Computational Thinking and Coding Activities

• Home Activities: Girls Who Code – Code at Home Activities – These activities help girls and youth build computer science skills through interdisciplinary topics with real-world application, each featuring a pioneering woman in technology. Activities include unplugged and online options of varying levels of difficulty. 
• Home or Program Activities: Hour of Code Activities – A collection of one-hour tutorials designed for all ages in over 45 languages. Join millions of students and teachers in over 180 countries starting with an Hour of Code!
• Program Activities: PBS Kids: Teaching Coding Resources – A collection of PBS Kids support videos and a self-paced educator workshop to explore the why, what, and how of creative coding for children ages 5-8.
• Program Activities: Common Sense Media’s list of Cool Coding Apps and Websites for Kids – This list offers ways to jump-start a coding adventure. It also encourages kids to become creators and not simply consumers of technology. Teaching everything from simple commands to complex programs, Common Sense Media’s favorite coding apps and websites come in a range of formats designed for different ages and abilities.

NASA Engineering Playlist Activities

Looking for a sequence of activities you can implement in your afterschool program today? Say goodbye to googling or searching on Pinterest. Use the following activities in sequence to support youth in building an engineering mindset with NASA activities.  

1. Lesson 1: How Can the Little Moon Hide the Giant Sun? (Engineering Design Process Activity) – This activity targeted for grades 3-8th offers great hands-on exploration of how distance can affect the way we perceive the size of an object. It makes a good introduction to solar eclipse as well as Sun and Moon’s sizes and distances from Earth. The idea behind this activity is very simple and the activity itself is easy to do, making it accessible even for young kids.
2. Lesson 2: Design a Crew Exploration Vehicle (Engineering Design Process Activity) – Using the engineering design process,  students will design, build, test and improve a crew exploration vehicle capable of carrying two 2-centimeter-tall “passengers” and floating in water for one minute without leaking.
3. Lesson 3: Hubble Telescope and Careers (Career Connection) – Hubble careers are as diverse as the people who hold the jobs. Members of the Hubble team, both past and present, have come from small towns and big cities, worked in the military and in factories, knew from a young age what they wanted or slowly discovered their calling.  Meet the Hubble scientists and engineers! Great videos and activities on the Hubble site.
4. Lesson 4: Women @ NASA (Role Models and Mentor Connection) – Meet Rachel Hsiong, an engineer at NASA. She is designing components of the upcoming Artemis mission to put a woman on the moon. She is proud and happy to be part of a larger team that will accomplish this great feat.
5. Lesson 5: Women @ NASA (Role Models and Mentor Connection) – Meet Annette Moore,  an engineer at NASA  Meet Annette Moore and hear her inspirational story of success. Watch the video and have a discussion with the students about how they are the same/different from Ms. Moore and how they can use some of her strategies to be successful.

More from NASA.