Teaching Physical Computing to 5- to 11-year-olds

Learn how to create physical computing projects using a Crumble or micro:bit

Physical computing is the process of designing, building, and programming systems that use physical components such as buttons, lights, and motors.

On this three-week course from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, you’ll be introduced to the world of physical computing and how it can encourage learners to use their imaginations to solve problems and develop new ideas.

You’ll learn how to support young children aged 5-11 years old as they work through physical computing projects, whilst also developing your own knowledge and skills.

Gain an understanding of inputs and outputs

On the course, you’ll build projects involving connecting both inputs and outputs to a Crumble microcontroller or a BBC micro:bit.

You will use inputs to pass data into the microcontroller, process that data with block-based programming languages, and use outputs to move a robot buggy or provide information to a user.

The course will help you complete several physical computing projects to develop your skills and help you understand the experiences your young learners may have. You’ll also reflect on how your projects use the programming principles of sequence, selection, and repetition.

Learn how to adapt your lessons for young learners, with Raspberry Pi

On the course, you’ll find advice from the experts at Raspberry Pi Foundation on how to make the concepts relevant to young learners.

The projects that you work on also model the use of “levels of abstraction”, a way of splitting up computing projects to help focus on individual aspects, and lower cognitive load.

At the end of the course, you’ll create your own physical computing project involving a buggy to help cement your knowledge and put what you have learned into practice.

This course is designed for educators of all types, in schools or informal settings.

It will help you begin your physical computing journey and use physical computing to help to teach young children how to program.

You will need:

• A desktop or laptop computer with USB ports; you need to be able to install the Crumble software and access the micro:bit MakeCode website on this computer
• A Crumble microcontroller
• A USB cable to connect the Crumble to the computer
• A Crumble starter kit, or the following components bought separately:
  • Crocodile clip wires
  • Two Sparkle LEDs (fully controllable RGB LEDs)
  • A button
  • A light sensor
  • AA battery holder (for three AA batteries)
  • 3 × AA batteries
• Two wheels
• Craft supplies:
  • Cardboard
  • Pencils
  • Glue, tape, or another adhesive
  • Scissors or a craft knife
  • Foil

• Output devices
• Welcome to the course
• Get to know your tools
• The first output - Sparkle lights
• Output devices
• Input Devices and Sensors
• Input, process, output
• Push the button
• More input devices
• Build a programmable buggy
• The micro:bit
• Build a buggy
• Projects in the classroom