Pip's Pond for schools
A school licence is on its way, made for classrooms where tablets are shared and pupils don't have their own Google Accounts. One licence will unlock the full game on all of a school's tablets, with no purchase on each device. The game already works offline, shows no adverts and collects no information about pupils.
Want to hear when it's ready? Email contact email with your school's name.
Computational thinking
Computational thinking is the way of solving problems that programmers use, and it is useful well beyond coding. Every pond in Pip's Pond is a small problem that pupils solve with the five parts below.
Decomposition
Breaking a problem into smaller parts.
In the game: a long path becomes "get to the corner, turn, then the next stretch". In the Tricks chapter, pupils pull out one step of a staircase and solve that first.
Pattern recognition
Spotting what repeats or is the same.
In the game: the guided lessons ask pupils to notice "the same block six times in a row", then the same four blocks again and again, and turn each pattern into a Repeat.
Abstraction
Hiding the details to focus on what matters.
In the game: a trick gives a group of moves one name, so "climb a step" becomes a single block. An If that checks "lily ahead?" works on any path, so the same program solves more than one pond.
Algorithms
Writing precise steps in the right order.
In the game: every program is an algorithm Pip follows exactly, block by block. Order matters: a turn in the wrong place sends Pip into the water.
Evaluation and debugging
Testing a solution, finding mistakes and improving it.
In the game: the block that went wrong lights up, Step runs one move at a time, and stars reward a solution that uses fewer blocks.
Curriculum links
How the coding ideas in Pip's Pond line up with two widely used computing curricula: the England National Curriculum for computing (Key Stage 1, ages 5 to 7, and Key Stage 2, ages 7 to 11) and the US CSTA K–12 Computer Science Standards (Level 1A, ages 5 to 7, and Level 1B, ages 8 to 11). The quotations are from the curricula themselves; the links to the game are ours.
| Coding idea | Where in the game | England National Curriculum | CSTA standards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sequencing and algorithms | Hop and turn chapter, Ponds 1 to 5. Pupils put Hop and Turn blocks in order to reach the firefly. | KS1: "understand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions" KS2: "use sequence … in programs" |
1A-AP-08 Model daily processes by creating and following algorithms 1A-AP-11 Decompose the steps needed to solve a problem into a precise sequence of instructions |
| Repetition | Loops chapter, Ponds 6 to 12. Repeat blocks, finding the pattern that repeats, and a Repeat inside a Repeat. | KS2: "use … repetition in programs" | 1A-AP-10 Develop programs with sequences and simple loops 1B-AP-10 Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals |
| Functions and decomposition | Tricks chapter, Ponds 13 to 16. Pupils teach a set of moves once as a trick and call it wherever it is needed. | KS2: "solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts" | 1B-AP-11 Decompose problems into smaller, manageable subproblems to facilitate the program development process |
| Selection | Smart choices chapter, Ponds 17 to 21. If blocks check the path ahead, left or right, with an Otherwise part. | KS2: "use … selection … in programs" | 1B-AP-10 Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals |
| Debugging | Every level. The block that went wrong lights up, and Step runs the program one move at a time. | KS1: "create and debug simple programs" KS2: "detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs" |
1A-AP-14 Debug errors in an algorithm or program that includes sequences and simple loops 1B-AP-15 Test and debug errors in a program or algorithm to ensure it runs as intended |
| Logical reasoning and better algorithms | Every level. Pupils predict where Pip will land, and earn more stars for solving a pond with fewer blocks. | KS1: "use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs" KS2: "use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work" |
1B-AP-08 Compare and refine multiple algorithms for the same task and determine which is the most appropriate |
| Programs for new problems | Glow Marsh to Volcano Springs, 32 ponds. The same blocks meet new rules: rocks, portals, currents, keys and doors, and geysers that need timing. | KS2: "design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals" | 1B-AP-10 Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals |
Pip's Pond does not cover the parts of these curricula about variables you create and change, input and output, online safety, or using technology more widely. Plan other lessons for those.
ISTE Standards for Students
Pip's Pond supports these parts of the ISTE Standards for Students, mostly standard 5, Computational Thinker. The wording of each indicator is ISTE's; the links to the game are ours.
| ISTE indicator | How Pip's Pond supports it |
|---|---|
| 5a Computational Thinker | "Students formulate problem definitions suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis, abstract models and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding solutions." Each pond asks pupils to work out what the problem is (where the fireflies are, what blocks the way) before they build a program to solve it. |
| 5c Computational Thinker | "Students break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving." Tricks turn one part of a route into a named model that is reused, and later worlds ask pupils to pick out the rule that matters: which portal leads where, when a geyser is quiet. |
| 5d Computational Thinker | "Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions." Pupils write a sequence of blocks, press Go to watch it run automatically, and test and fix it until it works. |
| 4d Innovative Designer | "Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems." Most ponds can be solved in more than one way, and a failed run is part of the game: pupils try, see what went wrong and try again. |
Standard 5b, collecting and analysing data sets, is not part of the game.
Skills by world
Each world ends with a certificate listing the skills it practised.
Lily Pond
21 ponds
- Sequencing
- Loops
- Functions
- Conditionals
- Debugging
Glow Marsh
8 ponds
- Pattern spotting
- Obstacles
- Changing state
- Linked pairs
Rushing River
8 ponds
- Automatic events
- Order of operations
- Triggers
- Reusing code
Crystal Caves
8 ponds
- Different step sizes
- Repeat until
- Counting with keys
- Preconditions
Volcano Springs
8 ponds
- Even and odd
- The Wait instruction
- Rhythm in loops
- Putting it together
Already built in
- Guided lessons when each new block appears, so pupils can start without a teacher demonstration.
- Picture blocks instead of words, so pupils who are still learning to read can take part.
- No accounts and no data collected, so there is nothing to set up and no pupil information to protect. See the privacy policy.
- Offline play, so it works without the school network.