A few weeks ago I introduced the idea of the Sandbox, at the time I was struggling to think of ways to engage with the kids. I have been making good progress however, and now have a few more ideas. One of the things suggested to me was to use Alice to create games and introduce the idea of programming to the kids. After having a play with this it looks really good. Quite simple to get working but also teaches some of the basics of programing. I think it will make it less intimidating when they actually come to write a line of code.

As well as Alice I have come up with another couple of things that will hopefully pique their interest. First of all Lego Mindstorms. This is a great platform that lets you create robotic type devices that are (wirelessly) connected to a computer and can be programmed to do different things. I think using this will be a great way to get people interested in programing as it provides a tangible link between doing something on the computer in an almost virtual environment and the effect that it can have on the real world.

Another idea which needs some research (because I am not sure how feasible it is) would be to use Digital Scalextric sets and hook them up to a computer and write a program that drives the car. It would take input from where it is on the track, corners and overtaking lanes coming up, where the competitor is etc. It could then use that information to make the car run at its top speed and overtake all without crashing. We could then race different programs/cars against each other. I am sure it would start out an absolute disaster, but with some tweaking of the programs I think it could be quite exciting.

So it seems there are a few more options. I am keeping my eye out for other things as well. Something football related would probably go down well. Maybe some kind of fantasy football?