Every Code Is a Tree, Every Idea Is a Breath

Category: Green Activity

This interdisciplinary activity connects coding, artificial intelligence, and environmental awareness, helping students explore how digital technologies can support sustainability and care for nature. Learners are invited to see technology as “the language of nature” and themselves as digital conservationists.

Designed for all age groups, from preschool to secondary education, the activity scales from unplugged coding (such as step-by-step “grow a tree” algorithms) to AI-supported creative projects, including digital campaigns, music, and storytelling.

Educators can use this resource to:

• introduce coding concepts through sustainability themes
• work across subjects such as science, digital skills, arts, and citizenship
• adapt activities for different age groups and experience levels
• spark discussions on ethical and environmental uses of AI

It will work especially well during Code Week, environmental days, or project-based learning weeks, and can be easily localised and shared digitally.

Crack the Code – Goldilocks Sequence Debugging

Category: Inclusion-Focused Activity

This unplugged activity introduces sequencing and debugging through a familiar story: Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Using picture cards instead of written text, learners work together to identify errors, reorder events, and “fix” the story, just like programmers debug code.

Designed for primary school learners and pre-school settings, the activity is highly inclusive and accessible, supporting pupils with different literacy levels and learning needs.

Educators can use this resource to:

• introduce core coding concepts without screens
• support early computational thinking and problem-solving
• foster collaboration, discussion, and confidence
• adapt the structure to other stories or contexts

It’s ideal for early years, inclusive classrooms, and as a gentle first step into coding for young learners.

When Cardboard Comes to Life: Pollinators, Robotics, and Machine Learning

Category: Community Choice Award

In this hands-on project, students build a cardboard garden where bees and butterflies move in response to colours detected by a machine-learning model they train themselves. Using AI tools, robotics, and creative crafting, learners explore pollination, biodiversity, and ethical questions around AI and data bias.

Designed for upper primary and lower secondary learners, the project brings together science, art, coding, and environmental education.

Educators can use this resource to:

• introduce machine learning through experiential learning
• connect AI concepts to real environmental impact
• explore ethics, bias, and data quality with students
• adapt the activity for different levels of technical complexity

The project is highly adaptable and works well in STEM, computer science, or interdisciplinary project settings.

We Relax and Play with the Coder Picasso

Category: Digital Wellbeing

This creative, unplugged resource blends coding, emotions, art, and wellbeing. Through playful activities inspired by Pablo Picasso’s abstract style, students learn to express emotions, design simple algorithms, and understand concepts such as input–process–output, all without using computers.

Aimed at primary school learners, the activity helps children recognise emotions, reflect on screen time, and develop early algorithmic thinking through movement, drawing, and play.

Educators can use this resource to:

• introduce coding concepts in a calm, human-centred way
• support emotional literacy and digital wellbeing
• integrate arts, movement, and computational thinking
• create safe spaces for discussion, reflection, and collaboration

It’s particularly powerful in early grades, wellbeing weeks, or as a balance to screen-based activities.

Smart Educational Bee Park – Technology for Nature

Category: AI in Education

This ambitious, real-world project invites learners to design a Smart Educational Bee Park, combining coding, IoT, AI, environmental science, and civic engagement. Students explore the ecological importance of bees and use technology to respond to real environmental challenges such as habitat loss, drought, and climate change.

Targeted at lower and upper secondary students, the project blends digital design, data collection, microcontrollers, and even community outreach.

Educators can use this resource to:

• run a long-term interdisciplinary project
• introduce AI, IoT, and data visualisation in a meaningful context
• connect classroom learning with local environmental issues
• involve students in teamwork, research, and ethical discussions

The project is modular, allowing educators to focus on selected components or scale it up as a flagship school initiative.

From Inspiration to Action

These five award-winning activities show that coding education is not just about technology, it’s about creativity, inclusion, wellbeing, and responsibility. Each resource is designed to be reused, adapted, and shared, empowering educators to bring meaningful digital learning experiences into their own classrooms and communities.

Whether you’re working with preschoolers or teenagers, teaching unplugged or with AI and robotics, these activities offer inspiration and practical tools to get started.

Explore, adapt, and bring them to life, they are yours to use! Don’t forget to let us know by registering them on Code Week platform as activities!