Circuit playground from the web

I teach a semester class. However, several of my 7th and 8th grade students were motivated to accomplish all of the units and supported each other through to the use of the playground.

Learning is it’s own reward, as evidenced by their enthusiasm. But, They are leaving my class on Monday. I’d like to foster their enthusiasm but offering their own circuit playground, so they can continue without me.

AND, I’d like to find further courses for their development outside of the school setting.
I am working at the district level to encourage further code.org use of CSP at the High School, but that won’t happen in time for these students.
Question 1) If I supply them with Adafruit circuit playgrounds from their site, those will work, right?
Question 2) What summer opportunities would you recommend for rural students?

To clarify, are you referring to Computer Science Discoveries (the course for 6-10 graders and has a unit using the Circuit Playground), or Computer Science Principles (the AP course for high schoolers that doesn’t have the Circuit Playground in its curriculum)? Or are you referring to students currently in CSD continuing on to CSP?

Yes, The Discoveries. Yes, I figured out that (Question 1) from Adafruit is the same. Sadly, unless my students choose to continue to CSPrinciples on their own (at home), they will never have access to further instruction. We do not have anyone at the HS . . .yet. That said, I advocate …everyday. But I am only a teacher. So, Ideally someone with more ‘pull’ than I would contact the Principal, and the Superintendent and ‘sell’ the Code.org opportunity. Sell, that third year math credit , sell the AP option.
But lacking that. Still looking for ideas for opportunities outside of school for rural students who are inspired and motivated!

Trisha.dotts

Huge amount of Circuit Playground tutorials on the Adafruit site

https://learn.adafruit.com/category/circuit-playground

Have students work on them over the summer

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Thank you!
I am working with our school, to provide them with their own circuit playground. They are already using these tutorials and you are right. Quite awesome.

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Hoping that your students have access to Internet at home, there are several free resources online where they can continue to develop their skills. Here is a list: https://www.alice.org/, https://dash.generalassemb.ly/, Scratch, https://www.codecademy.com/ (don’t know if reading level would be too hard), https://codecombat.com/, khanacademy.org has several resources. Just found this resource and have not checked it out: https://skillcrush.com/2017/04/03/free-coding-games/
For the students without Internet, there are several programming logic games for sale on Amazon.

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