ages 5-7
Codes for letters using binary representation
Children turn letters into numbers, and numbers into on and off cards, to send a secret message.45 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
Lessons
Screen-free lessons we adapted from CS Unplugged. Do them together with a grown-up.
Lessons
ages 5-7
Colour by numbers
Children colour grids using rows of 0s and 1s, and learn that a computer stores a picture as numbers.45 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 5-7
Divide and conquer
With cards in order from smallest to biggest, children find a number in only a few guesses.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 5-7
Fitness unplugged
Groups invent their own picture 'programming language' of exercises and then program a friend to follow it.45 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 5-7
How binary digits work
Children pretend to be tiny switches inside a computer. Cards with dots can be turned over, and together they show numbers.45 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 5-7
How many guesses?
Children search for a hidden number one card at a time and count how many guesses it takes.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 5-7
Investigating variations using the Sorting Network
Children try the sorting network with repeated numbers and with things that are not numbers, like heights.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 5-7
Parity magic
A card trick that shows how a computer can find a mistake and fix it by adding one extra row and one extra column.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 5-7
Reinforcing numeracy through a Sorting Network
Six children walk through a chalk network, comparing numbers at each box, until they end up in order.45 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 5-7
Reinforcing sequencing in binary number systems
Small groups make up a short play that counts in binary using two opposite things instead of dot cards.60 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 5-7
Rescue Mission
Children act as programmer, tester and robot on a floor grid, and learn why clear step-by-step instructions matter.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 5-7
Squeezing pictures into less space
Children shrink a picture by writing how many squares in a row are the same, a trick called run-length encoding.45 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
Codes for letters using binary representation
Children write secret messages by turning letters into numbers and numbers into patterns of on and off.45 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
Divide and conquer
With the cards in order, children find a number in just a few guesses by always checking the middle.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
How binary digits work
Children use cards with 1, 2, 4 and 8 dots as 'bits' to make any number from 0 to 15, and see how a computer counts using only on and off.45 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
How many guesses?
Children search for a hidden number one card at a time and discover how many guesses it takes when the list is in no order.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
Investigating variations using the Sorting Network
Children test the sorting network with repeated numbers and with other things to sort, and predict what will happen.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
Parity magic
A card trick shows how a computer adds one extra row and column so it can find and fix a single mistake.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
Product code check digits
Children use a short recipe of adding and multiplying to find the last digit of a barcode, which is how scanners notice mistakes.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
Reinforcing numeracy through a Sorting Network
Six children walk through a chalk network and compare numbers at each box until they come out in order.45 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
Reinforcing sequencing in binary number systems
Groups invent a play that counts in binary using any two opposite things, then perform it for the class.60 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
Sending a rocket to Mars
Children program a 'rocket' to cross a floor grid, using clear instructions and debugging with three roles.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
The Great Number Hunt (Sorted)
Pairs play the same hunt game, but this time the numbers are in order, and they discover binary search.45 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
The Great Number Hunt (Unsorted)
Pairs play a guessing game on a sheet of 31 hidden numbers that are in no order, and count how many guesses they need.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
ages 8-10
The Modulo operator Unplugged
Children explore 'clock arithmetic' and remainders, a calculation that computers use all the time.30 min · estimateScreen-free lesson
Lessons from CS Unplugged (University of Canterbury CSER Group), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Titles and descriptions translated and level-tagged by Open Cosmos with AI; changes were made. Other lists: CC0.