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Little Explorers

Follows instructions, spots patterns, creates a first animated story

Term 1: How We Instruct Machines

Order, patterns, if/then play, paper grids, save a picture. Almost no coding app yet.

"A first, hands-on introduction to what a computer is and its main parts."

Included Modules

Meet the Computer — Concept Introduction

Meet the Computer — Guided Practice

Meet the Computer — Skill Application

Meet the Computer — Hands-on Activity

"Learning to hold, click, and drag with a mouse through simple, guided practice."

Included Modules

Mouse Mastery — Concept Introduction

Mouse Mastery — Guided Practice

Mouse Mastery — Skill Application

Mouse Mastery — Hands-on Activity

"Exploring the keyboard's layout and finding letters, numbers, and special keys."

Included Modules

Keyboard Discovery — Concept Introduction

Keyboard Discovery — Guided Practice

Keyboard Discovery — Skill Application

Keyboard Discovery — Hands-on Activity

"Building correct finger placement and simple typing habits."

Included Modules

Typing Foundations — Concept Introduction

Typing Foundations — Guided Practice

Typing Foundations — Skill Application

Typing Foundations — Hands-on Activity

"A first try at digital drawing tools like pencil, fill, and eraser."

Included Modules

Digital Art Basics — Concept Introduction

Digital Art Basics — Guided Practice

Digital Art Basics — Skill Application

Digital Art Basics — Hands-on Activity

"Understanding why and how to save digital work so it isn't lost."

Included Modules

Save Your Work — Concept Introduction

Save Your Work — Guided Practice

Save Your Work — Skill Application

Save Your Work — Hands-on Activity

"Simple, age-appropriate rules for staying safe while using a computer."

Included Modules

Digital Safety — Concept Introduction

Digital Safety — Guided Practice

Digital Safety — Skill Application

Digital Safety — Hands-on Activity

"Practicing mouse, keyboard, and saving skills together in one activity."

Included Modules

Combined Skills — Concept Introduction

Combined Skills — Guided Practice

Combined Skills — Skill Application

Combined Skills — Hands-on Activity

"A first, gentle introduction to noticing mistakes and trying again."

Included Modules

Debug & Testing — Concept Introduction

Debug & Testing — Guided Practice

Debug & Testing — Skill Application

Debug & Testing — Hands-on Activity

"Planning and starting a small project using the term's skills."

Included Modules

Mini Project — Concept Introduction

Mini Project — Guided Practice

Mini Project — Skill Application

Mini Project — Hands-on Activity

"Improving a project based on feedback before sharing it."

Included Modules

Project Refinement — Concept Introduction

Project Refinement — Guided Practice

Project Refinement — Skill Application

Project Refinement — Hands-on Activity

"Sharing a finished project and celebrating the term's learning."

Included Modules

Showcase — Concept Introduction

Showcase — Guided Practice

Showcase — Skill Application

Showcase — Hands-on Activity

Term 2: My First Code

One character moves, turns, speaks; green flag vs tap; two pages. Repeat only — no forever.

"A first, unplugged introduction to what coding really means: clear step-by-step instructions."

Included Modules

What is Coding? — Concept Introduction

What is Coding? — Guided Practice

What is Coding? — Skill Application

What is Coding? — Hands-on Activity

"Learning that the order of steps changes what happens."

Included Modules

Sequencing — Concept Introduction

Sequencing — Guided Practice

Sequencing — Skill Application

Sequencing — Hands-on Activity

"A playful unplugged activity acting out following and giving exact instructions."

Included Modules

Human Robot — Concept Introduction

Human Robot — Guided Practice

Human Robot — Skill Application

Human Robot — Hands-on Activity

"Recognizing and creating simple repeating patterns."

Included Modules

Pattern Power — Concept Introduction

Pattern Power — Guided Practice

Pattern Power — Skill Application

Pattern Power — Hands-on Activity

"Using direction words to guide and be guided by others."

Included Modules

Directional Thinking — Concept Introduction

Directional Thinking — Guided Practice

Directional Thinking — Skill Application

Directional Thinking — Hands-on Activity

"A first look at "if this, then that" thinking through simple scenarios."

Included Modules

Decision Making — Concept Introduction

Decision Making — Guided Practice

Decision Making — Skill Application

Decision Making — Hands-on Activity

"Grouping objects by shared properties and explaining the reasoning."

Included Modules

Sorting Logic — Concept Introduction

Sorting Logic — Guided Practice

Sorting Logic — Skill Application

Sorting Logic — Hands-on Activity

"Finding and fixing a mistake in a simple set of instructions."

Included Modules

Debug & Testing — Concept Introduction

Debug & Testing — Guided Practice

Debug & Testing — Skill Application

Debug & Testing — Hands-on Activity

"Creating a simple board game with your own rules."

Included Modules

Board Game Design — Concept Introduction

Board Game Design — Guided Practice

Board Game Design — Skill Application

Board Game Design — Hands-on Activity

"Designing a simple maze and giving instructions to solve it."

Included Modules

Maze Creation — Concept Introduction

Maze Creation — Guided Practice

Maze Creation — Skill Application

Maze Creation — Hands-on Activity

"Testing and improving a maze or game project."

Included Modules

Project Refinement — Concept Introduction

Project Refinement — Guided Practice

Project Refinement — Skill Application

Project Refinement — Hands-on Activity

"Sharing a finished maze or game and trying a classmate's."

Included Modules

Showcase — Concept Introduction

Showcase — Guided Practice

Showcase — Skill Application

Showcase — Hands-on Activity

Term 3: Animated Stories

Three-page beginning–middle–end in ScratchJr. Quiet share, not a festival.

"A first, guided tour of a simple animation tool's characters, backgrounds, and blocks."

Included Modules

Animation Tool Interface — Concept Introduction

Animation Tool Interface — Guided Practice

Animation Tool Interface — Skill Application

Animation Tool Interface — Hands-on Activity

"Making a character move by joining simple movement blocks together."

Included Modules

Movement Magic — Concept Introduction

Movement Magic — Guided Practice

Movement Magic — Skill Application

Movement Magic — Hands-on Activity

"Adding sound effects and recorded voice to characters."

Included Modules

Voices & Sounds — Concept Introduction

Voices & Sounds — Guided Practice

Voices & Sounds — Skill Application

Voices & Sounds — Hands-on Activity

"Arranging backgrounds and characters to build a scene."

Included Modules

Scene Design — Concept Introduction

Scene Design — Guided Practice

Scene Design — Skill Application

Scene Design — Hands-on Activity

"A first look at how small, fast changes create animation."

Included Modules

Animation Basics — Concept Introduction

Animation Basics — Guided Practice

Animation Basics — Skill Application

Animation Basics — Hands-on Activity

"Using a loop to repeat an action without repeating blocks."

Included Modules

Loop Power — Concept Introduction

Loop Power — Guided Practice

Loop Power — Skill Application

Loop Power — Hands-on Activity

"Understanding that stories have a beginning, middle, and end."

Included Modules

Story Structure — Concept Introduction

Story Structure — Guided Practice

Story Structure — Skill Application

Story Structure — Hands-on Activity

"Finding and fixing why a project isn't working as expected."

Included Modules

Debug & Testing — Concept Introduction

Debug & Testing — Guided Practice

Debug & Testing — Skill Application

Debug & Testing — Hands-on Activity

"Planning a three-scene story before building it."

Included Modules

Story Planning — Concept Introduction

Story Planning — Guided Practice

Story Planning — Skill Application

Story Planning — Hands-on Activity

"Turning a story plan into a real, working project."

Included Modules

Story Building — Concept Introduction

Story Building — Guided Practice

Story Building — Skill Application

Story Building — Hands-on Activity

"Watching a story back and making one real improvement."

Included Modules

Project Refinement — Concept Introduction

Project Refinement — Guided Practice

Project Refinement — Skill Application

Project Refinement — Hands-on Activity

"Presenting a finished three-page animated story to an audience."

Included Modules

Showcase — Concept Introduction

Showcase — Guided Practice

Showcase — Skill Application

Showcase — Hands-on Activity

Ready to Start?

This program is part of the Foundation Pathway Pathway. You'll pick your starting cohort for Little Explorers — the first program in the pathway — on the next step.

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