are given in a specific order to achieve a goal. You teach a machine or programme to look out for certain conditions and then respond accordingly. For example, an outside light may turn on when it grows dark, a door opens when you get near to it or your thermostat kicks in when it gets too cold.
You can start exploring coding ideas with your child through playing games at the youngest of ages. Pretend to be robots and give each other instructions to follow or organise objects by size, colour, or quantity. Even Duck, Duck Goose comes down to one simple coding command: “if goose is called, get up and chase them!”.
The key thing as a parent is not to worry about ‘teaching them to code’. Fostering a coding mindset through activities like sorting and comparing helps to nurture critical thinking and analytical thought processes which prepare for starting to code in earnest.
Once children reach age 4-5, you can start to look at small programmable robots. A couple of examples of these are Coding Critters or Botley 2.0. These give a good starting point with physical buttons on the outside and embed the importance of sequencing instructions correctly to achieve goals.
Block based coding apps like ScratchJr are a great next step for ages 5-11. By snapping together instruction blocks in an app like jigsaw pieces, you can create programmes and test them out at once either in the app or on real electronics. Redfern Electronics’ Crumble board takes this a step forward and allows you to control actual electronics like lights, buzzers and motors using a similar block-based environment showing how coding can control the ‘real world’ outside of a screen. [Ed’s note: Artie 3000 is an ideal transition for children aged 7-11 from button-based coding to using real programming languages. Children connect Artie 3000 to a tablet or PC and use languages including JavaScript and Python to programme their Artie to draw geometric designs.]
From 11 upwards, there are some great options for moving from block-based programming to actual programming languages. The BBC Micro:Bit is an excellent place to start with the Raspberry Pi offering further capability. Each teach the Python programming language and allow for exploring both software and hardware in equal measure.
You're also not alone in wanting to set your children on the path to coding. There are a wide range of web resources and YouTube channels such as Khan Academy and Code.org which provide coding tutorials and even whole coding curriculums for free. Because it’s easy for children to replay these videos and guides, they can work at their own pace and retrace their steps when they need to.
Coding, like any language, takes time and practice through application to really embed and become fluent in it. The more fun you can make it and the more it's applied to real challenges in real life, the more engaging and fulfilling it is. Foster that coding mindset one instruction at a time, shape it around your children’s interests and see where it takes them.
 | About the authorTim Caird is a parent, engineer, former primary school teacher and STEM enthusiast. Follow him on YouTube at Mr Caird Makes where he uploads cool STEM-inspired crafts and activities for families to do at home. Find him on Twitter @timcaird and on Instagram at @mrcairdmakes. |
Tim Caird is parent, engineer, former primary school teacher and the STEM enthusiast who recently gave Botley 2.0 a whirl on his YouTube Channel, Mr Caird Makes. As an experienced teacher and cofounder of CodeFest, a programme of community-based coding events for kids in the Plymouth area, Tim has some easy, fun ideas for families to nurture a coding mindset at home to help children grow with coding.
Coding is an important form of literacy in the digital age. Everything from using a smart phone to setting up a TV is done through coding, and research puts coding at the forefront of a diverse range of future careers. Parents know that coding is an important skill but often aren’t sure how to start introducing it to their children.
Fortunately, coding doesn’t begin in front of a screen but with fostering a coding mindset. And that is something any parent can do with their children from a young age in any area of life and with a little imagination.
At its heart, coding is simply giving a machine or programme a set of instructions. These instructions are given in a specific order to achieve a goal. You teach a machine or programme to look out for certain conditions and then respond accordingly. For example, an outside light may turn on when it grows dark, a door opens when you get near to it or your thermostat kicks in when it gets too cold.
You can start exploring coding ideas with your child through playing games at the youngest of ages. Pretend to be robots and give each other instructions to follow or organise objects by size, colour, or quantity. Even Duck, Duck Goose comes down to one simple coding command: “if goose is called, get up and chase them!”.
The key thing as a parent is not to worry about ‘teaching them to code’. Fostering a coding mindset through activities like sorting and comparing helps to nurture critical thinking and analytical thought processes which prepare for starting to code in earnest.
Once children reach age 4-5, you can start to look at small programmable robots. A couple of examples of these are Coding Critters or Botley 2.0. These give a good starting point with physical buttons on the outside and embed the importance of sequencing instructions correctly to achieve goals.
Block based coding apps like ScratchJr are a great next step for ages 5-11. By snapping together instruction blocks in an app like jigsaw pieces, you can create programmes and test them out at once either in the app or on real electronics. Redfern Electronics’ Crumble board takes this a step forward and allows you to control actual electronics like lights, buzzers and motors using a similar block-based environment showing how coding can control the ‘real world’ outside of a screen. [Ed’s note: Artie 3000 is an ideal transition for children aged 7-11 from button-based coding to using real programming languages. Children connect Artie 3000 to a tablet or PC and use languages including JavaScript and Python to programme their Artie to draw geometric designs.]
From 11 upwards, there are some great options for moving from block-based programming to actual programming languages. The BBC Micro:Bit is an excellent place to start with the Raspberry Pi offering further capability. Each teach the Python programming language and allow for exploring both software and hardware in equal measure.
You're also not alone in wanting to set your children on the path to coding. There are a wide range of web resources and YouTube channels such as Khan Academy and Code.org which provide coding tutorials and even whole coding curriculums for free. Because it’s easy for children to replay these videos and guides, they can work at their own pace and retrace their steps when they need to.
Coding, like any language, takes time and practice through application to really embed and become fluent in it. The more fun you can make it and the more it's applied to real challenges in real life, the more engaging and fulfilling it is. Foster that coding mindset one instruction at a time, shape it around your children’s interests and see where it takes them.
| About the authorTim Caird is a parent, engineer, former primary school teacher and STEM enthusiast. Follow him on YouTube at Mr Caird Makes where he uploads cool STEM-inspired crafts and activities for families to do at home. Find him on Twitter @timcaird and on Instagram at @mrcairdmakes. |
Nazreen Ichhaporia is a maths teacher and tutor. Read more to discover her easy, accessible outdoor maths activities for kids to try!
Nazreen Ichhaporia is a maths teacher and tutor. Read more to discover her easy, accessible outdoor maths activities for kids to try!
Nicola from The World is Their Classroom is a home educator to her five children aged 15, 12, 9, 7 and 4. She is passionate about making learning fun and often takes her lessons outside, capturing the importance of learning outdoors. You can find ideas for educational products and activities on The World Is Their Classroom, a website bursting with creative and engaging ideas for children of all ages.
In celebration of Walk inthe Woods Month, Nicola has written a post about the importance of learningoutdoors and what the benefits are.
We love taking ourclassroom outdoors all year round, but throughout the month of May we aretaking part in Walk in the Woods Month by heading out into our local woods tosee nature spring back to life and to celebrate our local trees. There are somany benefits of learning out in the fresh air, from developing children'scommunication skills to nurturing their creativity as they ramble throughfields of bluebells and listen to bird song.
Today we ventured into thewoods to discover what wildlife is lurking under the ponds and streams usingour GeoSafari® SeaScope®. The kiddies thencollected what they found by popping the creatures carefully into their GeoSafari® Jr. Critter Habitat to observe them moreclosely. They also trundled along with their 5-in-1 Outdoor Measure-Mate™, this tool is perfect formeasuring on the go!
Taking children outsideinto the fresh air encourages physical activity. My kiddies certainly get moreexercise when they are measuring the perimeter of large grassy fields with the Measure-Mate.This robust learning tool can easily cope with the different terrain in thewoods, so the kiddies can measure as they amble their way across rocky patchestoo. As soon as we were over the gate and into the woods, they were off! Theyran along collecting twigs to make dens, identified leaves and spotted thelocal deer bobbing around in the bushes. With the Measure-Mate they could easily changeit into a vertical measure, callipers, spirit level or measuring stick, theythen measured the leaves and pine cones they found and recorded the figures intheir notebooks.
Outdoor learningencourages better behaviour! My kiddies always seem more well behaved when theyare exploring outdoors. They no longer feel the need to annoy each other, buthelp and encourage each other to explore paths and streams. Today they workedtogether to observe all the black, wriggly tadpoles in the ponds. Theycarefully submerged their GeoSafari® SeaScope® into the water andswitched on the built in LED light to illuminate what was lurking beneath. Theywere amazed to see the pond full of tadpoles as they zoomed in on large groupsof these little creatures. They were also able to discover more about them byscooping them up carefully with their GeoSafari® Jr. Critter Habitat, which supports both wetand dry habitats, and then using the magnifying windows to peer through at themas they made sketches.
Each time we visit thewoods the kiddies have a better understanding and attitude towards theenvironment and learn how it is important to conserve our local area. Theyenjoy planning litter picks, help clear the streams and have made wooden duck hutsfor the winter, which were put in our local park.
They also speak to eachother in a more positive way when we are outdoors, developing theircommunication skills. They discuss topics that interest them and always asklots of questions about their surroundings. The older ones listen to theyounger ones chatter away about birds and beetles! GeoSafari® Jr. Critter Habitat has given them theopportunity to collect leaves, bugs, fish and tadpoles and observe them ingreater detail, asking lots more questions.
When the kiddies areoutdoors, they feel free to explore! They can make all the mess they want, pickup leaves and bugs and build the wildest den they can imagine. They can createtheir own role plays with natural things they discover around them nurturingcreativity and imagination.
Taking your classroomoutdoors sparks their imagination and makes their learning that bit moreexciting and engaging. We believe learning doesn't necessarily have to be satat a table with pen and paper, some children really thrive from practicallearning instead of just reading books. Today the kiddies had the opportunityto discover lots of new insects, tadpoles and fish whilst exploring the pond!The little ones enjoyed picking different leaves and climbing over a fallentree. They enjoyed using the Measure-Mate in order to measure theinternal and external dimensions of lots of different objects they discoveredas they ambled along.
Being outdoors fuelsimaginations! They ask questions and want to learn more about certain topics.Once we returned home, they found reference books on the insects they havediscovered, drew pictures and kept nature journals. This is a great way toencourage self-study and further their knowledge of what they havediscovered.
Obviously, it doesn't costa thing to venture outdoors and you can use any of the free natural materialsyou come across, which is another great bonus to taking your learning outdoors.There are endless opportunities and resources in your local woods from makingleaf/bark rubbings to going on scavenger hunts. Learning Resources have lots of great outdoor learning tools to take along on youroutdoor learning adventures.
When taking your classroomoutdoors it also provides children with new learning opportunities and lifeskills. You can plan a den building session or a bug hunt but you'll find theylearn so much more, in a way that suits them!
Finally, my favouritething about taking the kiddies out and about is creating memories. Memories ofchildhood last a lifetime and the kiddies will hopefully pass the knowledge andskills they learn to their children in the future. We take plenty of photos andupload them onto our private family blog as well as sharing a few favourites onInstagram here.
So why not take yourlearning outdoors and into the woods this month, allowing the kiddies toexplore the world around them!
Written by Nicola Braund
Nicola from The World is Their Classroom is a home educator to her five children aged 15, 12, 9, 7 and 4. She is passionate about making learning fun and often takes her lessons outside, capturing the importance of learning outdoors. You can find ideas for educational products and activities on The World Is Their Classroom, a website bursting with creative and engaging ideas for children of all ages.
In celebration of Walk inthe Woods Month, Nicola has written a post about the importance of learningoutdoors and what the benefits are.
We love taking ourclassroom outdoors all year round, but throughout the month of May we aretaking part in Walk in the Woods Month by heading out into our local woods tosee nature spring back to life and to celebrate our local trees. There are somany benefits of learning out in the fresh air, from developing children'scommunication skills to nurturing their creativity as they ramble throughfields of bluebells and listen to bird song.
Today we ventured into thewoods to discover what wildlife is lurking under the ponds and streams usingour GeoSafari® SeaScope®. The kiddies thencollected what they found by popping the creatures carefully into their GeoSafari® Jr. Critter Habitat to observe them moreclosely. They also trundled along with their 5-in-1 Outdoor Measure-Mate™, this tool is perfect formeasuring on the go!
Taking children outsideinto the fresh air encourages physical activity. My kiddies certainly get moreexercise when they are measuring the perimeter of large grassy fields with the Measure-Mate.This robust learning tool can easily cope with the different terrain in thewoods, so the kiddies can measure as they amble their way across rocky patchestoo. As soon as we were over the gate and into the woods, they were off! Theyran along collecting twigs to make dens, identified leaves and spotted thelocal deer bobbing around in the bushes. With the Measure-Mate they could easily changeit into a vertical measure, callipers, spirit level or measuring stick, theythen measured the leaves and pine cones they found and recorded the figures intheir notebooks.
Outdoor learningencourages better behaviour! My kiddies always seem more well behaved when theyare exploring outdoors. They no longer feel the need to annoy each other, buthelp and encourage each other to explore paths and streams. Today they workedtogether to observe all the black, wriggly tadpoles in the ponds. Theycarefully submerged their GeoSafari® SeaScope® into the water andswitched on the built in LED light to illuminate what was lurking beneath. Theywere amazed to see the pond full of tadpoles as they zoomed in on large groupsof these little creatures. They were also able to discover more about them byscooping them up carefully with their GeoSafari® Jr. Critter Habitat, which supports both wetand dry habitats, and then using the magnifying windows to peer through at themas they made sketches.
Each time we visit thewoods the kiddies have a better understanding and attitude towards theenvironment and learn how it is important to conserve our local area. Theyenjoy planning litter picks, help clear the streams and have made wooden duck hutsfor the winter, which were put in our local park.
They also speak to eachother in a more positive way when we are outdoors, developing theircommunication skills. They discuss topics that interest them and always asklots of questions about their surroundings. The older ones listen to theyounger ones chatter away about birds and beetles! GeoSafari® Jr. Critter Habitat has given them theopportunity to collect leaves, bugs, fish and tadpoles and observe them ingreater detail, asking lots more questions.
When the kiddies areoutdoors, they feel free to explore! They can make all the mess they want, pickup leaves and bugs and build the wildest den they can imagine. They can createtheir own role plays with natural things they discover around them nurturingcreativity and imagination.
Taking your classroomoutdoors sparks their imagination and makes their learning that bit moreexciting and engaging. We believe learning doesn't necessarily have to be satat a table with pen and paper, some children really thrive from practicallearning instead of just reading books. Today the kiddies had the opportunityto discover lots of new insects, tadpoles and fish whilst exploring the pond!The little ones enjoyed picking different leaves and climbing over a fallentree. They enjoyed using the Measure-Mate in order to measure theinternal and external dimensions of lots of different objects they discoveredas they ambled along.
Being outdoors fuelsimaginations! They ask questions and want to learn more about certain topics.Once we returned home, they found reference books on the insects they havediscovered, drew pictures and kept nature journals. This is a great way toencourage self-study and further their knowledge of what they havediscovered.
Obviously, it doesn't costa thing to venture outdoors and you can use any of the free natural materialsyou come across, which is another great bonus to taking your learning outdoors.There are endless opportunities and resources in your local woods from makingleaf/bark rubbings to going on scavenger hunts. Learning Resources have lots of great outdoor learning tools to take along on youroutdoor learning adventures.
When taking your classroomoutdoors it also provides children with new learning opportunities and lifeskills. You can plan a den building session or a bug hunt but you'll find theylearn so much more, in a way that suits them!
Finally, my favouritething about taking the kiddies out and about is creating memories. Memories ofchildhood last a lifetime and the kiddies will hopefully pass the knowledge andskills they learn to their children in the future. We take plenty of photos andupload them onto our private family blog as well as sharing a few favourites onInstagram here.
So why not take yourlearning outdoors and into the woods this month, allowing the kiddies toexplore the world around them!
Written by Nicola Braund
Emma is a busy mum to three even busier children. She is passionate about the importance of science education and making science fun for kids. You can find Emma’s science-based activities and investigations over on Science Sparks, a website bursting with creative and engaging ideas for children of all ages.
Emma has pulled together some fun science experiments that you can do at home to celebrate British Science Week.
I’ve spoken to many parents over the years who find the prospectof science at home to be a little daunting; they worry it’ll be messy, not workor be hard to explain. There’s no doubt that sometimes it can be a little messyand it doesn’t always work, but part of the fun for me is working together withmy children to find out why something didn’t work or how we can improve it.
As this week is British Science Week there’s no better time tohave a go at some science at home. You’ll probably be surprised at how everydaykitchen items can be used for a fun investigation that’ll have both you and thekids asking questions and wanting to try more!
A lava lampis almost mess free and especially good as it can be used over and over again.
Materials
Tall jar orbottle
Vegetable oil
Water
Foodcolouring
Effervescentvitamin tablet
Instructions
Fill the jar or bottle about one quarter full with water.
Fill to almost the top with vegetable oil.
The oil and water will separate into two layers with water atthe bottom and oil at the top. If you shake the bottle to mix them up, theywill separate out again!
Once the oil and water have separated, use a pipette to drop foodcolouring into the oil. This will drop through into the water, which is greatfun to watch.
Drop half an effervescent vitamin tablet into the lava lamp andwatch the bubbles!
Once the bubblesstop add another half tablet to make the lava lamp fizz again.
Whydoes this work?
Theeffervescent vitamin tablet reacts with the water to produce carbon dioxidegas. The bubblesof carbon dioxide carry the coloured water into the oil giving a lavalamp effect.
This activity encourages children to think about why some objectsfloat in water and some sink.
Materials
A selection of different balls – one should sink
Bubble wrap
Tape
A container filled with water
Instructions
Ask the children to sort the balls into those they think will sinkand those they think will float.
Test the balls one at a time.
Take a ball, which sank and wrap in bubble wrap secured with tape.
Test the bubble wrap ball again. It should float! If it doesn’tfloat add more bubble wrap until it does.
Whydoes this work?
Although the bubble wrap makes the ballweigh a little more, it also displaces extra water making the ball more buoyant.The pockets of air in the bubble wrap mean that the ball and bubble wraptogether are less dense than the water, which means the ball floats!
This is agreat activity for thinking about how things change over time and fantastic funas it includes chocolate.
Materials
White, darkand milk chocolate buttons
Timer
Pen and paper
Instructions
Place a whitechocolate button in the centre of the experimenter’s hand and start the timer.
Stop thetimer when all the chocolate has melted and record the time.
Repeat with amilk and dark chocolate button.
Try again,but this time the experimenter should close their hand and then try with the chocolatebuttons resting on top of the hand.
Where do theymelt the fastest? Why do you think that is?
Would a sugar-coatedchocolate like an M and M melt faster or more slowly?
If you likethe sound of the ideas above don’t forget to check out ScienceSparks for moresimple and fun science ideas for kids.
Emma is a busy mum to three even busier children. She is passionate about the importance of science education and making science fun for kids. You can find Emma’s science-based activities and investigations over on Science Sparks, a website bursting with creative and engaging ideas for children of all ages.
Emma has pulled together some fun science experiments that you can do at home to celebrate British Science Week.
I’ve spoken to many parents over the years who find the prospectof science at home to be a little daunting; they worry it’ll be messy, not workor be hard to explain. There’s no doubt that sometimes it can be a little messyand it doesn’t always work, but part of the fun for me is working together withmy children to find out why something didn’t work or how we can improve it.
As this week is British Science Week there’s no better time tohave a go at some science at home. You’ll probably be surprised at how everydaykitchen items can be used for a fun investigation that’ll have both you and thekids asking questions and wanting to try more!
A lava lampis almost mess free and especially good as it can be used over and over again.
Materials
Tall jar orbottle
Vegetable oil
Water
Foodcolouring
Effervescentvitamin tablet
Instructions
Fill the jar or bottle about one quarter full with water.
Fill to almost the top with vegetable oil.
The oil and water will separate into two layers with water atthe bottom and oil at the top. If you shake the bottle to mix them up, theywill separate out again!
Once the oil and water have separated, use a pipette to drop foodcolouring into the oil. This will drop through into the water, which is greatfun to watch.
Drop half an effervescent vitamin tablet into the lava lamp andwatch the bubbles!
Once the bubblesstop add another half tablet to make the lava lamp fizz again.
Whydoes this work?
Theeffervescent vitamin tablet reacts with the water to produce carbon dioxidegas. The bubblesof carbon dioxide carry the coloured water into the oil giving a lavalamp effect.
This activity encourages children to think about why some objectsfloat in water and some sink.
Materials
A selection of different balls – one should sink
Bubble wrap
Tape
A container filled with water
Instructions
Ask the children to sort the balls into those they think will sinkand those they think will float.
Test the balls one at a time.
Take a ball, which sank and wrap in bubble wrap secured with tape.
Test the bubble wrap ball again. It should float! If it doesn’tfloat add more bubble wrap until it does.
Whydoes this work?
Although the bubble wrap makes the ballweigh a little more, it also displaces extra water making the ball more buoyant.The pockets of air in the bubble wrap mean that the ball and bubble wraptogether are less dense than the water, which means the ball floats!
This is agreat activity for thinking about how things change over time and fantastic funas it includes chocolate.
Materials
White, darkand milk chocolate buttons
Timer
Pen and paper
Instructions
Place a whitechocolate button in the centre of the experimenter’s hand and start the timer.
Stop thetimer when all the chocolate has melted and record the time.
Repeat with amilk and dark chocolate button.
Try again,but this time the experimenter should close their hand and then try with the chocolatebuttons resting on top of the hand.
Where do theymelt the fastest? Why do you think that is?
Would a sugar-coatedchocolate like an M and M melt faster or more slowly?
If you likethe sound of the ideas above don’t forget to check out ScienceSparks for moresimple and fun science ideas for kids.
