Overview

Peg and Cat have a really big problem! Cat is stuck in a tree. Again!  In this activity, children will be challenged to create projects with the PBS KIDS ScratchJr app where they help Peg rescue her friend Cat

Learning Goals

Children will learn how to create projects, add characters, and how to use the programming blocks to make their characters animate on screen. They will explore coding and computational thinking practices as they utilize technology as a tool for creativity, expression and learning with the PBS KIDS ScratchJr app. 

Keywords

• Programming/Coding
• Sequence
• Horizontal and Vertical
• Left and Right

Materials

• iPads or Android tablets for each child (or group of children)   
• The PEG + CAT "Yet Another Tree Problem," episode (see below)
• TV, projector, computer, or other device to play the episode
• A document camera to display tablet work to the whole group or a cable to connect the tablet and projector.
• Chalkboard, whiteboard, or poster paper
• Design Handouts
• Parent Handout (English | Spanish)

Meet (5 minutes)

The context in which you are engaging in this activity will impact how you get started. Take the time to set up cues, preview what you’re going to be doing and why, and get the kids ready and focused for a creative PBS KIDS challenge.

Peg and Cat are best friends who love to have fun, go on adventures, and solve problems using math. Today, everyone is going to create PBS KIDS ScratchJr projects to help Peg and Cat solve a really big problem. Cat is stuck in a tree and Peg needs help getting him down! Children will learn how create projects and how to use the Motion blocks to help Peg reach Cat so she can rescue him.

Play (10 minutes)

Play ‘Simon Says’ with the group. As much as possible incorporate spatial vocabulary into the game; up, down, next to, below, above, right, and left. Simon Says is a game that aligns really nicely with computational thinking. In the game, if ‘Simon Says,’ to do something, then everyone does that thing, but if Simon doesn’t say, then participants do nothing. Characters in PBS KIDS ScratchJr behave in the same way; they need to be triggered before they will begin their animations. 

Explore (20 minutes)

Project your tablet onto a big screen with a document camera or with a cable, open PBS KIDS ScratchJr, and start a new project. First, talk about programs and coding. Then model how to create programs for your characters using Motion and Trigger blocks.

Show everyone how to add characters and how to create programs by dragging blocks into the programming area, snapping them together, and testing them. Then give everyone at least 5 minutes to explore and make discoveries on their own. Invite children to share their fun discoveries informally with each other and with the whole group. 

• Add characters and backgrounds

  Add characters and backgrounds

  • To add a character or background tap the blue plus sign on the left or the landscape at the top of the screen.
  • Scroll down and choose the character and/or background you would like.
  • Tap the checkmark when you have made your choice.

  

  ×
• Delete a character

  Delete a character

  To delete a character, tap and hold the character until you see a red X. Tap the red X to delete that character.

  

  ×
• Place characters

  Place characters

  Once a character is added to your screen, you can move it to wherever you would like it to start by dragging it around with your finger.

• Motion Blocks

  Motion Blocks

  Blue Motion blocks cause characters to move on the screen. You can make characters move all over the screen (right, left, up, down, turn, and jump) by using the blue Motion blocks.

  • Drag a blue Motion block into the programming area.
  • Ask children what they think will happen when you tap on the block. Tap on it. The character will move according to the direction of the block.
  • Now add a different blue Motion block and do the same thing. Snap the two blocks together and ask children again what they think will happen. Tap. The character will now make both moves in order.

  Explain to the group that they can use the motion blocks to make their character move in whatever direction they would like. Ask the group which of the Motion blocks they would use to make the character move up, down, left, and right. Test their guesses.

  Tip!

  To delete a block from the programming area, drag it outside the area with your finger and let go.

  

  ×
• Start on Green Flag

  Start on Green Flag

  The yellow Trigger blocks are what trigger/cause a program to begin. Each of the yellow Trigger blocks represents a different way in which a program can begin. The Start on Green Flag block creates a program that will begin whenever the Green Flag is tapped.

  • To create a complete program drag the yellow Start on Green Flag Trigger block and connect it to the front of the blue Motion blocks.
  • Now you can tap on the program itself or the Green Flag in the top right corner; either will trigger your new program. The difference is that if you tap the green flag, your character will reset to their starting position before running the program and if you just tap the program itself, the character will just pick-up from where they left off.

  Tip!

  If you use a Start on Green Flag block at the front of your program,then tapping the Green Flag is like saying 'Simon Says,' and will trigger the actions in your program.

  

  ×
• Change block values

  Change block values

  PBS KIDS ScratchJr can help make it simpler for characters to do the same thing more than once.

  • If you want your character to move five steps to the right, you could connect five Move Right blocks. Demonstrate.
  • Or you could use one Move Right block and change the value of that block with the number pad. The number pad lets you decide how many times a block should repeat (up to 99).
  • Tap the number one at the bottom of any blue Motion block to access the number pad.
  • Change it to five and test it out.

  Using the number pad can help keep programs from being too big and confusing.

  

  ×
• Reset

  Reset

  The reset button places characters back at their starting points. Starting points are set each time a user drags a character to a new point on the screen.

  Tip!

  Kids will often run a program and then manually move their characters back to their starting points to run their programs again. Introducing the Reset button can help save kids a lot of time and energy.

  

  ×

Watch (15 minutes)

View the 11-minute PEG + CAT episode, "Yet Another Tree Problem," and have the group pay attention to what Peg, Cat, and Ramone do to solve their tree problem. After the episode: 

• Review and discuss the spatial feedback introduced during the episode.
• Review and discuss what the characters did to solve their really big problem.

Create (30 minutes)

Now it's time for everyone to use their knowledge of Motion blocks and spatial awareness to help Peg and Cat solve their really big problem. Make sure everyone has a tablet to work on and make yourself available to lend support as everyone works on their projects. Write the basic parameters of the project at the front of the room to help guide everyone’s work.  

• Encourage everyone to add Peg, Cat, and a tree character to their projects. 
• Encourage everyone to place Cat or Peg in the tree and the other character somewhere else on the screen. Cat is now stuck in the tree!
• Challenge the group to use their powers of spatial awareness and the Motion blocks to create programs that move Peg to Cat so she can rescue him (or vice versa).

Share (15 Minutes)

Ask for volunteers to share their projects with the group. Have them share their projects and more specifically, which blocks they used to help Peg save Cat. Model giving warm and cool feedback and encourage the same from the children.

Keep Going (15 Minutes)

If you have extra time give children the chance to work on whatever they would like. If they received useful feedback, were inspired by other projects, or want to attempt one of the extensions below, this is a wonderful opportunity to do just that. Or they can start a whole new project and can create whatever they would like.  

• Coding Challenge

  Coding Challenge

  Once Peg rescues Cat, the problem is solved and it's time to celebrate. Have children add blocks to their programs to help Peg and Cat celebrate. They could use Motion blocks to make them dance, and Voice Record blocks to make them sing. What else could be created and programmed to add to the celebration? 

  OR

  Challenge children to come up with additional ways that Peg could rescue Cat. Jet packs? Ladders? Flying Carpets? Have children add their creative solutions to their projects.

• Math Extension

  Math Extension

  For children having trouble determining how many steps are needed to move Peg to Cat (or to check their guesses) have children turn on the grid background. The grid will help them keep track of where their characters are and how much they move. Use the grid to discuss vertical and horizontal axes and grids in more detail.

• Literacy Extension

  Literacy Extension

  Although this activity is predominantly math focused, children are still creating a narrative involving Peg rescuing Cat. You can expand on this by encouraging children to use speech bubbles and text in their stories to create more of a story. For example, have children think about why Cat is stuck in a tree and how Cat got up there to begin with. Is Cat scared? Is Peg nervous about getting Cat down? Have children think about the emotions of each character and use pink Say block and/or the green Recorded Sound blocks to create a dialogue between them.

Take Home

Send children home with this Parent Handout (English | Spanish) to help encourage discussion and continued play at home!