07. Computing

Minecraft education edition– Microsoft has made some of its educational Minecraft games freely available online until the end of June. It can be downloaded for Windows, Mac or iPad. All Barnes Primary children now have licenses via their Office 365 accounts. Follow this link and use their school email address and password. 

BBC Bitesize KS1 –   excellent videos and information for KS1 children about all aspects of Computing – answering fundamental questions such as “What is a computer?”.

BBC Bitesize KS2 –   excellent videos and information for KS2 children about all aspects of Computing – answering fundamental questions such as “How do search engines work?”.

BBC Dance mat typing – children can learn to touch type with this fun resource.

Chrome Music Lab – a great way for children to get creative with music and explore its connections to science, maths, art, dance and more. It’s free, you don’t need to set up an account and it works across all devices.

Scratch 3– an amazing free resource suitable for KS2. With Scratch, Children can program their own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share their creations with others in the online community. The “ideas” sections contains fabulous activities and tutorials. 

Scratch Jr – is an introductory programming language that enables young children (ages 5-7) to create their own interactive stories and games. Children snap together graphical programming blocks to make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. The “Learn” section contains useful guidance, descriptions and hints and tips.

Hour of Code – is another outstanding resource. It is free to use and offers a wide range of coding activities for all ages, covering all the fundamentals of programming . Most of the activities have their own tutorial to follow, which lead children through each step of the challenge. Suitable for beginners and more comfortable coders, this website offers something for everyone, including unplugged (no iPad/laptop/PC required) activities. 

code.org – offers a range of outstanding activities for all ages, including code breaks, hour of code activities, useful videos and a whole catalogue of courses. Courses teach the fundamentals of coding (sequencing, loops, events, etc), are age appropriate and children can work through them at their own pace. Children don’t need an account to access the activities, however if you set up an account their progress will be saved.

The video below offers an overview of what is on offer.