In this exercise we'll be learning how to build our very own Space Invaders game in Scratch. For us to start building our game however we must start to think as a computer does. All tasks and instructions need to be broken down into small chunks so they are easily followed not just by ourselves but by the computer too. This guide breaks down our Space Invaders game into easy to follow sections.Please check out First Coding's subscription based resource hub for monthly Scratch lesson plans, projects and ideas: http://www.firstcoding.co.uk/resources/

This is a perfect project to help demonstrate the use of conditions and loops. The computer selects a random number and the user has to make guesses until either the correct number is correctly chosen or the number of attempts runs out. After each guess the computer states whether the guess was too high or low. A good challenge for pupils is to set them the task of rewriting the game but reversing the logic. This time it’s the user that picks the number and the computer attempts to guess. This project works well in Scratch and there is a working version of each game variation provided along with the Powerpoint presentation for this exercise. Included for free is an example of the game written in Python should you wish to challenge your older pupils. There is also a general guide to coding included too.

This is a Scratch resource to help pupils understand and use variables effectively in their programming. The main guide easily talks you through creating a simple dice game, where decisions are made in order to record the highest roll of the dice throughout the game. The worksheet then encourages the pupils to take the concepts learnt with the dice game to build a Rock, Paper, Scissors game. The guide does not go into how to build the latter but everything in the dice game should be sufficient. Scratch files of both the dice game and Rock, Paper, Scissors are included as well as a guide to coding.

In this exercise we’ll learn about how to make a fun maze game and how we can randomise the actions of certain elements to make the game unpredictable when being played. Please check out First Coding's subscription based resource hub for monthly Scratch lesson plans, projects and ideas: http://www.firstcoding.co.uk/resources/

This exercise walks you through creating an animated aquarium whilst adding interactive elements to bring an element of surprise to the project. Includes working example Scratch file and a free guide to coding.

Chatbots are becoming increasingly popular today, you probably have one in your home already in the form of Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Home. Chatbots are basically computer programs you can interact with either by talking to them or typing to get a response. For us to start building our chatbot we must start thinking as a computer does, with all tasks and instructions being broken down into small chunks so they are easily followed. This guide breaks down our chatbot into easy to follow sections with suggestions at the end to help improve it and make it better. Also with Scratch 3 now released, this chatbot can now talk back. Check the video! Please check out First Coding's subscription based resource hub for monthly Scratch lesson plans, projects and ideas: http://www.firstcoding.co.uk/resources/

In this easy to follow tutorial we’ll be learning about all the aspects of designing our very own silly name generator, covering previous topics such as inputs, outputs and lists. Silly names will be randomly generated at a touch of a button and can be used over and over again. There is a working example included to illustrate the uses of this exercise.

A GREAT PROJECT FOR ANY CODING CLUB! I am always looking for projects that push Scratch to the limit whilst also keeping the attention of the students. This document details two free tried and tested methods that will allow you to set up a virtual arcade to showcase your Scratch games whilst having ads and donation buttons sat alongside them to generate revenue.

App inventor is a visual programming language designed to help in the building of simple and complex Android applications without the need for any previous coding knowledge. In this exercise we will learn how to build a Silly Name Generator for your phone or tablet. The aim of the app is simple, upon pressing a button select random elements from two lists to build a funny name and present it on screen. There are additional points at the end of the exercise to improve the application, such as getting the device to read out the generated name.

This project will teach about drawing our own backgrounds and costumes and also serves as an introduction to loops and conditional statements. It is primarily aimed at KS1 and as a result focuses on the KS1 curriculum requirements for completing the students’ introduction to Scratch. Powerpoint presentation, teachers’ notes and working example included.

In this exercise we’ll be look at controlling the Scratch turtle, passing it directional instructions and getting it to draw lines along its journey that will hopefully start to form shapes and patterns

A couple of very simple exercises building logic to count up in even and odd numbers. Also included is a quick bouncing ball exercise.

This is a simple worksheet that walks you through setting up a simple game called Catch the Dot. It’s similar to the Whack-a-Mole games where users try to hit a moving target. The use of variables are introduced to allow for score keeping and there are suggestions at the end to help improve the game. Please check out First Coding’s subscription based resource hub for monthly Scratch lesson plans, projects and ideas: http://www.firstcoding.co.uk/resources/

In this exercise we will learn how to make a basic sound board. A sound board is a series of buttons that when pressed play a sound clip. We also look at the different ways in which the buttons can react to being clicked on either by changing their appearance or producing popup messages. There is now also a general guide to coding included too.

Here at First Coding we’re always looking for unique ways to keep pupils’ interest so recently we’ve been teaching our pupils how to package up their Scratch projects to make them into standalone games (that they can burn to disk and hand out to friend and family) or use their projects to build Android apps. The video below features one of our musical sequencer projects that is running as an app in Kindle. Included is also the music seqencer project featured in the video. Please note, this only currently works for Scratch 2 projects.