Kids Coding Week will take place at Villa Guastavillani (via degli Scalini 18) and will be held in Italian.
The activities will be divided as follows:
Below is the full programme:
MONDAY
9 am (Group 1 & 2): Ice breaking
To get participants to get to know each other, ice-breaking activities based mainly on theatrical improvisation techniques will be organised. These activities will foster interaction and collaboration among the children in a fun and creative way. A continuous focus accompanies the experiential activity on the importance of skills such as the ability to work in a team and know how to integrate by valuing others, flexibility, problem-solving, creativity and error management.
Laboratory with 16Lab
11 am: Snack break
11:30 am (Group 1 & 2): Welcome to the Academy of Digital Magicians
The participants are welcomed into the mysterious Digital Mage Academy, a place where they learn to programme to create digital spells. The headmaster of the academy, the Wizard Codex, introduces them to the mission: to recover the book of Lost Codes, a magical book that has been stolen.
Introduction:
- Coding as a language for building microworlds
- Microworld as spectacle – metaphors
- Snap! as a tool to write and execute microworlds
Micromond drawing:
- Creating a geometric microworld, starting with the square and arriving at the flower with petals
- Concepts: actions, sequence, iteration, creating new blocks
Lab Coding with Alice Alfonsi and Manuel Buizo
1 pm: Lunch break
2:30 pm (Group 1): Let’s create our magician
Participants, in pairs, are asked to draw their magician using paints, paper, brushes and tempera. Each of them can then create the magic logo of their academy.
Lab Coding with Alice Alfonsi
2:30 pm (Group 2): Let’s learn to learn!
Participants will explore what they can do (and not) with artificial intelligence. They will work with Google’s teachablemachine and create a simple machine learning model for recognising body movements.
Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence with Martina Ianaro and Bianca Raimondi
TUESDAY
9 am (Group 1 & 2): Discovering the Lost Book
The Wizard Codex informs participants that the book is hidden in an enchanted forest. To advance, they will have to learn to control movement and subsequently solve puzzles.
- Basic concepts: loops and conditions
- Movement using keyboard arrows
- Iteration with the user
Lab Coding with Alice Alfonsi and Manuel Buizo
11 am: Snack break
11:30 am (Group 1): IT (is) not magic
Participants will be led through an interactive presentation to discover some of the magic of computing:
How is it possible to represent numbers, letters, images and any other information using simple switches? How do computers search through billions of pieces of information so quickly? How do computers correct errors (e.g. in a ruined QR code)?
…and also things that computers, surprisingly, cannot do.
Workshop with Eleonora Misino
11:30 am (Group 2): Play and grow
Theatre improvisation techniques will be used which, through play and fun, will allow participants to explore their skills, enabling them to
- overcome self-imposed constraints and strengthen self-confidence
- improve self- and process management skills
- enhance the adaptive mindset
- activate lateral thinking, stimulating creative skills
- recharge with positive energy
Laboratory with 16Lab
1 pm: Lunch break
2:30 pm (Group 1): Play and grow
Theatre improvisation techniques will be used which, through play and fun, will allow participants to explore their skills, enabling them to
- overcome self-imposed constraints and strengthen self-confidence
- improve self- and process management skills
- enhance the adaptive mindset
- activate lateral thinking, stimulating creative skills
- recharge with positive energy
Laboratory with 16Lab
2:30 pm (Group 2): IT (is) not magic
Participants will be led through an interactive presentation to discover some of the magic of computing:
How is it possible to represent numbers, letters, images and any other information using simple switches? How do computers search through billions of pieces of information so quickly? How do computers correct errors (e.g. in a ruined QR code)?
…and also things that computers, surprisingly, cannot do.
Workshop with Eleonora Misino
WEDNESDAY
9 am (Group 1 & 2): The mystery of the magic riddles
On their journey through the forest, participants will encounter magical creatures that will only help them get closer to the lost book if they can solve a series of magical riddles:
- Introduction to algorithms
- Using the sensor category to create user interaction
- Devising magic puzzles
Lab Coding with Alice Alfonsi and Manuel Buizo
11 am: Snack break
11:30 am (Group 1 & 2): Play and grow
Theatre improvisation techniques will be used which, through play and fun, will allow participants to explore their skills, enabling them to
- overcome self-imposed constraints and strengthen self-confidence
- improve self- and process management skills
- enhance the adaptive mindset
- activate lateral thinking, stimulating creative skills
- recharge with positive energy
Laboratory with 16Lab
1:00 pm: Lunch break
2:30 pm (Group 1): We are magicians for real
Participants will make a luminous magic wand using recycled materials (such as Scottex rolls, coloured cardboard, glue, rubber bands, glitter, scissors, etc.) but also LEDs, batteries and copper tape to add a touch of magic.
Lab Coding with Alice Alfonsi
2:30 pm (Group 2): Smart even without a computer!
Participants will learn to recognise the difference between two objects using some machine learning algorithms in an unplugged activity.
Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence with Martina Ianaro and Bianca Raimondi
THURSDAY
9 am (Group 1 & 2): Conquering the magic book
The participants finally arrive at the lair of the dragon that guards the lost book. Each group has to devise and plan a final spell to recover it.
- Review and consolidation: combining everything they have learnt
- Devising and planning the final spell/adventure to recover the lost book
Lab Coding with Alice Alfonsi and Manuel Buizo
11 am: Snack break
11:30 am (Group 1 & 2): Play and grow
Theatre improvisation techniques will be used which, through play and fun, will allow participants to explore their skills, enabling them to
- overcome self-imposed constraints and strengthen self-confidence
- improve self- and process management skills
- enhance the adaptive mindset
- activate lateral thinking, stimulating creative skills
- recharge with positive energy
Laboratory with 16Lab
1:00 pm: Lunch break
2:30 pm (Group 1): Let’s test the magic
Participants will be able to review their project, modify and/or extend it, and then start to create a short presentation of the path they have taken.
Lab Coding with Alice Alfonsi
2:30 pm (Group 2): I recognised you!
Participants will learn to recognise a face in the webcam image and turn it into a cartoon using IBM’s machinelearningforkids.
Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence with Martina Ianaro and Bianca Raimondi
FRIDAY
9 am (Group 1 & 2): Let’s test the magic
Participants will be able to review their project, and modify and/or extend it. Groups will work on creating presentations of the projects developed during the week.
Lab Coding with Alice Alfonsi and Manuel Buizo
11 am: Snack break
11:30 am (Group 1 & 2): Digital Wizards’ Mission Completed
Participants will present their projects to their parents, showing the work and skills acquired during the week. This final event will provide an opportunity to share the results and celebrate their achievements.
1:00 pm: Closing lunch
