Day 4: Finding & Fixing Mistakes

Hello Techies!

Welcome to Day 4 of our computational thinking series! I hope you have been enjoying the series so far? 😃

Today we're exploring Debugging - the important skill of finding and fixing problems in a process or system.

Today's Activity: Tower Trouble

What You'll Need:

• Building blocks, LEGO, or even cups/containers

• A simple tower design (drawn or in your mind)

• 15 minutes together

How To Play:

1. Build a tower with intentional bugs (problems):

   • A block placed backward

   • A missing piece in the middle

   • Two pieces that don't match the pattern

2. Show your child the tower and explain: This tower has some problems that need fixing.

3. Ask them to identify what's wrong and fix each issue.

4. Take turns creating buggy structures for each other to debug.

Make It Fun:

• Create a debugging superhero persona (Here comes the Bug Buster!) 😂

• Use a magnifying glass as a special debugging tool.

• Set a timer to see how quickly they can spot and fix all the bugs.

• For older kids: write down instructions for building a tower or completing a task, include mistakes in the instructions, and see if they can spot the problems.

Why This Matters

Debugging is an essential skill for programmers! When writing code, developers spend significant time finding and fixing errors. This practice helps children develop:

• Careful attention to detail.

• Problem-solving persistence.

• The understanding that mistakes are normal and fixable.

Quick Tip: When something goes wrong in daily life (a toy breaks, a recipe doesn't turn out), model debugging language: Let's figure out what the problem is and how we can fix it!

Tomorrow we'll explore our final computational thinking skill. Until then, happy debugging!

Your Tech Partner,

Dr. Ijeoma Ndu

This is Day 4 of our 5-day Computational Thinking Without Screens series.

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