Kinder Coder Bulgaria + My First Computer

We love to hear how teachers in different countries have used Hello Ruby in their classrooms. There are many creative ways to adopt Ruby in classroom and we encourage teachers to use their imagination. This post is by Tanya from Kinder Coder Bulgaria. The Bulgarian version of the book is available by Egmont. 

Kinder Coder is a small private programming club located in Svilengrad, a small town in Bulgaria. It was founded in July this year by me and my husband and we are working with children aged 7-11 years. 

In the initial level of our courses, we work and program with Scratch. Further in the upper levels we are using the BBC’s micro controller Micro:bit to. So kids make their first steps in programming using both software and hardware.  

Through these wonderful printable materials My first Computer, we found a great way to explain the difference between Hardware and Software. 

We do this exercise as an introduction to the programming topic. Children receive a sheet of one-color paper with the pattern. Each child gets paper in different colors so they can combine parts with each other, and in a collaboration to build a colorful and cheerful computer. 

Their task is to find the right place for the hardware parts, so they understand that each part has a specific place. We name and explain the role of each and every one of them. Тhen we move on to the theme for the software and what it is like to be a programmer. 

The Children arrange their desktops with applications of their own taste, so they define themselves the programs they want to work with. That is how we achieve the primary goal – our students understand that they have great freedom in programming, can have unlimited creativity and initiative. 

Learn more about Kinder Coder on Facebook or on their website.