Arrrh you ready for pirate coding? Use your coding skills to find the treasure in this treasure hunt unplugged coding activity!
Help Captain Kidd and Pirate Pete collect all of the gold coins and get to the treasure chest by coding the shortest sequence in this treasure hunt unplugged coding activity!!
These free worksheets are great to print to use in a classroom or even at home! We like to practice verbalizing our sequences as well because it helps to practice coding concepts in different ways in order to master them!
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This treasure hunt unplugged coding activity is part of our Magic Tree House book activity series based on the Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne.
This activity is a great way to pair a STEAM concept, Technology, with book number four, Pirates Past Noon.
WHY ARE UNPLUGGED CODING ACTIVITIES IMPORTANT?
Unplugged coding activities are designed to build the foundation of coding.
These activities are essentially games and activities that teach children how to think logically about objects, how to break down large tasks into smaller tasks that are easier to complete, and how to identify errors.
Working hands-on makes coding concepts tangible and unplugged coding activities are ideal for young coders.
Unplugged coding activities are pretty easy to set up. We recently used basic coding concepts to code artwork!
WHY TEACH KIDS TO CODE?
Computational thinking can be used to solve problems in almost all areas of our lives and helps kids develop some pretty great life skills that can apply to a variety of situations.
A computational thinker approaches problems by:
- Experimenting and playing to solve a problem that might have more than one possible solution
- Working together with others to reach a common goal
- Persevering when faced with a difficult problem
- Finding and fixing errors in complex problems
- Designing and making solutions for open-ended problems
- Understanding their own strengths and weaknesses
Teaching kids to think like a computer programmer only strengthens their ability to interact and make logical connections with computers as they grow.
Unplugged coding activities offer parents and educators a unique opportunity to get children as young as 2 started with logical thinking activities without the need for a computer.
RELATED UNPLUGGED CODING ACTIVITIES
- Crack the Code Binary Code 5-Bit Challenge
- Guess the Animal Unplugged Boolean Coding Activity
- Get Started with Algorithms and Code Your Art!
MORE MAGIC TREE HOUSE ACTIVITIES
- Learn the Science of Mummification with Apple Mummies
- Can You Build a Working Drawbridge? Castle STEAM Challenge
- Deciphering Dinosaur Names with Greek and Latin Words
Make sure to grab the Magic Tree House books 5-8 to follow along with more Magic Tree House activities!
Ahoy Algorithms Treasure Hunt Unplugged Coding Activity
One part of computer programming is having a solid plan. Computer programmers make a plan in order to think of problems that might appear and solutions for how they are going to deal with them.
This goal of this activity is to find the shortest path from start to finish.
RECOMMENDED: GUESS THE ANIMAL UNPLUGGED BOOLEAN CODING ACTIVITY
HOW ARE SEQUENCES INVOLVED IN CODING?
Sequences help children to recognize patterns that make the world around them more understandable and predictable.
Sequences are one of the three basic structures in programming along with selections and loops. With these three structures, any task can be diagrammed.
In a sequence, an action leads to another action that follows in a predetermined order or pattern. Not only is sequencing an important concept to learn for coding, but it is also incredibly important for identifying components in stories by sequencing events.
Ahoy Algorithms Treasure Hunt Unplugged Coding for Young Kid Coders
Help Pirate Pete avoid being seen and get to the treasure chest by coding the correct sequence around the traps!
This worksheet is designed for young kid coders ages preschool and Kindergarten.
There is only one correct sequence to navigate Pirate Pete through the pirate traps!
You can also pair this unplugged coding activity with Let’s Go Code to build the maze, code out our steps, and take turns being Pirate Pete!
Captain Kidd Treasure Hunt Unplugged CODING WORKSHEET
Help Captain Kidd collect all of the gold coins and find the treasure chest! You must find the shortest path for Captain Kidd by writing up, down, right, and left arrows in the boxes along the path.
This worksheet is designed for more experienced kid coders and is an excellent activity to pair with the fourth Magic Tree House book, Pirates Past Noon.
Programmers try to keep code short and simple whenever they can. Think like a programmer to pick the shortest path!
There are a few different paths that you can take, so make sure to count the steps along the way and pick the path that is the shortest.
In case you get stuck, here is the shortest path for Captain Kidd to take. Make sure to write your code in the boxes long the path and count the boxes with the coins too.
PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE AHOY ALGORITHMS TREASURE HUNT SEQUENCE CODING ACTIVITY!!
Unplugged Coding Activities
Find more Elementary unplugged coding activities to work on basic coding skills!
Bitmap Coding Unplugged Coding Activity for Kids
Introduce algorithms with this hands-on unplugged coding activity for kids!
Teach Kids Binary Code with this 5-bit Binary Code Challenge
Teach kids binary code by exploring the binary number system, translate letters and numbers to binary code, convert binary code to text, decode a binary code message with the ASCII binary code alphabet, and grab a free binary code workbook for kids!
Fitness Coding Card Game: Unplugged Coding Activity
Are you ready to play the Fitness Code! This Fitness coding game teaches kids coding concepts, including conditionals and variables. This activity focuses on remaking the way we traditionally teach these concepts and uses large motor movements to reinforce the activity and make it a tangible, fun learning experience!
Earth Day Coding Recycling Sorting Activity
This Earth Day coding recycling sorting activity teaches children how conditional statements work while learning how to sort recyclables!
How to Code a Lion Directed Drawing Algorithm Art
Can you follow the algorithm and draw a lion in this directed drawing unplugged coding + art activity?
Pi Necklace Coding Unplugged Coding Activity
We love to pair math and technology to create fun art! This Pi Necklace coding activity is the perfect combination of math, binary, and hexadecimal coding for upper elementary and middle school students. It’s also an engaging Pi Day activity!
Guess the Animal Unplugged Boolean Coding Activity
Learn about boolean and comparison operators with this Guess the Animal boolean coding activity!
Layers of the Rainforest Unplugged Coding Activity
Explore the layers of the rainforest and code the correct animals to each layer using logical reasoning!
Rocket Ship Decomposition Unplugged Coding Activity
This rocket ship decomposition unplugged coding activity is designed to teach kids the concept of decompositions and algorithms!
Introduce Computer Programming with this Elementary Coding Activity
This elementary coding activity is a great introduction to the basics of computer programming and is ideal as a classroom coding resource or homeschool resource for kids in Kindergarten through 5th grade. Teach kids to code!
How to Code a Volcano
Learn about variables, sequences, algorithms, and loops and code a volcano!
Meet Toni, the Maker Mom behind Our Family Code
Hey there, I’m Toni! I’m a software engineer and Maker Mom that finds my joy in unleashing my children’s curiosity by exploring STEAM concepts with my fantastic five!
When I’m not chasing toddlers or raising tweens, you can find me tearing things up and putting them back together over here at Our Family Code.
I am the owner and content creator of multiple educational websites designed to increase access to STEAM & STEM education with a focus on teaching computer science and coding to kids of all ages!
You can also find out more about me by visiting ToniGardner.com!
TechyKids Canada
Tuesday 15th of June 2021
Looks like a really fun coding activity for kids and can help them to learn as well as understand coding fundamentals. Thanks for sharing this idea and explaining it so well!