Fun Techtivities in January!

The new year always welcomes new beginnings, fresh opportunities and in our case, the best and exciting techtivities (tech + activities) that you can enjoy with your loved ones! 😉

Let’s start off with January’s #TechFact, which touches on the topics of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)…

Here’s an example of how VR and AR have been used in real life:

Virtual Reality

PlayStation VR image (Jan Techtivities 2022)

Sony’s PlayStation VR involves the use of a headset that contains blue LED tracking lights, motion sensors and PlayStation Camera that track the position and orientation of your head in real-time.

With the tracking of your head, VR games and applications render immersive 3D visuals and audio that put you into a virtual world!

Augmented Reality

Released in 2016, Pokémon Go allows users to explore and catch Pokémon by looking through their phones at the real world – but with superimposed images.

It became a popular hit, with up to 65 million users at the peak of its popularity!

Now that we’re all warmed up, keep scrolling to discover techtivities that you and your family can indulge in this month! ✨

Wild Singapore Comics from Piqolo Kids

Wild Singapore comic series is the perfect way to introduce STEAM to your little one, while also learning about the little red dot they call home! Embark on an exciting adventure with space explorers Peppy and Lili as they learn about local wildlife, wilderness and explore Singapore.

Suitable for ages 6 to 9, the adorable series is jam-packed full of fun activities that can be done for both stay-at-home and in the outdoors!

June Techtivities - Piqolo Kids STEM Comic Book

Details:
Includes: Activity book, character cards, sticker and translation sheet
Price: From $8 at Peppy & Lili
Quote CODINGLAB2021 (valid till 31 January 2022) for 5% off your order!
To find out more and access FREE activity sheets, click here.

ArtScience Museum VR Gallery: Spacewalkers

Has your teen ever dreamed of going to outer space? 🧑‍🚀 Well, they can easily do so at the ArtScience Museum’s Spacewalkers! Featuring 2 exhilarating VR artworks that make use of exclusive archival footage and recordings from NASA on the Apollo missions, viewers will be left awed and mesmerised.

With the tracking of your head (as mentioned earlier in #TechFact!), enter a virtual world where you get to retrace the footsteps of the first humans on the moon and feel the zen stillness of the lunar void. It is truly a one-of-a-kind experience that can be gained thanks to virtual reality! You certainly wouldn’t want to miss this one out. 🤩

Image of Spacewalkers for Jan Techtivities

Details:
When: 25 November 2021 – 27 February 2022
Where: ArtScience Museum, VR Gallery, Level 4
Price: Singapore residents – $16 (Adult), $12 (Concession) Tourists – $19 (Adult), $14 (Concession)
Suitable for ages 13 and above only.
Learn more here.

Jurassic Dinosaur – Adventure Park

If your little one is a dinosaur enthusiast, they’re in for a treat! Interactive indoor playground Jurassic Dinosaur – Adventure Park has got a variety of play areas that they can enjoy. Older kids can get to ride on the Dino train or even on dinosaurs themselves – just choose your favourite dinosaur and saddle up! On the other hand, soft playing areas like the mini slide, a sensory play pit and block-building area are available for younger kids to have fun!

Set in a charming display of primeval forest area, your little techie is sure to have a blast with the many different activities available and wide range of dinosaurs to see. In fact, they may even become a mini palaeontologist by the end of the day! 🦕

Details:
When: 24 December 2021 – 13 February 2022
Where: Let’s Play @D’Marquee, Downtown East
Price: Weekdays – $25, Weekends / Public Holidays & Eve of Public Holidays – $28
Recommended for children ages 4 to 10.
Learn more here.

Coding Bytes: Block Basher

The second App Inventor instalment in our Coding Bytes series is Block Basher, where Tutor Luke teaches us how to program a game similar to the retro game brick breaker where the player bounces the ball using a paddle and destroys blocks to gain points. 🧱 You and your little one can watch and learn how you can apply math and physics to code the game! ➗✖️➕

Added your own twist to the program? We’d love to see it! Tag us @codinglabasia on Facebook or Instagram and stand a chance to be featured! 😉 Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel too to get notified on our latest videos.

Block Basher GIF Preview — *Click to watch the video!*

Details:
Includes: Engaging, fun and quick tutorials on Scratch and App Inventor programming
Watch the series here.

Welcome 2022 Weekly Coding Classes

Start 2022 right with us and discover the wonders of coding in our Weekly Coding Camps! Our term classes are led by experienced educators and psst, with our new colourful and revamped workbooks, we’re sure our students will get the best start in their coding journey! 😉 Sign your little one up for weekly coding fun here.

Rest assured that your child will be in safe hands with us. Safe distancing measures will be put in place at all times and you can even opt for Online classes anytime. If you have any queries, feel free to drop us an email, call us or WhatsApp us to get in touch!

Details:
Date: From 4 January
Location: Online, Parkway Parade, Bukit Timah (KAP Mall)
Price: From $401.52
To find out more, click here.

Image for #TechNews (January Techtivities 2022)

This month’s tech news is about Singapore’s progress as a Smart Nation – with the use of 5G technology! Did you know that Sentosa has become a 5G test bed for the public sector? For example, a driverless road sweeper vehicle in Sentosa can be remotely controlled in case of an emergency, by an operator located about 20km away in Jurong West. How cool is that?

This is because the 5G network is able to provide a superior connectivity channel to handle large amounts of data in real time without compromising the quality of the data transmitted!

If you haven’t seen our previous techtivity recommendations, check out our December #TechtivitiesOfTheMonth, which includes more cool tech-related activities you can do with friends and family!

(Written by Zulaikha)

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Coding Lab Educator Feature: Interview with Hovan Tan

Hovan is one of our passionate and personable educators. A graduate from the NUS Computer Engineering course, he finds great purpose and satisfaction in nurturing the talents of youths. At home, he is also the oldest of 4, with three young brothers ages 14, 16 and 23.

In this interview, we learn more about the remarkable coding journey of the former Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student who did the International Baccalaureate programme (one of the most prestigious courses in Singapore)!

Hi Hovan, could you share with us how you first started coding?

Team Photo - Hovan, Educator — *Hovan has been teaching and guiding our students at Coding Lab since 2019*.

I started coding very late. I only began at the start of my undergraduate journey when I majored in Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore. I still remember the struggle I had to go through in the early days, where I had to compete with new students like myself and veterans of the trade. However, programming soon became a passion for me, and from the struggle came one of the greatest senses of achievement I’ve ever felt after completing a project.

Cool! Since you had no prior experience in coding, what drew you to major in Computer Engineering in the first place?

Computer Engineering was actually my second choice. My first choice was Electrical Engineering as I loved to tinker with hardware and electrical components. In hindsight, I’m glad that I got to do Computer Engineering, which is a hybrid between Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. This allowed me to enjoy the best of both worlds of programming and hardware.

The most important lesson I learnt from my time in university is that software alone is not enough. Coupled with hardware, a lot more can be done. The same goes for my teaching – it’s not one-dimensional; I approach each student differently.

“Coding can be colourful, unrestrictive, and imaginative. It allowed not just my students, but also me, to express our creativity and build something special.”

That’s great to hear. Have you always aspired to teach coding?

As a mischievous and playful kid, I had always been the bane of my teachers’ existence. It was only when I had matured and became wiser with age that I understood the passion that drove my teachers to come to class every day – the love, sweat, and tears as they saw us both fail and succeed. Then came along two small boys, my youngest brothers, who are ages 14, 16 and 23 today. I took on the responsibility as an elder brother and guided them through their early years of life. As time went on, I realised that I wanted to care for and guide children professionally as a teacher.

Tutor Hovan with students — *Hovan doesn’t only inspire his younger brothers, but his students too!*

At first, I only wanted to teach – it didn’t have to be coding. However, while studying Computer Engineering, I wondered if I could take what I have learnt about coding and educate others on it. That’s when I joined Coding Lab, and I truly enjoyed teaching children to code.

When I first started, I viewed it as methodical and rigid, but after interacting with students of different backgrounds, I realised that coding can be colourful, unrestrictive, and imaginative. It allowed not just my students, but also me, to express our creativity and build something special. Seeing my students finish their personal projects after finally understanding their code, and the happiness, relief and accomplishment they feel when they test their programs and have it finally work after debugging never gets old and continues to drive me to teach coding.

Aside from teaching, I also contribute to the curriculum and had the chance to guide our students for the MIT App Inventor Summit 2019 (where they won numerous awards in the USA). Having the ability to exercise my imaginative mind inspired me to keep teaching and working on further projects. I’m excited to meet both new and returning students, hoping to not only teach them, but also to become good friends with them along the way!

“Be humble. Never stop learning. And your programs are never ‘finished’; it’s always a work in progress.”

We’re glad that you’ve found your love for teaching coding here! Why do you think that learning to code is important?

Learning to code is essential in this day and age of technology. Therefore, starting young and getting a feel for programming serves as a crucial skill that can be used for the future. Beyond that, it trains children to think logically and be independent in finding solutions to problems, not only in school, but also in life.

Hovan and Student Sean S200 (900x600px) — *Educator Hovan is always enthusiastic and excited to teach students of all ages!*

What’s your teaching style?

When teaching concepts, I ensure that I have everyone’s attention and am loud enough for everyone to hear. During practical parts of the lesson, it’s the students’ turn to up the volume and voice out their questions, errors and more.

Overall, I’m serious during classes, where I expect discipline and commitment. But during breaks, before and after class, I am goofy, just like every other kid and like to chat and laugh with my students.

Could you share about a class or student that had made a deep impression on you?

It’s hard to pick favourites or even long-lasting impressions because I’ve had so many classes and students that I had a great time teaching. But if I were to pick one, I would share about my student who was so advanced that he even helped teach and lead the class together with me. I saw a leader and a future coach in that student, and as a teacher, I welcome that.

Gif of Hovan affirming his student's project — *Our supportive educator is as invested in his Young Computer Scientist student’s project as his student is.*

If a student came up to you and asked for any piece of advice, what would you tell them?

Be humble. Never stop learning. And your programs are never ‘finished’; it’s always a work in progress.

Finally, what do you like to do outside the classroom?

I’m a gamer. I also play the piano a bit, work out, and I enjoy spending time with my family and loved ones.

Thank you, Hovan, for taking the time to share your journey from coder to educator with us. We’re so thrilled to have you with us as an educator. We hope that you’ll continue to warm the hearts of your students, guide them and ignite their passion for coding with your zeal and dedication to your calling!

(Written by Amanda Soh and Edited by Cheryl Tang)

Best-in-class Curriculum for Coding

We are honoured to be the winner of multiple awards.

Thank You for your support.

Hop on board the Coding Lab train! Click here to get our monthly newsletters straight to your inbox.

A Peek Into Our Course: Advanced Computer Scientists (P21S) – Broad-Based Exposure to STEM Topics

Should my child DSA (Coding)? Coding Lab’s P300 Portfolio Preparation Programme for DSA

View Our Classes

Coding Lab Student Feature: Aarhan Salujah, 13, St Joseph’s Institution

Coding Lab Educator Feature: Ryan Wong

Fun Techtivities in August!

Congratulations to our 7 winners at the Hwa Chong Infocomm Challenge 2022!

All About NFTs, Simplified

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Ages 5-6 | Ages 7-9 | Ages 10-12 | Ages 13-18

Call us at +65 6977 9641
Email us at [email protected]
Chat with us via WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger

STEAM Gift Ideas for Christmas 2021: Ages 13 to 18

We nurture future leaders in technology, so we recognise that it’s important to be tech-literate in today’s world. Here are some tech gift ideas to keep our teens curious and hungry for more knowledge:

Raspberry Pi

Nope, we’re not talking about raspberries or the magical 3.14 number.

The Raspberry Pi is an affordable, pocket-sized computer that could be the key to unlocking the door of physical computing. You can connect it to a monitor, keyboard and mouse. Learn with Scratch, use Python, make websites and more!

It makes picking up computing more accessible and seamless, so people are able to harness the power of computing to solve problems and express themselves creatively.

Find out more and get free learning materials here.

From $35 from Argon and Cytron

Laptop or Tablets

Remember the moment you first got your own desktop or laptop?

Perhaps now is the time for your teen to experience that moment too. Many of us have fond memories of tinkering with our own blogs, using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, playing Maple Story, navigating Friendster and the old Facebook. Whether it’s a laptop or tablet that you purchase, it will be a great time for your teen to take on the responsibility of a device, hone his or her typing skills, get familiar with technology and have knowledge and information at his or her fingertips!

Psst, Apple fans! Tertiary students (University, Polytechnic, JC, ITE) can get Apple Education prices.

Kiwico Crates and The Afterschool Club Boxes

At a complete loss as to what fun and enriching presents you should get, and you only know the child’s age? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

The STEM projects and kid-friendly content by KiwiCo is delivered in a crate. Whether you’re interested in Science and Tinkering or Art and Design, monthly, 3-month, 6-month and annual subscriptions, they have it all! With so many crate choices, they have filtered it by ages and various interests for you to narrow down the perfect one.

Or #SupportLocal and get curated STEAM boxes from The Afterschool Club. Whether it’s a one-off or subscription that you choose, each box aims to provide educational and fun activities for kids to do – and their boxes are also broken down into the different ages and categories if you’re spoilt for choice.

From $20.16/month from KiwiCo, $28/box or $29.67/month from The Afterschool Club

Read: Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas

(Written by Cheryl Tang)

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STEAM Gift Ideas for Christmas - Ages 4 to 6

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 4 to 6

STEAM Gift Ideas for Christmas - Ages 7 to 9

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 7 to 9

STEAM Gift Ideas for Christmas - Ages 10 to 12

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 10 to 12

STEAM Gift Ideas for Christmas 2021: Ages 10 to 12

Coding is the new literacy. We’ve all seen the might of technology and coding seems to be the next ‘it’ thing. Here are toys that can help to pique your child’s interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM).

Read: STEAM is the new STEM

STEAM Crystal Science

Fancy having some crystals that you can call your own? This is a learning experience for both kids and parents!

Embark on a science and geology experiment together as you learn about the complexity of growing gorgeous crystals of your own. This kit has everything that you’ll need to grow over 10 crystals (including glow-in-the-dark ones!) and can last indefinitely. Display your finished work and tell your guests all about the wonderful time your family grew crystals together!

From $42.86 at Amazon and My Toy Shop

Arduino Starter Kit

This kit is for the more serious tech tinkerers to dip their toes in STEAM and to self-learn even more with Arduino.

We often have curious parents asking if we teach Arduino here. Our answer? If they can do basic programming (Scratch included!), then they can transfer that knowledge to Arduino. These kits have hardware (i.e. programmable boards, sensors, mechanical parts) and open-source software, which introduces concepts such as electricity and Arduino code. Activities and tools include sensors, buttons, and more!

Find out more here.

Access free tutorials here.

$128 for the Starter Kit from Duck Learning

Micro:Bit

Take coding one step further with one of the world’s smallest programmable computers.

Pop two AAA batteries in, and you’re ready to create your projects. The pocket-sized computer has an LED light display, buttons, sensors and a compass, which you can work with Scratch, Python, Microsoft MakeCode, and more. Created by news agency BBC, it was distributed to children in the United Kingdom – Singapore is following suit with select schools – to heighten curiosity and interest in coding. Join in the fun! Make a random number generator, light-up compass and more – like what we do in our Young and Advanced Computer Scientists courses!

Find out more and get FREE activities here.

$30 from Coding Lab, call us at +65 6977 9641

Read: Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas

(Written by Cheryl Tang)

Hop on board the Coding Lab train! Click here to get our monthly newsletters straight to your inbox.

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 4 to 6

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 7 to 9

STEAM Gift Ideas for Christmas - Ages 13 to 18

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 13 to 18

STEAM Gift Ideas for Christmas 2021: Ages 7 to 9

We believe that everyone should get acquainted with STEAM (including coding!) – and that it should be fun for everyone. Here are some presents that can help you with that, and maybe even jazz up learning for your young ones:

Wild Singapore Comics from Piqolo Kids

What better way to discover Singapore and STEAM than through a local comic series?

For the ones who love to read, do activity books or collect cards, Wild Singapore comic series will keep them occupied! Join little space explorers Peppy and Lili on a mission and learn about local wildlife, wilderness and explore Singapore. Recommended for ages up to 9, they even have a Young Explorer’s Journal with over 50 curated and open-ended exploration activities.

Find out more here.

From $8 at Peppy and Lili. Get 5% off all products when you use the code CODINGLAB2021 (valid until 31 January 2022).

Snap Circuits JR

Introduce your children to electronics with this exciting, hands-on box with more than 100 projects to work on!

Easily create working circuit boards by sliding switches, snapping wires, an alarm circuit, a speaker and more to recreate what you would find in televisions, doorbells, and other everyday electronic devices. Your children will get to experiment and witness first-hand how electronics work (without soldering or tools) – it’s just a snap.

Find out more here.

$56.83 from Amazon

mBot

Looking for a fun and affordable robot for a beginner programmer? You’ve got the mBot.

This four-wheeled STEAM education robot lets children learn about machinery and electronics, fundamentals of programming, and develop their design and logical thinking skills. The cute mBot comes with an instruction manual (so it’s easy to set up and pair with the app, Scratch and Arduino) and also motivates kids to experience the joys of making, which is why we have it as part of our Young Computer Scientists curriculum.

Find out more here.

From $109.90, available in blue and pink, from Toytag and Playhao.

Read: Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas

(Written by Cheryl Tang)

Hop on board the Coding Lab train! Click here to get our monthly newsletters straight to your inbox.

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 4 to 6

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 10 to 12

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 13 to 18

STEAM Gift Ideas for Christmas 2021: Ages 4 to 6

Tiny Hands, Mega Minds. At Coding Lab, we believe that age and size do not matter when it comes to coding and tinkering. At preschool ages, it’s important to select educational toys for our budding tots to achieve their key milestones in life. Here are some great ideas for a headstart in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM)!

Read: STEAM is the new STEM

Photon Robot

Photon robots are an adorable introduction to hands-on robotics for tiny tots, and that’s exactly why we include it in our Junior Coders Programme curriculum.

With an iPad, little ones can tinker and program their interactive and educational Photon companion to make sounds, lights and go on a treasure hunt! It’s perfect to improve their logical thinking skills and build up the basic computational skills – all essential life skills and basics of STEAM.

Find out more here.

$318 when you order from Coding Lab (U.P. $348), call us at +65 6977 9641

The Learning at Home Set from Learning Beautiful

Let your kids learn how computers work… without using a computer.

Developed in and inspired by Montessori classrooms, these wooden toys designed at MIT impart computational thinking. The hands-on materials ethically manufactured in USA include a wooden binary tree, pixel boards, a handbook with more than 30 activities, and more – all to impart computer science concepts. You’re never too young (or too old) to start learning the basics! With this, you can truly learn beautifully with your tiny techie.

Find out more and get FREE activities here.

$268.30 (15% off for December when you subscribe to their mailing list) at Learning Beautiful Singapore (U.P. $315.65)

Magna-Tiles

Hands-on, screens off! Think building blocks – tiles – but magnetic. You have Magna-Tiles.

These 3-dimensional magnetic building sets stand by encouraging and integrating math, science, creativity and imagination. The vibrant tiles have magnetic sides that come in various shapes and sizes for your child to connect them together with a ‘click’ sound.

A butterfly, a castle, your child can build anything! The simple idea behind Magna-Tiles is that if you can click it, you can create it.

Find out more and get FREE activities here.

$29.90 to $249.90 at Playhao, Pupsik Studio, The Children’s Showcase and Le Petit Society

Read: Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas

(Written by Cheryl Tang)

Hop on board the Coding Lab train! Click here to get our monthly newsletters straight to your inbox.

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 7 to 9

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 10 to 12

Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas: Ages 13 to 18

STEAM Gift Ideas for Christmas 2021

Thinking of the perfect gift this year? Toys our techies would love: Be it to kickstart or further their interest in technology, these STEAM gadgets and games are sure to bring hands-on joy to children aged 4 to 18 this season! 🎁

The Coding Lab team has compiled this Christmas Gift Guide (and arranged it by age groups) to save you from the endless browsing and last-minute shopping frenzy for the perfect Christmas present for your loved ones!

Click to navigate: