To complete their unit on programming, the Year 1/2 class were given the challenge of rescuing a stranded astronaut from Saturn, where she’d been investigating the new moons. The students created a maze on a pre-cut grid using cut-out planets and plasticine asteroids. Some students setup LED stars to decorate the edges of the solar system. They then took it in turns to program a pathway through the obstacles to the astronaut placed at the far end of the grid. Students worked cooperatively to solve the problem and used programming cards to check their calculations. Most astronauts were successfully rescued (though a few were run over by overly-enthusiastic BeeBots!) with students reflecting on their programming and discussing ways to better reach their target.
