Day of Code

Celebrate the Hour of Code at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and engage in several hands-on computer coding/programming activities.

Hour of Code is a global initiative put on during Computer Science Education Week (December 7-13) in which schools/organizations are encouraged to engage students in an hour of computer coding to increase awareness and build interest in computer programming.  At a basic level, coding improves problem-solving and thinking skills, and having digital skills improves students’ chances of being employed in the future.  Working with the Virginia Society for Technology in Education, the Museum will offer guided instruction on coding and hands-on coding activities with robots.

Learn to Code
In Classroom 2B on the lower level

• Scratch (11:00 am): Use code to help fix the orbit of a spaceship going to the Moon
• Star Wars (12:00 pm): Learn to program droids and create your own Star Wars game in a galaxy far, far away
• Frozen (1:00 pm): Use code to join Anna and Elsa as they explore the magic and beauty of ice; create snowflakes and patterns as you ice skate and make a winter wonderland you can share with your friends

Hands-on Activities
From 10:30 am to 2:30 pm in Classroom 2A on the lower level

• Program robots to successfully navigate through mazes by scripting their movements just like they do with the Curiosity rover on Mars.
• Control a rover and successfully navigate the Martian landscape.
• Program a Bee Bot to execute a rescue mission and save an astronaut who was separated from his/her spaceship or capture an asteroid that is flying near Earth.
• Use everyday objects to serve as input devices for computers. 
• Use your own device to program Angry Birds.
• Create robots to complete tasks using basic computer programming processes of input, processing, and output.