Fun Techtivities in October!

Now that the safe distancing rules are easing, we’ve got even more fun tech-activities coming your way! With the school holidays almost around the corner, this month is sure to be a blast.

Gallery Kids by National Art Gallery

The National Art Gallery has activities and workshops lined up till the end of the year, so you and your families can indulge in a variety of exhibits online. With videos inspired by paintings and other storytelling sessions, check out their website for new online activities lined up every week!

Details:
Until the end of 2020
Online
Price: Free
To find out more, click here.

Virtual Runs

The POSB PAssion Virtual Run for Kids 2020 is a special event run completely online (pun intended!), all for a good cause! It’s their first-ever virtual run, which you can do alongside your loved ones at any time and anywhere – no matter the pace – and you get to personalise your own routes too. Sign-ups close on 18 October, so grab your spot before the actual event in November!

Details:
Registration closes on 18 October 2020
(Race period is from 1 to 30 November 2020)
Online – any time, anywhere
Price: From $5
To find out more, click here.

For those looking to do something this Halloween season, there’s the Halloween Virtual Run to complete within 3 days. It’s virtually done with your GPS tracking app or indoor treadmill, and also includes a spooky finisher medal upon completion!

Details:
Registration closes on 29 October 2020 (while stocks last!)
Race Period: 30 Oct 2020 – 01 Nov 2020
Price: From $9.99
To find out more, click here.

Children’s Day Coding Workshops

Children’s Day 2020 is right around the corner and we’ve got some exciting two-hour workshops to keep your kiddos entertained! Let their creative juices flow as they explore the world of coding and experience the wonders of Scratch and Python.

Children's Day Coding Workshops 2020

Details:
9 October 2020
Parkway Parade, Bukit Timah (KAP Mall) and Online
Price: From $35
To find out more for ages 4 to 6, click here.
To find out more for ages 7 to 12, click here.

We also have October coding camps for your children to attend after PSLE or for the International school holidays to pick up a new, useful skill. Psst, get their classmates to sign up too – you can get 12% OFF when you use our promo code SUPERCODER to purchase 2 or more classes!

If you haven’t seen our previous techtivity recommendations, check out our previous September #TechtivitiesOfTheMonth, which includes hackathons, Tech Career Days, online board games, and more…

(Written by Lakshmi Suresh)

Our mighty students showing their strength!

3 Ways to be Your Child’s Cheerleader During Their Exams!

Header image for Podcasts/TED Talks blogpost

5 Tech Podcasts & TED Talks to get you psyched about tech

A 2 player Scratch game by Nelle, 9 years old, at our Art x Coding Camp

STEAM is the new STEM: How does this impact you and your children?

#CodingLabParenting: 3 Hacks to Maximise Your Child’s Busy Schedule – Be Your Child’s Cheerleader!

School examinations – an inevitable part of students’ lives. As yearly occurrences, these events see our kids and teens burying their heads in books and looking forward to their year-end activities.

We know that examinations play a major role in at least more than a decade of our students’ lives, and the Coding Lab Team stands with you in walking this journey hand in hand with them. We’ve collated some quick tips on how you can support your child’s physical and mental health to help them achieve their best. 🙂

1. Time Management Skills

Our mighty students showing their strength!
Our mighty students showing their strength!

As the examinations draw closer, it is tempting for many students to pull all-nighters in order to get in that extra bit of info. However at this stage, it is more important than ever for children to prioritise their sleep. We all know that it is recommended for them to get around 8 hours of sleep every night to make sure that they have enough energy for the next day [1]. But how do we go about it?

First Step: Teaching them how to organise their tasks with to-do lists and schedules. In picking up this very useful lifelong skill, they are gaining invaluable knowledge on time allocation and divide-and-conquer strategies, resulting in being more productive on a daily basis while still having leftover time to relax.

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

– Maimonides

A glimpse of our printable weekly planner

Get started by downloading our Coding Lab A4 printable weekly planners (Yes, it’s FREE!) or click here for some beautiful templates we found online.

2. Watch Quick Bites Online

Image of Python Perfect class
A hybrid class in action (Online and Physical) – with students revising their work

Our students do need their rest, but we know that they’d like to squeeze in as much knowledge as they can each day. The solution – fitting in alternative forms of revision during breaks, especially in the midst of long hours of test papers and assessment books.

With the help of technology, learning and revision have never been easier! There are plenty of YouTube channels and websites that provide bite-sized tips online, regardless of the examinations you are studying for. Informative and colourful graphics allow students to recall concepts better as well. Fit one (or two!) videos in with your eyes closed, or during afternoon tea – some of our students’ favourites (hear it from the best) include Kurzgesagt and Khan Academy!

For the younger ones aged 4 to 12, Read: Top 10 shows/cartoons to teach children about STEM

Read: Tech Podcasts & TED Talks to get you psyched about tech

3. Trying a New Workout Together!

The benefits of exercise are diverse – from feeling more energetic to being productive at school or work [2]. Exercise helps release endorphins, chemicals in the brain that help alleviate stress accumulated throughout the day. Despite the COVID-19 situation, there are new home-based workouts available for the family by Get Active TV.

These workouts not only serve as a useful break away from the books but also help you bond with your child (or teen) throughout the session! (Bonus tip: You can even fit point 2 into this!)

4. Don’t Forget the Essential Eye Breaks

Our Young Computer Scientists taking an eye break on the bean bags
Our Young Computer Scientists taking an eye break on the bean bags at our Parkway Parade Campus

In the midst of all that studying, it is important for our children to remember to relax their eyes and hydrate regularly. This applies to you too! Here are some quick tips to help them, even when you’re away at work [3]:

  • Set reminders or alarms to take a break from near-work activities every 30-40 minutes and look at the trees outside for 5 minutes
  • An alternative eye break is to simply close your eyes to rest for a while
  • Sunlight has been shown to prevent or delay myopia, so spend at least 2 hours a day outdoors

We all play an important role in teaching our children to take better care of themselves throughout the year. Sometimes, even the smallest ways that we show our care towards them can mean a lot to them. Given the current pandemic, it is even more important to ensure that your children are well-prepared mentally and physically with the exams [4] around the corner!

The Coding Lab team would like to wish everyone taking their exams all the best! You’ve got this 🙂

(Written by Lakshmi Suresh and Cheryl Tang)

#CodingLabParenting Series: Towards Better Learning Header

#CodingLabParenting Series: Towards Better Learning

Header image for Podcasts/TED Talks blogpost

5 Tech Podcasts & TED Talks to get you psyched about tech

A 2 player Scratch game by Nelle, 9 years old, at our Art x Coding Camp

STEAM is the new STEM: How does this impact you and your children?

#CodingLabParenting: Tech Podcasts & TED Talks to get you psyched about tech (We’ve shortlisted the essential 5!)

We’ve rounded up the 5 most interesting and engaging (in our opinion, that is!) tech podcasts and TED Talks for you to embark on an auditory tech journey! Calling all our parents, students, and teens – we’ve made sure that there’s something for you to listen to, no matter who you are!

Whether you’re driving your little techie to school in the morning, taking a jog with your pals, or simply relaxing at home in between homework assignments, easily keep up to date with current advancements in science and technology. The best part? Bonding with your child over his favourite activity and maximising the use of your time. Learning has never been easier. ☺️

We’ve shared our favourite episode for each selection (and we hope you’ll like them too!)

Happy listening and stay safe!

1. CodeNewbie

(available on their website, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts) 

Image of CodeNewbie podcast

What it’s about: Stories from people on their coding journey. 

Code Newbie covers a diverse range of guests on their show – from web developers to UX designers, open source developers and many more! With the main target audience being beginners who are new to code, anything that’s very technical is explained simply. The podcast is not so much about how to code, but more about how to be a coder – it’s especially reassuring to newbie coders, with every episode reminding listeners that everyone has had to start at some point before progressing to success. 

Duration: ~30-50 minutes per episode 

Recommended episode: “How do you go from hackathons to building a hurricane relief business?” with Nick Feuer – This episode definitely brought back memories of our Young Coders Global Hackathon (YCGH) that took place earlier this year. It was truly a blast marvelling at all the brilliant ideas that our participants came up with!  

2. Learn to Code with Me

(available on Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts or here) 

Image of Learn to Code with Me podcast

What it’s about: The podcast is hosted by Laurence Bradford, a self-taught techie who’s on a mission to help anyone who wants to teach themselves how to code. For each ‘Learn to Code with Me’ episode, she sits down for a chat with different amazing and inspiring individuals in tech. 

With captivating interviews and useful advice given in every episode, you’re sure to learn a lot about how to code as well as the basics of building your very own technology career! 

Duration: For Season 7: ~40-50 minutes per episode

Recommended episode: “Building a Robotics career and the impact of mentorship with Camille Eddy” – Having had internships with big companies like HP, Google and NASA, Camille is grateful to have been able to grow her career with the help of her mentors. We couldn’t agree more! An experienced individual by your side will help you grow to greater heights – just like our dedicated tutors at Coding Lab! 😉

3. Brains On! Science

(episodes available on Spotify or on their website)

Image of Brains On Science podcast

What it’s about: This award-winning science podcast from American Public Media is great for kids and curious adults! With its mission of encouraging kids’ natural curiosity and wonder using science and history, every episode has a different kid co-host who joins in to find answers to the fascinating questions they have about the world. 

With over 100 episodes to listen to, you’re in for hours of endless fun and learning! 

Duration: ~30 minutes per episode 

Recommended episode: “Why does green mean go? And other colour conundrums” – This episode explored the primary colours red, green and blue – and how you can mix them together to get all the colours of light! Our wonderful Young Computer Scientists learn about RGB in their class (BOT: Robotics) too, as well as other fascinating topics like Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)! 

4. TED Talks by brilliant kids and teens

(watch them here)

Image of TED Talks playlist

What it’s about: This awesome playlist features kids and teens under 20 conducting their own TED Talks about science, music and other relevant topics. Be awed by the young and bright speakers as they talk about what they’re most passionate about – you’re certainly never too small to dream big! 

Duration: Ranges from ~5-20 minutes per talk

Recommended episode: “A 12-year-old app developer” – We’re reminded of our very own app inventors and computer scientists who always have a whale of a time in our classes. It’s amazing to see the endless possibilities once you learn how to code! 

5. Tumble Science Podcast

(available on Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts or here)

Image of Tumble Science podcast

What it’s about: The podcast has episodes exploring a multitude of fascinating topics like volcanic eruptions and the physics of basketball. Now in its 6th season, Tumble strives to foster the love of science into listeners by bringing science to life through interviews with scientists on their process and discoveries. 

Suitable for the entire family to listen to, everyone wins as they learn a thing or two about the wonders of science. 

Duration: ~10-20 minutes per episode 

Recommended episode: “Building a Robotic Eel” – This episode had us all fascinated on Envirobot, a robot that moves through the water like an eel and also has special sensors designed to seek out water pollution! It’s truly amazing to see how tech is put to good use – in this case, tech helps us understand our environment better and assist us in finding solutions to problems!

(Written by Zulaikha)

#CodingLabParenting Series: Towards Better Learning Header

#CodingLabParenting Series: Towards Better Learning

Image of kids for Top 10 STEM shows for kids blogpost

Top 10 shows/cartoons to teach children about STEM

A 2 player Scratch game by Nelle, 9 years old, at our Art x Coding Camp

STEAM is the new STEM: How does this impact you and your children?

#CodingLabParenting Series: Towards Better Learning

Has your child started on their coding journey yet? How’s it coming along so far? In this #CodingLabParenting series, our tutors gather their top tips for you on how you can guide your child towards better learning!

We want to partner with you to ensure that your child’s learning experiences are the best they can be – especially if it’s coding.

From tips for meaningful learning to motivating, progression of knowledge and skills, and more… our students ultimately stay calm, code on and most importantly, have fun on their coding journey!

Get updates and more posts like these when you follow our Facebook and Instagram pages!

Click on any image below to enlarge it.

  • Learning Meaningfully Infographic 9
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  • Learning Meaningfully Infographic 5
  • Learning Meaningfully Infographic 3
  • Learning Meaningfully Infographic 1 combined

(Written by Zulaikha)

Fun Techtivities in September!

Who said that learning has to be serious all the time? Get your friends and family tech tinkering this September holidays with these three activities you can get involved in!

Startup Weekend Singapore 2020

Calling all youths! You might just find your next brilliant startup idea here. This was the event that birthed Carousell, the local tech startup giant, back in 2012. This year, it will be held entirely online – so youths from anywhere in the world can join – and this includes you.

Whether you’re a hustler, designer or developer, this safe, inclusive and exploratory space is open to all. Go forth and bring your ideas to life!

Startup Weekend Singapore 2020

Details:
25 – 27 September 2020
Online, from anywhere in the world
Price: Early bird tickets at $6.38
(Get a limited edition hack and rave kit worth $150)
To find out more, click here.

Tech@Shopee Career Day

This is for the older ones who are curious about the tech career path. Whether you’re an undergraduate, postgraduate or working professional, Shopee welcomes you to their first-ever virtual tech career fair!

Join the full-day of sharing sessions from the Shopee Tech teams (Engineering, Data Science, Data Analytics, UI/UX Design, and more), get a tour of the office, and ask the leaders and recruiters your burning questions.

Registration closes on 25 September, 12pm (SGT), sign up now by clicking here.

Tech@Shopee Career Day

Details:
Saturday, 26 September
9:30am – 5:00pm
Online
Price: Free
To find out more, click here.

Board Game Arena

It’s board games galore! You don’t have to download or fork out anything – simply open your web browser (Chrome, Safari, etc.) and go to their website.

From Backgammon to 7 Wonders and Chess, take your pick from the wide range of games available. While you have fun, think about how board games have been digitalised and what codes have made this possible!

Screenshot of Board Game Arena

Details:
Anytime
Online
Price: Free
To find out more, click here.

GCE ‘O’ Levels Computing Tuition

Break knowledge barriers with our tuition programme, which equips our students with the knowledge to tackle both the theory and practical components of the exam. Our programme enables you to achieve content mastery over both Paper 1 and 2!

Acquire proficiency in using spreadsheets and Python programming under exam-like conditions to ace your exam, achieving your A1. With small class sizes of no more than 4 per class, students are sure to get full attention from our expert educators.

GCE O Level Computing Tuition

Details:
Every Tuesday (Sec 4) and Thursday (Sec 3) until 20 and 22 October
Parkway Parade and Bukit Timah (King Albert Park)
To find out more, click here.

As an individual, with your friends or family, get everyone involved in tech with these #TechtivitiesOfTheMonth. Enjoy your September holidays and good luck to all students doing PSLE, O Levels, A Levels and every other examination!

Psst, our October Post-PSLE camps are now open for registrations. Here are some promo codes for you!
Either Buy 2 or more classes and get 12% OFF when you use the promo code SUPERCODER. 
OR Buy any 1 class and get 10% OFF with the promo code UNITEDWECODE.

We hope everyone stays safe, happy, and healthy!

If you haven’t seen our previous techtivity recommendations, check out things to do post-Circuit Breaker! This includes Jewel Changi Airport, Netflix Singapore shows and other post-CB techtivities here.

(Written by Cheryl Tang)