Coding activity
Hardware and Circuits Lab
Point to a computer's screen, keyboard, and mouse — then find its 'brain,' 'eyes,' and 'ears' inside. Draw a funny computer with body parts!
Materials and setup
- batteries
- wires
- LED lights
- shoebox
- craft materials
- paper
- pencil
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Point to a computer's screen, keyboard, and mouse — then find its 'brain,' 'eyes,' and 'ears' inside. Draw a funny computer with body parts!
Steps
- Look at a computer together. Point out the screen (shows pictures), keyboard (you type), mouse (you point and click).
- Compare to your body: the computer's 'brain' thinks (processor), 'memory' remembers (hard drive), 'eyes' see (camera), 'ears' hear (microphone).
- Open a safe old device (with parent help) or look at pictures of insides of a computer. See the circuit board!
- Sort pictures: what's a computer part and what isn't?
- Draw a funny computer with body parts: a brain, eyes, ears, hands, and a mouth (speaker).
- Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.
Learning objectives
- Identify basic computer components: screen, keyboard, mouse
- Compare computer parts to human body parts by function
- Understand that computers are made of physical components
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Build a simple circuit and learn about input/output devices. Understand that hardware is the physical stuff and software tells it what to do.
Steps
- Learn: hardware = physical parts you can touch, software = programs and instructions you can't touch.
- Build a simple circuit: connect a battery, wire, and LED light. Make it light up!
- Learn about input (keyboard, mouse, microphone - sends info IN) and output (screen, speaker, printer - sends info OUT).
- Sort devices as input or output. Some are both! (Touch screen, headset with microphone)
- Draw a diagram showing: input devices > computer brain (processor) > output devices.
- Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.
Learning objectives
- Distinguish between hardware and software
- Build a simple electrical circuit
- Classify devices as input, output, or both
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Study computer architecture: CPU, RAM, storage, motherboard, and how data flows through a computer. Build a model computer.
Steps
- Research the main computer components: CPU (brain), RAM (short-term memory), hard drive/SSD (long-term memory), motherboard (nervous system).
- Map how data flows: you press a key (input) > signal goes to CPU > CPU processes it > result goes to screen (output).
- Build a model computer from a shoebox: label each component and use craft materials to represent them.
- Explore binary: computers use only 0s and 1s. Convert simple numbers to binary. How do 0s and 1s become pictures and sound?
- Study a circuit board: identify major components on a diagram. What does each do?
- Create a 'How Computers Work' presentation explaining the journey of data from keyboard press to screen display.
- In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.
Learning objectives
- Identify major computer components and their functions
- Trace the flow of data through a computer system
- Understand binary as the fundamental language of computers
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Explore advanced hardware: microcontrollers, sensors, logic gates, and the intersection of hardware and software in embedded systems.
Steps
- Study logic gates: AND, OR, NOT. Build truth tables for each. Combine gates to create simple logic circuits on paper.
- Learn about microcontrollers (like Arduino): tiny computers that control specific hardware. Research 3 projects people build with them.
- Study sensors: temperature, light, motion, pressure, and GPS. How does each convert physical phenomena into electrical signals?
- Design an embedded system (on paper): choose a problem, select appropriate sensors and output devices, and describe the software logic.
- Investigate Moore's Law: how have computers gotten smaller and more powerful over time? Create a timeline.
- Build a 'Future Computer' concept: draw your vision of computing in 2050. Consider: wearable tech, quantum computing, brain-computer interfaces.
- In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.
Learning objectives
- Create truth tables for basic logic gates
- Design embedded systems combining hardware and software
- Analyze the historical progression of computing hardware
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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