Explorers: Ages 6-8

Scratch: Introduction

Would your child love to learn to code? In this introductory course, designed specifically for young children, we explore the exciting world of Scratch coding.
Age 6-8
Difficulty Level
Suitable for beginners
Dates & Times 19th - 23rd October / 10:00 - 11:15 (duration 1 hour 15 mins)
26th - 30th October / 15:00 - 16:15 (duration 1hour 15 mins)
Price £100.00 (25% off the second course when booking 2 or more)
£100.00
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Want to code with friends?
Add the names of your friends in your booking notes to be placed in the same class!
BOOK USING CHILDCARE VOUCHERS

Our Scratch: Introduction course is the ideal way to equip your child with brand new coding and computer skills, and develop positive computing habits. Using our award-winning curriculum, focusing on creativity and practical coding applications, we will lead the class through a series of tutorials looking at key parts of block-based coding to create animations, games, and more. Children will come away having learnt something new, having created something unique, and having had fun!

Learning outcomes

This course helps beginners develop the key coding skills needed to progress to more advanced Scratch coding projects. Students learn the fundamentals of block-based game-making and animation techniques, like creating movement, tracking scores, collision detection, and more. The course covers a number of more advanced computational concepts like functions, data structures and parameters, allowing students to gain important logical reasoning and problem-solving skills as well.

Information for parents

We ask that - for at least the first session - an adult is available to help your child with their coding for the entirety of the lesson. In the following lessons an adult should be available at the start to help with any troubleshooting. You are also welcome to accompany your child for the remaining lessons too - we love parents and children learning together!

Class structure

This is a sample schedule to show how our virtual lessons are structured.

10.00 - 10.15
Set-up
Students will set up their coding environments, share any work from the previous day or projects they have done independently.
10.15 - 11.00
Coding
45 minutes of focused coding, led by our fantastic teachers. Students will face new challenges, solidify their knowledge of coding concepts and flex their creativity!
11.00 - 11.15
Wrap-up
Students will complete quizzes and challenges to test their knowledge and share their work.
My favourite part was designing my own sprite!

Student, aged 6

  • How does it work?

    • We have a maximum teacher:student ratio of 1:6 - this means that all students receive dedicated support, and top-quality, hands-on teaching
    • Our courses and virtual classroom have been extensively user-tested and refine to ensure they offer the best possible learning experience
    • Reports from teachers detail what your child has learnt, their strengths, and how they can improve

  • Each student will need...

    • A laptop or computer with a high-speed internet connection
    • A headset/earphones
    • A webcam and microphone
    • An adult to help set up - before each session we will email instructions on how to set up out video conferencing software

  • Our tutors

    • BlueShift teaching staff are coding professionals, who are passionate about passing their expertise onto children - many have previously taught at prestigious schools
    • Teachers undergo a rigorous application and training process, ensuring we get the best of the best
    • All teachers are vetted by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

Policies

Lateness policy

Customer feedback has told us that students joining late can be disruptive for other learners. Therefore, we have imposed a cut-off time for joining lessons. If a student is more than 15 minutes late to a lesson, they will not be admitted. Late students will be able to catch up using recordings of the lesson and additional learning resources.

Recordings of lessons

All online lessons will be recorded, and recordings will be uploaded to the class padlet as a resource for students who have missed a lesson, or who want to watch again. Recordings will only be available to students in the class, the class teacher and the BlueShift team. Recordings will be deleted seven days after the course ends.

FAQs:

  • Can I book individual days?
  • Can I use an iPad/tablet or a Chromebook instead of laptop/PC?
  • Is adult presence required?
  • Can I make the session more private?

  • "Thank you BlueShift for doing such a great job. My son is so excited about coding and learning made fun."

    Natalia, parent

  • "These courses are an amazing way to get kids interested in coding and robotics. Fun and educational"

    Isabel, parent

  • "My son was very keen to advance in programming. Not only has this been achieved, but his self-esteem has been greatly raised through your work. Thank you!"

    Marcos, parent

  • "The teachers have been excellent, full of enthusiasm and patience making the whole experience really fun"

    Angela, parent