Ever wanted to know how computers work and how they are used? Computer projects teach youth the hardware on software that make computers work, as well as teaching the skills needed to teach technology to those around them.
Objectives
Youth will:
- Use computer technology to enhance a public presentation
- Learn the basics of building and repairing computers
- Understand and apply the basics of how networks operate and construct a local area network
- Learn basic coding with either a block coding program (like Scratch) or a common programming language
- Share what they’ve learned with others to help increase their community’s technology literacy
4-H Computer Science & Programming Curriculum
Available from the Extension office or online.
This curriculum introduces young people to five fundamental principles of computer programming, providing a foundation for exploring and creating. Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. Each youth in a group should have his/her own guidebook.
In Discovering Computer Science & Programming through Scratch, youth interact with a series of tutorials and challenges within the Scratch environment. Young people can work on the activities individually, with partners, or in a guided instructional setting. This facilitator guide further explains the activities introduced in the youth guide. It suggests many “unplugged” activities. It also includes discussion questions, previews of skills and blocks introduced, and hints or suggestions to help youth better understand each activity and concept.
Discovering Computer Science & Programming Through Scratch–Level 1 Youth Guide Digital Download
Discovering Computer Science & Programming Through Scratch–Level 1 Student Notebook
This notebook provides a place to record and share your thinking and problem-solving as you explore, test, and evaluate computer programming with Scratch.
Use this notebook with the 4-H curriculum manual, Discovering Computer Science & Programming through Scratch Level One: Fundamentals, where young people are introduced to five fundamental principles of computer programming, providing a foundation for exploring and creating. Make it a reference for yourself and use it to show others what you have learned!
Note: only Level 1 has both Youth and Facilitator Guides; Levels 2 and 3 only have one book per level. The books are designed for the youth, and they include instructions for the facilitator.
Discovering Computer Science & Programming Through Scratch–Level 2 Youth Guide Digital Download
This book of explorations in Scratch is the second book in a collection of three. This book delves deeper into important principles of computer science such as generalization and modularity, and introduces some additional features of Scratch such as clones and lists. Going through this book should strengthen youth’s programming skills, help them write better programs, and provide interesting ideas for further exploration. Use this books on its own, or use in conjunction with Discovering Computer Science & Programming Through Scratch: Level 2 Student Notebook!
Discovering Computer Science & Programming Through Scratch–Level 2 Student Notebook
Use this notebook with the 4-H curriculum manual, Discovering Computer Science & Programming through Scratch Level Two: Explorations Youth Guide, where youth delve deeper into important principles of computer science such as generalization and modularity, and introduces some additional features of Scratch such as clones and lists. Make it a reference for yourself and use it to show others what you have learned!
Discovering Computer Science & Programming Through Scratch–Level 3 Youth Guide Digital Download
Discovering Computer Science & Programming Through Scratch–Level 3 Student Notebook
Use this notebook with the 4-H curriculum manual, Discovering Computer Science & Programming through Scratch Level Three: Recursion Youth Guide, where young people are introduced to five fundamental principles of computer programming, providing a foundation for exploring and creating. Make it a reference for yourself and use it to show others what you have learned!
Washington 4-H Records, Forms, and Guides
For youth members
C0861E – 4-H Computer Project Record
For adult helpers and club leaders
Coming soon!
Helpful Resources
Activity Ideas
Exploring 4-H Computer Science Text Based Coding Spark Activity – Illinois 4-H (PDF)
Are you into computers and technology?
Do you have an interest in Video Games, Apps, or websites?
Do you want to go beyond Block Based or Visual Based Programming?
Discover the basic elements of programming within text-based programming languages such as Python, HTML, and C
Exploring 4-H Computer Science Visual-Based Spark Activity: Animate a Name – Illinois 4-H (PDF)
Are you into computers and technology? Do you have an interest in Video Games or Apps? Have you ever wondered where to get started? Discover the basic elements of programming within Scratch, Google CS First, and other visual Programming Language (VPL) environments. Learn fundamental concepts about sequence, iteration, conditionals, variables, modularization, and interfacing with external hardware. This project will guide you through the basics of making your first real program!
Washington Specific Reference Material
Coming soon!
Other Reference Material
From 4-H Programs
4-H Computer Science – National 4-H
4-H Computer Science Playbook: Code (PDF)
From Higher Education Institutions
Creative Computing Curriculum – Creative Computing Lab, Harvard Graduate School of Education
The Creative Computing Curriculum is a collection of ideas, strategies, and activities for an introductory creative computing experience using the Scratch programming language. The activities are designed to support familiarity and increasing fluency with computational creativity and computational thinking. The changes made to this most recent edition of the curriculum include images of blocks and projects, and minor content revisions to reflect the new Scratch 3.0 website. This edition of the curriculum is now available in Google Slides as individual units, activities, or the full curriculum.
From Related Organizations, Journals, and Professionals
Click 2 Computer Science Training Materials
Share computer science in your out-of-school learning program.
Inspire youth and help them find their potential in computer science. Created in partnership with the National 4-H Council and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
What Does a Software Engineer Do? – Coding Nomads
Computer Science without a computer
CS Unplugged is a collection of free teaching material that teaches Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around.
Code.org: Elementary School Curricula
Browse the fun, free courses and activities that invite you to explore computer science with your elementary school students.
Code.org: Middle School CS in Science
Code.org has partnered with the award-winning Project GUTS (Growing Up Thinking Scientifically) to deliver a middle school science program consisting of four instructional modules and professional development for the introduction of computer science concepts into science classrooms within the context of modeling and simulation. The goal of the program is to situate computer science practices and concepts within the context of life, physical, and earth sciences, and to prepare students to pursue formal, year-long courses in computer science during high school. CS in Science is based on a crosswalk identifying areas of overlap between the NGSS and Computer Science Teachers Association K-12 Computer Science Standards. Download a brief (PDF) or full (PDF) description.
Code.org: Computer Science Principles
Free year-long curriculum that introduces students to the foundational concepts of computer science and challenges them to explore how computing and technology can impact the world. Can be taught as an introductory class and as an AP course.
A computer science curriculum that makes coding easy to teach and fun to learn.
Computer programming – JavaScript and the web – Khan Academy
Alice is an innovative block-based programming environment that makes it easy to create animations, build interactive narratives, or program simple games in 3D. Unlike many of the puzzle-based coding applications Alice motivates learning through creative exploration. Alice is designed to teach logical and computational thinking skills, fundamental principles of programming and to be a first exposure to object-oriented programming. The Alice Project provides supplemental tools and materials for teaching using Alice across a spectrum of ages and subject matter with proven benefits in engaging and retaining diverse and underserved groups in computer science education.
- Coding Apps and Games
SpriteBox Coding – App for iPad
SpriteBox Coding is a full-blown adventure game that gets you coding.
Start from scratch by solving coding puzzles using icons. Over time, icons will give way to textual commands. In no time, you’ll be solving puzzles in a real programming language!
Swift Playgrounds – App for iPad and Mac
Swift Playgrounds is a revolutionary app for iPad and Mac that helps you learn to code and build apps using Swift, the same powerful language used to create world-class apps for the App Store. Engaging lessons and walkthroughs demonstrate the core concepts of coding and building apps as you write real Swift code in an interactive environment.
Scratch is the world’s largest free coding community for kids. Hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Coding is the new literacy! With ScratchJr, young children (ages 5-7) can program their own interactive stories and games. In the process, they learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer.
Educator resources and youth activity lesson plans for the Scratch programming platform.
The Hour of Code is a free introduction to computer science through fun activities and videos for learners of all skill levels. This year’s celebration of both coding and AI is supported by over 400 partners, 20,000 educators, and 58,000 volunteers.
Block coding games.
- Kits, Projects, and Activities from National 4-H
National 4-H Programming and Computer Science Curriculum Collection
Game Changers is a collection of 3 activities that teaches kids computer science (CS) skills through game play and puzzles centered around topics they care passionately about. Developed by Google, 4-H, and West Virginia University Extension Service, it includes a computer-based activity on Google’s CS First platform and two unplugged activities:
- Pitch Your Passion is an online activity that teaches kids to use CS and animation to advocate for a cause or issue they care about using CS First and Scratch. Can be completed on tablets or computers.
- Program Your Playground is an unplugged activity where kids use CS skills like decomposition and conditional logic to design their own versions of tag and invent new sports and games.
- Hack Your Harvest is an unplugged activity where kids will use CS concepts like automation optimal efficiency to solve and create logic puzzles related to agriculture—or any topic kids can think of.
Game Changers is highly adaptable for classrooms, afterschool programs, clubs and more. It’s perfect for first-time and beginner coders ages 8-14, and each kit is designed to accommodate up to 10 youth. Teachers and facilitators don’t need any prior experience with computer science or coding.
Take a mega bite out of mechanical engineering by building robots!
Robots are the future—and the present! In this activity, create a robot that draws on paper. You will learn how moving and non-moving parts interact when building a machine. A free Clover account is required to access lesson plans.
Scientific Expedition in CS
Scientific Expedition in Computer Science
This activity, created with help from the 2019 STEM Youth in Action Winner, Clyde VanDyke, will take you on a science expedition in Colorado. The game teaches you computer science (CS) concepts and teamwork, while introducing you to a diverse array of computer science careers. A free Clover account is required to access lesson plans.
Make a bracelet with a binary code that only those who know programming code can crack!
Satellites that orbit our earth are able to do complex scientific work because they can send and receive information. But how do they do that? By using codes written by computer programmers that have every tiny detail needed to allow computers to understand complex data.
Computer code is very complicated – but at its core is surprisingly simple: Computers assign a series of 0s and 1s to each letter, number and symbol. This is called binary code. In this activity you will create a bracelet with your initials in binary code. A free Clover account is required to access lesson plans.
National Youth Science Day: Code Your World
Code Your World is a four-part challenge that teaches kids to apply computer science to the world around them through hands-on activities. Developed by Google, 4-H, and West Virginia University Extension Service, it includes a computer-based activity on Google’s CS First platform and three unplugged activities that bring coding to life through games and interaction.