The Code Club projects are step by step guides for children to follow to create animations, games, websites and much more. Children will build up their programming skills as they move through the projects, and challenges provide opportunities to demonstrate and apply what’s been learnt.
Our projects can be found at codeclub.org.uk/projects. Our core curriculum currently contains 1 years’ (3 terms’) worth of projects, teaching Scratch, HTML & CSS and Python. You can find more information on these languages below. We would recommend starting with our Scratch projects if your children haven’t programmed before, but if you’d prefer to start with HTML or Python projects then that’s fine by us!
It is recommended that children progress through the projects for each language in order, as later projects can sometimes depend on learning undertaken in previous projects. However, children are free to skip any projects if they are familiar with the learning content.
Each project is available online, and in PDF format. You will need to work out the best way for children to access the projects during the club. We find children work best with the project resources printed and in front of them, so speak to your school or your employer about getting these ready for each session.
Projects have accompanying ‘Notes for Club Leader’ documents, and it may be useful to read through these notes before completing a project with your club. These notes include information on useful resources, project learning objectives, challenges to be undertaken and an FAQ section outlining potential pitfalls and common questions. If you have time, it may also be helpful to complete the projects yourself beforehand, so that you’re more prepared to answer any questions the children may have.
Projects have a clear activity checklist, which is a series of steps that should be followed to create a game, animation, website or application. Children can tick off these steps as they are completed, allowing them to keep track of their progress. This can also be done on the website, by clicking on the checkboxes. Children should follow the steps in order, and as described in the project guidance. Although creativity should be encouraged, there are times when deviating from the project guidance may cause undesired side-effects. If in doubt, ask children to follow the checklist as closely as possible, as the guidance also outlines points where children are encouraged to come up with their own ideas!
Each project also includes one or more challenges, which are opportunities for children to apply the skills they’ve learnt in creative ways. These challenges may involve making improvements and modifications to an existing project, or may involve creating something new. When completing challenges, it is important not to give children the answers to their questions or solve their problems straight away, but instead encourage them to draw on their knowledge gained from completing previous projects. The challenges are supposed to be challenging, and children should be given lots of time to complete them as fully as possible!