I am absolutely thrilled that there are so many amazing resources available today to teach kids about STEM concepts and subject. If you regularly follow the blog, you know that I am a big fan of the push for kids (and especially girls) to get more involved in STEM fields. Today, we had the opportunity to check out a new coding book for kids from Viking Books that introduces kids to simple coding concepts through a fun and relatable summer story.

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How to Code a Sandcastle was written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Sara Palacios. This entry into the Girls Who Code series is a fun summer themed introduction to simple coding concepts. Pearl is a little girl who has been trying to build a sandcastle all summer. After running into all kinds of problems, she decides to enlist her trusty robot friend Pascal to help her. Since Pascal is a robot, she has to use code to teach him how to build a sandcastle. She breaks down their main problem (how to build a sandcastle) into lots of smaller problems and walks him through each one. For each problem they encounter, she introduces the reader to a new coding term (sequence, looping, and if then else).

Why you should introduce Pearl to your kids!

I really appreciate the simple definitions and real world examples that the author uses to explain coding concepts to the reader. The story line is relatable for kids who have spent time building sandcastles, and the characters are funny and entertaining. Kids will love watching the well meaning robot as he makes mistake after mistake while trying to help Pearl, often with hilarious results. The illustrations complement the story with bright colors and visual representations of the coding concepts being discussed. When Pearl sets up a looping sequence for Pascal, the image shows the sequence in an actual circle, helping the reader to visualize the concept.

Keep an eye out for the subtle jokes!

I definitely think that this book will be enjoyed by kids and parents alike. There are inside jokes for adults with a background in computing (I particularly liked the name of the troublesome dog), and kids young and old will appreciate the failed attempts of Pascal to follow Pearl’s directions. This book provides just enough information on coding to help kids start to build a foundation of background knowledge that can help them down the road. I highly recommend this one to all fans of STEM, as well as those who love the beach!

Build a Sandcastle – Use this book as inspiration and create your own sand castle masterpiece! Whether you use sand in a sandbox, sand at the beach or modeling sand inside your home, be creative and decorate it like Pearl and Pascal do. As you are building, talk to your kids about the process they are using. If they had a robot to help them, what tasks would they give him? What coding concepts from the book would they use?

Coding Concepts in Life – Use the coding language in the book to explore other instances in your life where loops and If-then-else sequences would be helpful. If your robot friend was helping you set the table at dinner, what coding language would you use to teach him how to solve his problem? The more you use these concepts in everyday scenarios, the more ingrained the concept will become.

Using If-Then statements for art!

If-Then Art Project – This art project is a fun and simple way to extend the coding concepts into art! For this open ended activity, you need to set out a wide range of art materials in a variety of colors. Start each child with a blank piece of paper and some glue. They will be the computers in this scenario and you will be the programmer. Tell them that you will give them a command in an “If-Then-Else” statement and they will have to follow that command to add to their project. You can make this as simple or as silly as you would like.

You could give simple verbal commands such as “IF I say “soft”, “THEN” you must add something soft to your project” (feathers, fabric, etc). Substitute soft for other textures, colors, sizes, and so on. You could also make the game more ridiculous by using visual commands (“IF I touch my nose, THEN you must add something orange to your project”). Kids will have fun waiting to hear the next command, and it will be fun to see what they come up with!

Use coding to get through the maze!

Coding Maze – This activity reinforces the concept of “If-Then-Else” statements and helps kids practice other skills as well. You can adapt this game based on the skills that you are currently working on with your child. For our purposes, I decided to use vowels and consonants. To start, I drew a large grid onto our driveway in chalk. I set red spaces throughout the grid and marked them with a large letter. (You want to map your path out ahead of time so the spaces are placed appropriately).

I started her at the beginning of the maze and had her follow the squares in a straight line until she came to a red square. Then I told her to stop and read what was on it. I gave her the instructions “IF the letter on the square is a vowel, turn left, ELSE turn right”. She had a lot of fun following the path and finding her way to the end of the maze. You could change the game by using letters and numbers, upper case and lower case letters, addition and subtraction problems, rhyming words, etc.

Practice coding concepts while getting them moving!

If-Then Gross Motor Game – Using two different colors of chalk, draw lots of small circles or squares in a large circle shape on the pavement. Have each child stand in one circle to start the game. You can use music like musical chairs and have kids walk around the circle until the music stops, or just say “Start” and “Stop” when you want them to move. Once they are stopped on a new circle, give an “If-Then” statement for them to follow.

These can be as simple as “IF you are standing on a yellow circle, THEN stand on one foot” or “IF you are standing on a blue circle, THEN spin around 3 times”. You could also use this to practice addition and subtraction facts, spelling words or any other skills. (IF you are standing on a yellow circle, THEN you solve an addition fact”, “IF you are standing on a blue circle, THEN you solve a subtraction fact”). Once you have played a few cycles of the game, you can let one of the kids give the “If-Then” statements to the other kids.

Check out these other fun chalk games to keep kids learning in the summer! 

If-Then Backyard Game – Left Brain Craft Brain came up with this fun game to get kids moving while they practice “If-Then-Else” statements without a screen. In this creative spin on Simon Says, one child gets to be the programmer while the other children are the computers. As the programmer gives out the commands, the computers must follow with the correct actions. Check out the full post for some of the fun commands they used!