Old boxes can be transformed into pinball machines, children become robots, drawings speak … everything is possible in the world of didactic innovation.

This idea gave rise to the Immaginare Crescere Sviluppare (ICS) Lab Project (Imagine Grow Develop) developed by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale with the Centro Studi Erickson. The project contains a series of recipes with the ingredients, steps and time necessary for teachers who wish to innovative didactics starting with readily available resources and tools.

The first two volumes are now available:

• Tinkering Coding Making for Children Aged 4-6 [pdf]
• Tinkering Coding Making for Children Aged 6-8 [pdf]

Each volume proposes 8 activities related to devices and technology (plugged), as well as activities unrelated to technology (unplugged), which allow children, even very young ones, to practice their 21^st century skills.

Tinkering, Coding and Making

Tinkering means giving free reign to creativity, but also increasing the awareness of what we are doing to solve an issue.

Coding is promoting the development of computational thought, the ability to analyse issues and identify solutions.

Making is giving life to a common project through manufacturing. It promotes the ability to collaborate and communicate, as well as develop critical thought.

Staff who collaborated on producing the manuals:

• Rosy D'Elia
• Cristiana Zambon
• Ilaria Gaudiello
• Valentina Gelsomini
• Federica Pellegrini