Festive Computing & Coding Activities

If, like me, you like to keep your students challenged up until the very last day of term, here are some festive coding / computing related resources to keep your students occupied!

1. Google Santa Tracker

Practice your coding skills with Santa's Elves. Guide Santa's Elves back to the village with this Build Your Own Blocks style coding activity courtesy of Google: https://santatracker.google.com/codelab.html (Note: nlocks on the 5th December)

Supporting lesson resources:

• Code labs
• Code boogie
• Code a snowflake

2. TouchDevelop 8-bit Festive Challenge

Create festive 8-bit artwork using Microsoft TouchDevelop: http://teachwithict.weebly.com/hoc-8-bit-challenge.html

3. Binary Representation (Festive Edition)

In this festive themed lesson, students will learn about how data is stored in computers and also how to convert binary to denary (and vice-versa): http://teachwithict.weebly.com/binary-representation.html

​4. Code with Anna & Elsa (Frozen)

Learn how to code by creating snowflakes and helping Disney's Elsa and Ana to ice skate around the computer screen: https://learn.code.org/s/frozen 

​5. ​Binary Representation of Images (Festive Edition)

In this lesson, students learn how computers represent images using binary:  ​http://teachwithict.weebly.com/computing-blog/teaching-computer-science-day-13-its-a-cracker

​6. Python Snowflakes

Learn how to create snowflakes using the turtle function in Python: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHmeX7YTHBY 

Note: Chris Sharples (@Gr8ICT) has created a Scratch version of this activity - see below@

7. Making snowflakes with Scratch

Learn how to create snowflakes in Scratch with this great festive coding activity courtesy of Chris Sharples (@gr8ict)

8. Making music with the BBC micro:bit (Festive Edition)

Create Christmas music with the BBC micro:bit in this festive lesson: Making music with the BBC micro:bit (Festive Edition)

9. Steve's Winter Wonderland

​Thanks to Ben Davies (@b3ndavi3s) for sharing this one. Write a program that will help Steve get ready for Christmas (Uses Minecraft Pi and Sonic Pi - Raspberry Pi): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-bbVczVBk9goFhuk35gNsPr7TlaDt-bG-juGkbayHZ8/edit

​10. ​Scratch Holiday Card

Create a festive interactive card using Scratch with this online tutorial: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/editor/?tip_bar=hoc

Downloadable version with worksheets here: ​http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/resources/scratch-holiday-card

11. Xmas Sonic Pi Challenge

Thanks to Jon Witts (@jonwitts) for sharing this one. Create festive music with code using Sonic Pi: http://www.jonwitts.co.uk/archives/755