I think it’s a neat and interesting way to teach programming. Having tried teaching kids of various ages, nieces and nephews and my own children, I find physical puzzles are more captivating and easier to relate to.
The Japanese have some wonderful programming along these lines. For preschoolers there is PythagoraSwitch (ピタゴラスイッチ) [1] which features amazing Rube Goldberg machines, geometric reasoning, algorithmic thinking, etc. Sadly, NHK loves to keep their programmes under lock and key, so I could not find anything to share other than the name.
This is really nice. I looked at one of the video's and it really speaks to me. I am a software developer and my wife is a teacher in a primary school. I have taught two classes with students that showed an intrest in programming. I used the Elevator Saga for the advanced students. With this I can have a more easier start.
I want to do the "make me a sandwich" routine as well :D
My children (3,5,8) and I absolutely love this show. We’ve been watching one new episode every 1-2 weeks and they’re perfectly happy with rewatching. My eldest is able to understand most of it so we’ll rewatch again in 2 (and 4) years so the younger two can follow along. It’s a real treasure and I’m so thankful it exists (and is translated)
