FREE Coding Pack for Schools!
Whether you’re covering coding as part of the curriculum or supporting National Coding Week (16th-22nd September), learning how to write simple programs is an important skill for children today. Code can only do what we ask of it, so we need innovators and creative thinkers to lead the way. Great code will be time-saving and invaluable, even life-saving, giving consistent trusted results. Poor code, on the other hand, can result in biased results and dire consequences, which is why we need to have the knowledge to understand where flaws can creep in.
To help your pupils take their first steps in coding, we’ve created a free coding pack. It includes:
- A fact sheet about coding and why it’s important
- A selection of paper-based activities to get your pupils breaking tasks down into bitesize chunks – a vital skill for coders!
- A class activity to help your pupils think about the precision of their instructions
- An introduction to our award-winning Code Disco activities. These are free to access online and ideal for key stage 2 pupils, with the first tutorial included, ‘Tutorial 1: The basics’, also featured below. Take a look by clicking on the link!
- This set of activities will introduce you to Beard Man and allow you to create, run and debug your first simple programs using event and command blocks. It is the first of five schemes within Busy Things’ Busy Code and will give you a taste of the other coding resources we offer, which go on to cover loops, conditionals, events and variables.
- Block floor tiles, enabling you to take the learning offline.
Like the pack? Want to see more?
We hope you enjoy the pack and the wealth of activities we’ve given you to explore. If you would like to see more of our coding activities, or indeed the activities and games for other subjects, we’d be happy to give you a 28-day free trial. Simply click here and explore!
What others say about our coding resources!
Busy Things’ Busy Code is an award-winning part of Busy Things! Below are just some of the testimonials provided from teachers and pupils, focusing on:
Pupil engagement
“Busy Things helps children of all ages understand coding. This includes fun characters that encourage young children to learn whilst enjoying themselves.”
Kids Judge Bett (2023)
Curriculum coverage
“I popped on to the Busy Things website yesterday to have a look for resources for a Year 1 Computing lesson and was stunned by the amount of resources they now have for all primary curriculum areas.”
Amanda Wilson, St Alfege with St Peter’s Church of England Primary School
Planning and progression
“Busy Things has saved so much of my planning time. As the computing leader at school, ensuring that plans show progression and sequencing across all year groups is extremely important. Using Busy Things has allowed me to give children opportunities to code using simple, colourful tools which helps them to then move on.”
Monwara Rahman, Year 3 Teacher/Computing & Internet Safety Leader, Downsell Primary School
Teacher confidence
“[Having using Busy Things’ resources], the staff quickly realised that teaching computing was less intimidating than they originally believed. Our teachers now feel much more confident about teaching coding.”
Mark Ellis, Maths and Computing Lead, Devonshirehill Nursery and Primary School
Impressive, right? The best way to see if Busy Code meets your school’s needs, however, is to take a Busy Things’ trial. This gives you and your colleagues 28 days to try out all the activities and even see what your pupils think. No obligation to proceed, no risk! Take a free trial here.
Any questions? Just give us a call on 01332 364963 or email us at enquiries@busythings.co.uk. We’re happy to help!
This blog was updated and revised in August 2024.