Integrating Computer Science Concepts At Home
BootUp knows how to do teacher PD and knows that what happens outside the classroom also matters. Computational thinking doesn't just happen in the classroom, it can happen at home, in the kitchen baking bread with a grandparent, or creating a game with a parent. These activities promote computational thinking in meaningful and relevant ways and both activities provide simple ways to leverage computing vocabulary.
#1 Baking Bread With Coded Traditions
*For parents and caregivers of 3rd – 8th graders *
The act of baking bread for many families is a meaningful example of cultural traditions. Families using this activity can support their child in developing critical thinking skills that are hands-on and directly connected to familiar traditions.
This activity helps children gain computational thinking (or algorithmic thinking) skills showing them how baking bread involves a series of steps (sequences), repetition (loops), and making changes when something doesn't go as planned (debugging). These are all key parts of computational thinking.
Goal
Support your child in understanding sequencing, repetition (loops), and cause/effect through traditional activities.
What You'll Need
- A family recipe or cultural tradition (This activity focuses on baking bread but you can choose other traditions such as brewing tea, building an altar, making a traditional food, etc.)
- Paper + pencil or crayons
- Voice, presence, and curiosity!
Instructions
1. Map The Tradition As An Algorithm
Sit with your child and make a list of steps, or instructions. Together, write or draw the steps.
Ask your child: What do we do first? Then what?
The following is an example list of general steps to make bread:
Step 1: Gather flour, water, salt
Step 2: Mix ingredients
Step 3: Knead the dough 10 times
Step 4: Let the dough rest for 1 hour
Step 5: Shape the dough into circles
Step 6: Bake or fry
Step 7: Share with others
You can create a list of steps for any kind of bread (e.g., tortillas, roti, challah, frybread, pan de coco, injera, sourdough, etc.).
What kind of bread will you be making?
This list of steps should represent how traditions are carried out in your family. In computer science, this list is called an algorithm, step by step instructions. This activity can help your child learn to create and apply algorithms to other activities at home and in school (e.g., list of steps to wash dishes, or to tell a story).
2. Remix The Order (Debugging Playfully)
Ask your child:
What if we bake before kneading?
What happens if we forget to let the dough rest?
Let them experiment. Laugh if it goes wrong. Observe the outcomes together.
Through joyful interaction and mutual learning, this models an important computer science concept called debugging.
Debugging is like fixing a recipe when something goes wrong. If the bread didn’t rise or the steps got mixed up, you go back, find the mistake, and try again until it works just right.
3. Critical Thinking Skills (Learning “loops” and “sequences”)
Use the following vocabulary to help your child learn
- A loop is when you do something over and over, like kneading the dough over and over 10 times, or jumping rope again and again.
- A sequence is when you follow steps in order, like following a recipe to bake bread, or brushing your teeth every time before bed.
Ask your child:
When we knead 10 times, is that a loop? YES!
If we bake this every week, is that a repeatable sequence? YES!
Can we bake this bread together every Sunday? YES, please!
Optional Extensions
Let your child:
- Draw the steps as a flowchart
- Create a “recipe remix” version with new spices
- Build a physical algorithm with toys or cards
Conclusion
Tradition is code. Every act of making bread (measuring, kneading, waiting, shaping, and sharing) carries embedded computational logic passed down through generations. Sequencing each step is an algorithm; kneading mirrors loops; remixing ingredients becomes debugging; letting dough rise is the wait function; and sharing the final bread is the output to community. Activities like this one can help your child acquire fundamental technical skills while also drawing from knowledge rooted in family ancestry and culture.
