Themes: Observation, Reflection, Environmental Awareness, Computational Thinking

Explorer Mindset Attitudes and Skills: Curious; Communicate

This activity invites learners to observe the world around them and then document and share what they notice by creating interactive projects using OctoStudio, a free creative coding app from the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. By creating their own projects, students engage in making observations and developing their ability to communicate their ideas with others. Through this suite of resources, learners will have the opportunity to notice, ask questions and share their stories like an Explorer, all while building valuable coding and digital literacy skills.

By fostering a supportive environment for young learners to be curious about the natural world around them, they begin to ask questions, observe and make connections to their own experiences. Learners can create projects by animating photos or drawings of animals that interest them. They can use the recording or text features in OctoStudio to add their observations, questions and ideas. 

This activity was inspired by National Geographic Explorer Niharika Rajput, a wildlife artist, creative conservationist and visual science communicator who uses the power of observation to spark curiosity in her work. Like Niharika, learners can build attributes of their Explorer Mindset, such as curiosity and communication, by observing and making things based on what they notice in their environment. By taking time to look closely at the world around them and then creating interactive projects based on their observations, learners can develop new ways to communicate their ideas with others.

Guiding Questions:

• What is an animal that interests me?
• What do I notice or wonder about this animal?
• How can I communicate and share my observations with others?

When to Use the Activity:

This activity invites young people to document and reflect on the world around them. The activity works well across many subjects, including science, language arts, writing and computing.

Time: The activity can be completed in 50 minutes or can be extended to enable more in-depth exploration and learning.

Learning Objectives:

Learners will:

• Use their curiosity and questioning skills to observe and notice the animals found in their environment
• Create a project using OctoStudio to share their observations
• View the natural world as a home to diverse organisms

This learning resource is a part of a larger suite of tools focused on creative coding, including the Make a Mini Game with OctoStudio resource featuring National Geographic Explorer Gibbs Kuguru.