Code Lab: the Easy Hands-On Homeschool Coding Curriculum

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After getting our feet wet with the Code Rocket, my kid wanted to do more programming.  This surprised me since they had previously been bored with visual computer programming a while ago and I hadn’t found any homeschool coding curriculum that they liked.  They were very excited when Let’s Start Coding reached out and asked if we wanted to review more coding projects, so we said YES!  While I enjoy the opportunity to review products and I consider myself a bit of a curriculum junkie, my students have final say in what we review because they are the ones using it and they were begging for this one!  

Let’s Start Coding has a variety of kits for all levels and interests in programming. Code Car is perfect for absolute beginners while the Ultimate Kit includes hardware for building your own circuits. Code Rocket falls in the middle with Code Piano for the music lover and Code Lab with a variety of variables to play with.  

Setting up the Code Lab

For our next-level coding, we are using the Code Lab.  This time we have 60 different components to work with including temperature & light sensors and more options for lights and sounds.   The kit comes simply packaged in a storage box with a guidebook and a USB cable.  All the lessons are provided online.  The setup is simple and my students were able to do it on their own.  We keep the kit at our computer station so it’s easy for each student to use it and put it away when they are done.  We really like how simple the lesson interface is on the website. There are no accounts and passwords to remember, you just open the webpage and select your lesson and go. 

We previously used the Code Rocket kit as a family science unit and completed the lessons as a group.  For the Code Lab my eight and 12-year-olds are each working independently.  The Code Lab offers 100 different lessons divided into 9 chapters.  Some lessons take longer than others, so some days my students complete several lessons at a time and other days not so much. Due to their age difference, they can each work at their own pace without annoying their siblings. 

100 Lessons in 9 chapters

With so many lessons to complete with the Code Lab, being able to save their progress would be a helpful feature.  It’s a trade off for the no passwords and accounts to remembember which does keep the interface simple.    To make up for it, I made a checklist for my students to track their progress. They each have a copy to check off as they move through the lessons.

Each lesson follows a similar pattern, upload the code to the board to observe followed by a video explaining the new elements and a challenge to help you apply what you learned from the lesson.  The code editor can also be used for their own exploration.  Using the  knowledge learned during the Chapter 3 lessons on conditionals, my 12 year old decided to challenge herself to write the code needed to play a popular song and have matching lights as well. 

She is keeping her code in a word document file because there is no way to save your progress or code in the lesson pages, a small inconvenience related to not having user accounts.  We are also using our Let’s Start Coding experiences as one of our 4-H project learning this year so her song and lights may end up at the fair next summer.  

Code Lab and Outside the Box Kids

My students who used Code Lab have learning challenges including Dyslexia, Dyscaluclia, ADHD and Autism. It has been a positive experience for both of them.  The lessons are hands-on and multi-sensory to keep their focus.  The simple lesson interface is clean and simple, since students are not pushed through the lessons it is easy to review a previous lesson or repeat it when needed.  The main instruction is  provided by video so students with reading delays are not hindered.  Some of the commands in the code are color-coded which helps my dyslexic student recognize when a misspelling could be part of the programming error.  I also appreciate that the Code Lab board has a volume control knob clearly labeled so it can be adjusted for sensory needs without adding lines of code.  

Final Thoughts on Code Lab for Homeschool Coding Curriculum

I have  been pleasantly surprised by the new interests that the Code Lab kit has ignited in  my  students.   We have tried other online coding activities but they do not hold their attention like the  Code Lab. Having the physical circuit board to hold and manipulate with their lines of code is satisfying  and makes  it tangible to the students.  

As a homeschool parent, it can be overwhelming to teach subjects we ourselves are less confident in, but at  the same  time we  want  our students prepared for the technology demands of the real world. This was a great curriculum for this non-coding mother: the methodical lessons build on one another and guide the growth of the student. With 9 chapters of material in 100 lessons I will be filling an entire semester with the Code Lab, since we are using it 3-4  days a week.  If you used it less often you could teach it over an entire year.    

As a teacher I appreciate the independent nature of the kit. Code Lab allowed me to delegate this elective to the kids to handle on their own, and have a peace of mind that they were learning the valuable skill of computer programming with this open and go homeschool coding curriculum.