K-8 Students Across the Country Will Participate in Annual 'Hour of Code' Event with Easy to Use littleBits Code Kits

NEW YORK, Nov. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- littleBits, the award-winning company that empowers kids to be inventors, today announced that educators at the forefront of STEAM curriculum across the country will be utilizing the littleBits Code Kit during Computer Science Education Week and Hour of Code on December 4-10, 2017. Through the engagement with games and hands-on learning, students are able to use the Code Kit to invent, create and collaborate as a way to get students interested and engaged in coding.

"Code.org should be commended for its work to open children's minds to an important component of today's technological revolution," said Ayah Bdeir, founder and CEO of littleBits. "The Hour of Code is just one element of what is becoming a dynamic and significant shift to more advanced STEAM education. We are thrilled to be working with Code.org in the inaugural year of our Code Kit to benefit students from all walks of life."

Throughout the week of December 4th, Code.org encourages teachers to work with students for one hour of coding, with free courses available for students as early as pre-readers on the organization's website. Through a partnership with Code.org, littleBits will donate 150 coding kits to under-resourced schools in the U.S. that participate in Hour of Code.  Code.org will work with schools to select the winners and littleBits' Code Kits will be sent to the schools after the Hour of Code event. Educators are encouraged to learn more about incorporating the littleBits Code Kit into Hour of Code through this link.

Unlike other coding products available for classrooms today, the littleBits Code Kit is the first kit to combine block-based programming with real-world engineering. Using littleBits' electronic building blocks the kit empowers students to create their own games. The accompanying app, available for PC, Mac & Chromebooks, guides students through the fundamentals of coding through video tutorials and step-by-step inventions.

August Deshais, a teacher at Ridgewood & Cutten School in Eureka, California, says all the school's students in kindergarten through second grade will participate in Hour of Code using the littleBits Code Kit. 

"The last few years the students helped create sequences to demonstrate the type of coding they can do themselves," Deshais said. "This year they will be using a littleBits' code Kit to add motion, light and sound."

Another STEAM educator, Christopher Kunkel of Hoboken Charter School, has been using the littleBits Code Kit since its launch this year. For Hour of Code, Kunkel's 'Girls Who Code' club for the sixth through eighth grades will invite fourth and fifth grade girls to attend for an afternoon during Hour of Code.

"The older girls get a chance to teach the younger girls about coding and they are excited to share what they have learned," said Kunkel. "We will have about 50 girls in attendance for the afternoon and we will use the littleBits' Code Kit to help engage the younger students."

Earlier this year littleBits launched the new Code Kit for grades 3-8 designed specifically for use in STEAM classrooms. Each littleBits Code Kit includes all of the materials needed for up to three students to invent and code simultaneously.

To ensure the Code Kit was accessible yet challenging right out of the box, littleBits enlisted the help of 29 educators from across the country. STEAM Educators helped create the curriculum that accompanies the Code Kit and provided feedback to the overall design and application of the product in the classroom. This extra step has led to early praise for the Code Kit from both teachers and students.

About littleBits

littleBits empowers kids around the world to become inventors. Founded in 2011 by Ayah Bdeir MIT Media Lab alum, its innovative platform of easy-to-use electronic blocks allows anyone to create and invent with electronics, independent of age, gender or technical ability. As the leader in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) learning, littleBits believes in inspiring invention by creating products that encourage self-directed exploration and problem solving; support grit and tenacity; and create a safe place to experience both failure and accomplishment. The company is dedicated to successfully bridging the gender gap with its gender-neutral platform, attracting an industry high thirty five percent of young girls to invent with littleBits. By embracing STEAM, both girls and boys can invent solutions to the problems that matter to them. The company's products have won over 150 industry awards in the toy and education industries. littleBits is headquartered in New York. For more information and inspiration, go to littleBits.cc.

Media Contact: Deborah Kostroun
[email protected] | 201.403.8185

SOURCE littleBits

Related Links

http://littleBits.cc