Algorithms & sequencing
Robot Chef
Algorithms, sequencing, and the discipline of step-by-step instructions.
Computers do exactly what you say, in exactly the order you say it. These activities put that constraint hands-on: a sandwich falls apart when you skip a step, a dance ends in chaos when instructions are out of order, an explorer wanders when directions are vague. The discipline of writing correct, ordered instructions is the foundation of programming.
Follow the recipe in the right order. Skip a step, swap two, and watch the sandwich fall apart. Algorithms reward precision and order.
Teaches: Phase 1 · Programming FundamentalsWrite a sequence of dance moves; the robot executes them literally. Surfaces what 'literal interpretation' really means — and why off-by-one and misordered instructions are the dominant class of beginner bugs.
Teaches: Phase 1 · Control FlowGive precise step-by-step directions to guide an explorer through a grid. The grid is your data structure; the directions are your program; the treasure is correctness.
Teaches: Phase 1 · Programming FundamentalsThree sorting algorithms run on the same shuffled array. Bubble sort vs merge sort vs quick sort — the same problem at O(n²) vs O(n log n) made viscerally visible. Big-O isn't a textbook abstraction here; it's elapsed time you can watch.
Teaches: Phase 3 · Complexity and Big OBFS, Dijkstra, and A* race across the same grid. Drop walls and mud, watch each algorithm sweep. The heuristic that makes A* goal-directed becomes obvious when you compare cell counts side-by-side.
Teaches: Phase 3 · Algorithms & Complexity