Ask HN: I need ideas to impress fifth graders with technology

[dv35z]

Hello! I need some tech “show and tell” ideas for 5th graders.

I've been asked to come to a 5th grade (ages 10-11) at a school with mostly underprivileged kids, from low income, immigrant families. The presenters are encouraged to do a cool "show and tell" about their job, get the kids excited etc. For example, I heard a lawyer set up a fictional courtroom and gave the kids a script to perform. A baker came in and had the kids decorate cupcakes. A FBI agent came in and let the kids try on a bulletproof vest & an FBI windbreaker.

I'm a software engineer, now R&D product manager at a cloud platform software company. Aside from programming, I'm into video games, photography, video editing, drones, and similar techy/creative hobbies.

I'd love to hear what ideas you all might have to totally wow some kids, get them excited about science/tech... And obviously out-wow any firemen, FBI agents, that might be presenting. Give me a fighting chance anyway!!

Thanks!

[garrettr_]

I was recently asked by a friend who teaches 5th graders to do something similar for their school's "career month." I tried a few different things, and found the most successful was showing them how to use a web browser's built-in developer tools to inspect the source of and make live modifications to web pages.

My reasoning behind this exercise was:

- I checked in with their teacher ahead of time and confirmed that all of these kids had a least some experience using a web browser. Generally it seems like a likely "lowest common denominator" of tech experience for kids.

- Most web browsers have powerful developer tools that can be used to inspect and modify source and will display the results of many types of changes in real time. It is easy to get kids to understand the relationship between HTML/CSS code and the webpage that results from rendering it when you can make live changes to the code and see it immediately reflected in the rendered page.

- Web browsers are freely available. I gave them a handout with instructions on how to access the developer tools in web browsers that are either free (Chrome, Firefox) or readily available to them (Safari, since their school computer lab had a few Macs). I specifically wanted them to be inspired and continue experimenting after I left.

I concluded by spending 10 minutes taking student's requests for the modifications to nytimes.com. It ended up with a bizarro color scheme, comic sans on all the things, and pictures of dinosaurs and Pixar characters at the top of every article. Everyone had a blast, myself included!

I think the demonstration tickled the kid's innate predisposition towards mischief. An immediate question was "can everyone in the world see this changes? are you hacking right now?," which allowed me to naturally give a high-level explanation of the server-client architecture of the web. A few kids came up to me afterwards and asked me to specifically walk them through finding and opening the developer tools so they could continue experimenting at home, and that was the best outcome I could've hoped for!

[bredren]

The inspect element tool is actually a meme on TikTok, where the content creator changes some high priced luxury item (ie yeezyees) to a low price and improbably buys them. I’ve seen others where they change their “grade” in a class. I think this would go over well also.

[dreamling]

That could be a cool way to give them an introduction to https://glitch.com/

Free, fun, collaborative place to learn and show code, remix things they like and add their own stamp and an easy way to ask for help.

https://medium.com/@kellylougheed/dark-stormy-night-with-css...

You might not have time to do something like this, but it'd be nice to include it in a resources to explore list for later. https://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/create-a-multiplayer-pir...

Pretty sure all I wanted to do was make cool graphics and games at that time.

You could also show off some cool pens from codepen.io which also let you remix and play.

If you think they'd be into interactive fiction games/stories, you can run twine or texture in the browser, too, you could ask them for prompts, 'where do we go next, the cave or the castle' and then make it happen.

https://twinery.org/ https://texturewriter.com/

A little deeper in, but I once went to a tech talk where the speaker setup a http://johnny-five.io/ bot that and changed the LEDs on her belt in the room when people tweeted colors at it. You might not need a whole belt (or even LEDS, you could have a webpage change colors or words or music), but that kind of live demonstration is always fun (and comes with the caveat of live demos, which somehow don't always work when in front of an audience of skeptic students).

Have fun!

[the_watcher]

This is such a good idea. Messing with a website is absolutely something I'd have done instead of the typing practice I was supposed to be doing in my (small town public) middle school "Computers" class.

[Corrado]

My wife teaches 8th grade and I did something similar with her classes a couple of years ago. My example was pulling up a NASA twitter post and changing it to read "Mrs. BLAH is the best teacher in the universe!" (or something like that). They thought it was incredible and couldn't believe you could "hack" computers like that.

This type of thing is also a really good teaching moment; you can't always believe everything you see on the Internet or a screenshot.

[tty2300]

A demonstration on inspect element also quickly teaches people how easy it is to create a fake screenshot. No need for complex work in Photoshop when you can create something that looks perfectly real effortlessly.

[alok-g]

I have held many such sessions for kids. Instead of showing them the latest and the greatest:

- I point them to the technology already around them, in their daily use, that they see as too obvious by now. And then share stories of how all that had come about to be. Simple things like soap, door handles, stairs, pencils, clocks, ...

- Ask them simple questions that they never asked. How does an eraser erase pencil marks? How is mass conserved as a tree grows out of a seed? Why do women typically keep long hair while men keep short? Why don't animals do their own photosynthesis instead of depending on plants (or why don't plants also move around like animals)?

- Another session I am planning will share bios of many famous people, showing them how extraordinary came out of the ordinary.

It seems surprising to me that we teach them about planets, exotic natural phenomenon like chemical reactions, magnets, etc., without first talking about much more relevant things like why does matter occupy space (or why don't we just fall through the floor below us). The result is kids (and adults) who commonly talk about voltage without having slighest idea of what it actually is.

[LeifCarrotson]

> Ask them simple questions that they never asked.

This is key to teachinging about high-tech engineering: don't paint over vast swathes of the stack with "it just works" or "it automatically knows".

Take one specific thing it does, and drill down the pyramid, from high-level ideas about user intents way down through platforms and compilers and operating systems to wires and semiconductors.

There's nothing particularly magical about tech (apart from the fact that it often does what it's supposed to). The awesome part of engineering is all the work put in at all levels to make hugely complex stuff work together.

[clarry]

> Why do women typically keep long hair while men keep short?

Does technology have an answer for this?

[alok-g]

Add-on comment: If you do want to talk about some core technology only, I would show them how mechanical switches work, and how you can connect them in series and parallel to do logic. Take some wall switches and break them open to show them what's inside.

[imhoguy]

Exactly, start with basic but overlooked concepts.

Give them magnifying glass and ask to watch subpixels while playing with MS Paint color fill.

As 5th grader I learned electricity with some old book from my father's shelf which explained it with hydraulic analogy[1].

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_analogy

[payne92]

I've done an interactive "do you know how many types of engineers there are?" for this age group that's worked really well. Timeframe: 5-15 minutes

"Can anyone name a type of engineer?" and for each shoutout, talk a little about what each does. The guessing keeps everyone's attention.

Types: software/computer, electrical, mechanical, chemical, environmental, civil, nuclear, aeronautical, etc.

Bonus: bring 2-3 props (your drones would be GREAT) that you can hold up for the relevant flavor.

For drones, I like to ask: "how do you think the drone moves forward?" [over power the rear two, underpower the front] Same Q for other directions.

"how do you think it rotates?"

"why don't all props spin in the same direction?"

Bring one of these to fly in the room: https://www.amazon.com/Cheerson-CX-10-Diameter-2-4GHz-Quadco...

Talk about how there's actually a computer on board.

If you have access to a TV, bring a short ~2min drone POV video to show.

Tell bad jokes ("Civil engineers are very nice to each other", etc.) Google online for some.

It's all about energy and making it interactive.

[dTal]

>For drones, I like to ask: "how do you think the drone moves forward?" [over power the rear two, underpower the front]

Careful - this explanation isn't just a simplification - it's outright wrong. Applying differential power to the front and rear rotors is how you initiate a pitch moment. You must reverse the pitch moment when the drone is at the desired attitude. This attitude may cause the drone to accelerate in a given direction. When the drone has reached the desired speed the attitude change must also be undone (but not completely, due to drag) to kill the acceleration. So to bring a drone from a hover to a steady forward velocity requires four applications of differential power - two one way, and two the other way. It's not even true that the rear ones expend more total power over the course of the maneuver - it's symmetrical.

It's a neat example of Newton's First law, and also a good opportunity to explore a little about 0-order, 1-order, 2-order motion (you might explore what kicking your foot does when 1) walking 2) riding a skateboard, 3) driving a car). But if you think it's too complicated, better to avoid it entirely than give the wrong idea.

(A related question you can ask - when an airplane is in a steady climb, which is greater - the lift on the wings, or the weight of the plane? Answer: they are the same! Otherwise the aircraft would be accelerating up or down.)

[penagwin]

Oh gosh I just realized I don't have the self control to teach children. Context: I'm a software engineer.

All my explanations would be the "realistic" but kinda sarcastic answers.

Computer Engineer - Copy's pastes code until it works.

Rocket Scientists - Spend 50% of the time designing rockets, and 50% of their time hoping the rocket doesn't explode.

Locomotive Engineer - Whoops this isn't a real engineer! /s /s

[bigiain]

Speaking of

> Tell bad jokes

...

> I've done an interactive "do you know how many types of engineers there are?"

Two. Civil Engineers and Mechanical Engineers.

Mechanical Engineers build weapons. Civil Engineers build targets.

[raisedbyninjas]

For each engineering discipline highlight the relevant part of a drone and how they're responsible.

aeronatical: props and flight control

mechanical: chassis

chemical: batteries

civil: constructing buildings that don't fall over when a drone crashes into them?

nuclear: nope, refer to civil engineering

[a1exyz]

My Dad did the coolest one for my fifth grade class that everyone still remembers. He showed us how binary addition in a calculator/computer works by giving us all 0 or 1 notecards. Then since the class is already arranged in a grid, each row is a single digit (8 bits). Then He gave input numbers and we raised our cards according to which bit we were an the person to the left of us.

Honnestly I don't remember the specifics but it was so awesome to see something as abstract as a computer/processor shown to us in a way we could understand and participate in. And the layout of the classroom just happens to be perfect for it.

[ballenf]

Given their financial constraints, demonstrating to them how they could use a Raspberry Pi-level device to create a website or business accessible to people around the world might inspire.

There's an unspoken dogma that without a $1000 phone and pricey Mac, you can't be a creator.

Alternatively, demonstrate a very cheap Youtube or podcast production setup and show them how they could do a channel inexpensively.

Common theme is that the barriers to entry in many digital fields are lower than expected.

I've also had kids amazed with tools like React Native Expo where they can make a "real" app that lives permanently on their phone after the exercise in just a few hours (starting with some boilerplate code that they learn to customize). Walked a group of 10-year-olds through the process and they each came away with a very basic app on their phones that looked unique.

[benbristow]

Impressive you managed to get 10 year olds to get along with React Native Expo. React's not known for being super easy to learn.

What framework(s) did you use?

[tetha]

>There's an unspoken dogma that without a $1000 phone and pricey Mac, you can't be a creator.

You just made me realize an interesting cultural shift. I distinctly recall how an old 386 or 486 wasn't good enough to run the cool games anymore. But it was good enough for QBASIC and turbo pascal. So I spent time tinkering on that system.

[pryelluw]

Ive done something similar before. Went with a videogame and showed them how it editing the code changed the game. They started requesting silly changes and went from there. Super fun.

[gwd]

I think this is one of the key things -- so many things in technology are just given to you as-is with no way to change them. The realization that all of this is mutable -- that the computer is just going along doing exactly what it was told, and that you can be the one to tell it what to do -- is a real eye-opener for a lot of people (children or not).

[Davertron]

Someone at my company recently showed us blueprints in Unreal engine, and everyone there (mostly web developers) had a blast having them mess with different things. The presenter started with the FPS template I believe, and then we were throwing out ideas of things to do, i.e. create a launch pad that throws the player into the air when they walk over it, etc. You would probably score huge bonus points for relating it to things in Fortnite etc. I would have eaten that stuff up as a kid if someone showed me that stuff.

[dluan]

I once went in with something way too ambitious, but this is a fantastic idea and something I'll try next time!

[hqwustl]

may I ask which videogame did you use?

[quickthrower2]

Perhaps Minecraft would be the ideal game, assuming the children haven't already played it.

[kuu]

I would do something like this too!

[csours]

How much time do you have?

I did a peanut butter jelly robot - where I had the kids call out how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They had 10 minutes to write out the instructions. I took each instruction as literally as possible. Then I talked about algorithm design. It took about 30 minutes.

[jonahbenton]

This. The PB&J exercise is really good.

I'd suggest not trying to impress them. It's not a date. They're kids. Try to connect with them. Talk about your job, sure, but more important to share things you're enthusiastic about.

Also, from what you describe of their background, they may think that what you do is inaccessible to them. Try to reach them, especially the girls. And let them ask you questions.

[dgabriel]

I volunteer for Black Girls Code, specifically the 9-11 year old age group, and the last thing I did that really blew their minds was build an Obby in Roblox. Almost all of them have watched youtubers go through them. Get one working, modify it, have a kid or two modify it on their own.

https://www.roblox.com/create

[valbaca]

To save someone else a search:

obby means "obstacle course"

[dalore]

Nice. I've just started coding roblox with my daughter (8). She plays and watches roblox players on youtube and I noticed you can make your own. So I took the time to start learning how to create a basic level and we did it together. We created a zombie tag with a large playhouse. She loved being able to manipulate the world. And she now has plans to make her own levels and youtube videos.

Edit: found roblox has an education page https://education.roblox.com/

[CodiePetersen]

Oh yeah that's a good idea too my niece loves those for some reason.

[omnivore]

Honestly, I've found when I give kid presentations just telling them you do computer stuff is pretty impressive by itself. I think demystifying the world around them, letting them know that it's not magic that powers their phones, but actual people who had to build all of the stuff that works for them, has been a huge way to get them to be more curious.

I think rather than wowing them, I'd hope they'd walk away and be able to feel like "this is something I can do.." because unlike being an FBI agent, it's something they could start doing now. They could start using Glitch and be making stuff tonight. That's huge.

[munificent]

Not super relevant to your problem, but a fun anecdote:

I used to be a game developer at EA Tiburon, the studio that does Madden among other games. Somehow I got roped into giving a short talk to a bunch of visiting high school students.

Beforehand I emailed a bunch of game teams and asked them to send me screenshots of their weirdest bugs. I got all sorts of fun stuff. When a game with rendered animated humans goes wrong, it can look anywhere from funhouse hilarious to horror film insane. Giant players dwarfing the field. Players with their eyes sticking out a foot in front of their head. Arms on backwards.

The kids loved it. Heck, I loved it. It was a ton of fun.

[dehrmann]

I'm not a game developer, but I was playing around, writing a simple iOS game that uses OpenGL ES. Some of the bugs were pretty trippy. This one was actually animated with the cells continuously changing.

https://i.imgur.com/jX0KNxt.png

[AlphaWeaver]

Dean Kamen created FIRST Robotics [0] as a partial solution to this problem. Physical demonstrations are often more relatable to young kids.

A FIRST Robotics Competition team in my area does an activity where they bring in various supplies like cardboard, tape, and motors into a classroom, and over the period of an hour or so, students get to design and build small robots that play "sumo" and try to push other robots out of a small tape square on the floor. [1] It's a great demo and has the bonus of providing working cardboard robots you can take to other demonstrations in the future (especially if you're short on time.) Maybe you can take some inspiration!

[0]: https://www.firstinspires.org [1]: http://roboxsumo.com/

[chungleong]

I did this back in my college days. I wrote to AMD and they were kind enough to send me two cases of defective wafers plus a used bunny suit. That the students could hold the discs in their hands definitely made an impression.

Another big attraction was the liquid nitrogen we brought for our superconducting maglev demo. That no one cared too much about. Kids just wanted to see what they could destroy through low temperature.

[pjmorris]

Once, with a group of 7th graders (but I think it'd work with 5th graders as well), I explained programming as a form of puzzle-solving, illustrated by a little game based on an old puzzle/problem:

"You have a 3-gallon jug, a 5-gallon jug, and an unlimited supply of water. How do you get exactly 4 gallons of water without estimating?"

We made it a game by having them write down the steps they would take, e.g. "Fill five gallon jug, pour from five gallon jug into three gallon jug, etc...", with a prize of a candy bar for a correct solution.

I gave the talk to 5-6 groups of ~20-30 7th graders, and there was at least one correct solution in every group. My favorite was afterward, waiting in the library for the end of my wife's workday, one of the kids spotted me and came over to ask questions about alternative approaches.

[djtriptych]

When trying to demystify software engineering to kids, I love taking the approach of convincing kids that they’re smarter than a computer. Computers are dumb. Fast, but dumb. You’ve got to explain to them very carefully how to do anything. Like you’re teaching a 6 year old to bake a cake.

Not exactly relevant but hope this sparks something. I wish I could do this sort of stuff more often.

[jackhack]

headless RaspPi Nano running OpenCV face detection script: Light an LED when the camera detects a face.

Now plug it into a monitor and show the bounding box around each face. They'll love this!

Show them the code. GIve them a really high level overview : "Here we tell it to get a picture from the camera. Next we look for faces. If we find one we tell it send power to the LED to light it up."

Now, another interactive moment:

Plug in a USB keyboard and Ask a student to change the color of the bounding box. Of course they won't know anything about the code. Tell them to find the word "green" (or whatever) and change it to another color name. Run it again.

Little low-risk changes like that is how most of us learned to code. Maybe it will spark interest.

[wallflower]

Don’t try to impress them. Involve them. Make a banana piano.

https://tinkerlab.com/makey-makey-review/

[pi-rat]

You don't even need a makey-makey, any $2 arduino will do.

https://blog.eikeland.se/2015/04/24/banana-piano/

[lwhsiao]

Huge fan of the Makey Makey. We had a display for young students which was basically a raspberry pi playing Bomberman, where the raspberry pi was hooked up to a Makey Makey, and the controllers were miscellaneous things like potatoes, bananas, door knobs, etc.

[MarcScott]

I have a CodeClub teaching 10 and 11 year olds, once a week.

Two weeks ago we built a robot buggy that can be remote controlled from an Android phone. They loved it, and were really involved in the build and programming. In Python, it's a dozen lines of code.

Here's the link to the build -https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/build-a-buggy

And this for the remote control - https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/projects/remote-control-...

With the cost of the RPi included you're looking at a £50 robot, max.

Checkout other projects on projects.raspberrypi.org for more inspiration. It's what we do for a living.

Disclaimer, in case it was not obvious, I work for the Raspberry Pi Fou dation.

[Jpoliachik]

Put on a "hacking" demo by using chrome debugger / inspect element to modify html. Ask kids who their favorite celebrity / athlete is, pull up their twitter and edit the tweets to say "Joe is so cool!", etc. Load the school's webpage and change the names of teachers. Make it goofy.

[nandreev]

1. Get a Ryze Tello drone from the DJI store (mine took 2 days to arrive by DHL), $149 with 3 batteries total

2. Show them how easy it is to program flight plans with DroneBlocks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NGPrMP1r2Y

3. Everyone can try flying it from one smartphone

4. You have out-wowed most of the competition!

BONUS. You now have a Tello to play at home with.

[yjhoney]

Build a LED that lights up on the spot and does not use any batteries.

During the demo, just take a wire, wind it around your hand a few dozen times, connect the ends to the LED, and put it close to a wireless Qi charger. It should light up. Its pretty cool to produce light just with wires.

Now if you reverse the concept and create a board full of Led rights and wound up wires, could you wave your hand (with the Qi charger) and get the lights light up based on your hand movement?

Kids love superpowers. If you use technology to simulate superpowers and make it seem easy, you will inspire them to become more curious.