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Fun and Easy Middle School Coding Projects for Beginners

February 21, 2016 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

It’s hard for me to believe, but I’ll have a middle schooler this fall. (Yikes!) And one of the subject areas I really want to focus on with her is STEM.

But – here’s my conundrum – I wasn’t really that interested in science as a kid. And, to make matters worse, the sciences have vastly expanded since I was in school.

I had no clue about computer programming as a kid and no real desire to learn it after I grew up. Today, though, it’s obvious that our kids need to learn (at least) the basics of coding.

Middle School Coding Projects for Beginners FB

Personally, I want to encourage my daughter to learn anything without feeling that it’s “too hard” or “too complex”. And programming can certainly appear that way, especially at first.

So I’ve found middle school coding projects that are perfect for beginners! Trust me, they’re even easy enough for us parents to teach!

Try some of these easy coding projects with your middle schooler over summer break! By the way, find out how to use Bitsbox to get a new set of coding projects for middle schoolers each month!

Help your middle schooler learn to code with these middle school coding projects for beginners! These are easy enough for any first-time coder to try!

Images c/o: iofoto & belchonock / depositphotos

Easy Middle School Coding Projects for Beginners

Coding itself is a bit abstract for my kids to grasp. But when I tell them “You can learn to do ______”, they get way more interested.

And that’s what I like about these easy middle school coding projects for kids. They all teach kids to make something. Even better, they’re all absolutely free!

1. Learn to make a website. Really. With CodeAcademy, kids (and adults) can learn to create a website from scratch in as little as four hours.

2. Draw a waving snowman. Khan Academy’s Intro to JavaScript course is simple enough for middle school kids to learn.

3. Make a GIF. GIFs are everywhere and, I’ll be honest, I love them. Kids will love using Google’s Made with Code program to design their own!

4. Build a Star Wars galaxy. Code.org features a simple and super fun Star Wars drag and drop exercise that’s perfect for beginning coders!

5. Design digital art. Another Code.org project, this one lets kids use coding and math to create art from angles.

6. Program a virtual robot. Lightbot is a project that teaches kids how to send program commands to a robot that follows their instructions.

7. Make your own beats. This Made with Code project lets kids use Blockly to create their own music.

8. Code a 3D Solar System. In this Scratch project, students can alter and design an existing solar system project and add their own touches.

9. Design an animated story. Google CS First, a resource for introducing computer programming, offers this project to kids of all ages, but it’s ideal for middle grades.

10. Create a video game. With W3Schools, students who have a basic understanding of HTML and JavaScript can build their own games.

Beginner Middle School Coding Projects

More Resources for Middle School Coding Projects:

For more help to get middle schoolers started in programming, try these affiliate resources from Amazon! (For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  • Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming
  • Code Master Programming Logic Game
  • Learn to Program with Scratch: A Visual Introduction to Programming with Games, Art, Science, and Math

10 Middle School Coding Projects for Beginners

See more coding ideas below!

Stumped by how to teach computer coding? Make basic coding for kids easy and fun with Bitsbox!

See how we used our Bitsbox subscription box to cover introductory robotics for kids! My middle schooler loved it!

And get even more ideas for STEM education from my STEM for Homeschoolers board on Pinterest!

Don’t miss these other great posts!

Free The Grouchy Ladybug Printables ADHD Handwriting Help for Kids Sleep Tips for Kids with ADHD Middle School Coding Projects for Beginners

This post is part of the 28 Days of Hands-On STEM Activities for Kids linkup! Stop by to get a look at all of the awesome STEM resources being shared this month!

28 Days of Hands On STEM


Filed Under: STEM for Homeschoolers Tagged With: coding, coding for beginners, coding projects, coding projects for beginners, coding projects for middle school, coding with kids, computer science, how to start coding with kids, middle school, middle school coding, middle school coding projects, programming, stem

Simple STEM Challenges with Hands-On Engineering!

July 29, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

I’ve set a few homeschooling goals this upcoming school year and one is to include more STEM learning with the kids. My biggest problem is that my passions include literature, writing, and dance – basically everything that is the opposite of STEM….lol.

So I was excited to try the book “Hands-On Engineering” from Prufrock Press! If you’re unsure how you can set up STEM learning at home, this is a great resource for simple STEM challenges!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Simple STEM Challenges - Look! We're Learning!

Simple STEM Challenges with Hands-On Engineering

In “Hands-On Engineering“, you get complete teacher instructions, project descriptions, internet resource links, and student activity sheets. It’s almost a no-prep solution to planning STEM activities. 🙂

Simple STEM Challenges - Look! We're Learning!

The resource is described as appropriate for grades 4-7 and I can see why. Some of the projects are fairly detailed and require a good amount of critical thinking from kids. But I decided to use it with all three of our school-age kids – just to see.

Simple STEM Challenges - Look! We're Learning!

The teacher resources are fabulous. There are diagrams, explanations, Internet links, and summaries that give you a good background of each activity.

Simple STEM Challenges - Look! We're Learning!

We settled on the Build a Catapult challenge from the book, and that involved getting an understanding of how a lever works. I drew the same diagram from the Instructor Key on the board and we talked about the essential parts of a lever.

Simple STEM Challenges - Look! We're Learning!

Then the kids sketched their own diagrams. Afterward, we used some of the internet links listed in the Teacher’s activity sheet for the catapult activity.

Simple STEM Challenges - Look! We're Learning!

We watched a video showing how ancient catapults (or “onagers”) were assembled and we talked about some of the advantages and challenges they posed for armies in battle. Then it was time for the kids to build their own catapult!

Explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Math!
Simple STEM Challenges - Look! We're Learning!

One thing I really like about “Hands-On Engineering” is that there are no detailed instructions on how to build the item in question. As a result, the kids were forced to try various methods, brainstorm ideas, and cooperate. Among the list of available supplies were rubber bands, clothespins, popsicle sticks, and plastic spoons.

Simple STEM Challenges - Look! We're Learning!

What really impressed me was that, of all three children, Pooh (our almost seven-year-old) was the first to build a working catapult!

Simple STEM Challenges - Look! We're Learning!

We rounded up all of the pennies in the house and, before I knew it, it was raining pennies from heaven…lol.

Simple STEM Challenges - Look! We're Learning!

Look at that face. That is the face of a boy who is extremely pleased with himself.

Once Pooh figured out the basic design of a catapult, the other kids made their own. But then they started hitting the chandelier in my dining room with their pennies, so they were banished to the living room. After all, engineers have to learn to work in all kinds of environments. 😉

I loved Hands-On Engineering and I’m looking forward to making more of the projects with the kids this school year! If you’d like to try to build a catapult or any of the other simple STEM challenges in “Hands-On Engineering“, check out the book for yourself!

Filed Under: 2015-16 Curriculum, Curriculum Reviews, Homeschool Curriculum, Homeschooling, STEM for Homeschoolers Tagged With: book reviews, engineering, homeschooling, stem, stem for homeschoolers

STEM for Homeschoolers: Decomposition Lesson Ideas for Kids

September 23, 2014 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

As I mentioned earlier this year, we’ve made a bit of a homeschooling U-turn in our family and started focusing more on STEM subjects and foreign language.

So – we’ll be sharing more science lessons and experiments on the blog, along with resources we find online that we love for learning STEM concepts. Today we’re sharing a recent activity using decomposition lesson ideas for kids!

This decomposition unit study gets into the dirty truth about living things!

Decomposition Lesson Ideas for Kids

This was NOT one of our planned lessons. A banana in our fruit bowl began to rot and the kids were fascinated by it. So I decided to let it rot so we could examine decomposition up close.

Decomposition Lesson Ideas - Look! We're Learning!

The amazing thing about kids is that they are fascinated by gross stuff. They wanted to see the rotting banana up close. So we got out a plastic fork and poked around.

Decomposition Lesson Ideas - Look! We're Learning!

That gave us a really close look at the bacteria growing inside the fruit.

Decomposition Lesson Ideas - Look! We're Learning!

Yuck.

Decomposition Lesson Ideas - Look! We're Learning!

That face says it all. But then we learned about the process of decomposition and how amazing it is! First, we watched a clip from Sid the Science Kid showing a lab experiment about decomposition.

All living things decay after dying, which is called decomposition. From plants to people.

Michigan Tech University has a great explanation of what happens during the process of decomposition. Basically, bacteria, fungi, and worms perform the work of decomposition by breaking down living organisms after death. This is a GOOD thing, because the broken down organisms become part of the soil and provide a natural fertilizer so that new things can grow. It’s the ultimate recycling!

To get an even closer look at decomposition, check out this video of a watermelon slowly decomposing over 35 days.

Gross! But also kind of cool, right? For more decomposition lesson ideas, check out these great resources!

Activities about Decomposition:

  1. Free Decomposing Worksheets for Grades 5-6: Great Schools
  2. Decomposing Experiment – Education.com
  3. Biology for Kids: An Overview of Fungi – Ducksters
  4. Easy Decomposition Experiment – Science Sparks

Books about Decomposition for Kids

Books about Decomposition for Kids:

  1. Insects as Decomposers by Lyn Sirota
  2. Composting: Nature’s Recyclers by Robin Koontz
  3. Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals
  4. What’s Sprouting in My Trash? A Book about Composting by Esther Porter
  5. The Magic School Bus Meets the Rot Squad: A Book about Decomposition by Joanna Cole
  6. Decomposers (Science Kaleidoscope) by Greg Roza

Decomposition Unit Study Lesson Ideas for Kids

If you enjoyed these decomposition lesson ideas, stop by and see some of our other unit studies!

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Unit Study

Turtles Unit Study

Firefighter Unit Study - Look! We're Learning!

Plus, follow my It’s Science Pinterest board for more hands-on science fun!

Decomposition Lesson Ideas - Look! We're Learning!

Filed Under: Science, STEM for Homeschoolers, Unit Studies Tagged With: decomposition, decomposition lesson ideas, decomposition unit study, stem, stem for homeschoolers

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Hi! I'm Selena, a veteran teacher and homeschool mom to four. I'm so glad you're here!
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