Explorations in theoretical computer science for kids (using paper toys)

The computational card (c-cards for short) project is a study and realization of an educational tool based on playing cards. C-cards are an educational tool to introduce children 8 to 10 (or older) to the concept of computation, seen as manipulation of symbols. The game provides teachers and learners with a physical, tangible metaphor for exploring core concepts of computer science, such as deterministic and probabilistic state machines, frequencies and probability distributions, and the central elements of Shannon's information theory, like information, communication, errors and error detection. Our idea is implemented both with paper cards and by an editor/simulator software (a prototype realized in javascript). We also designed the structure of a course in (theoretical) computer science, based on c-cards, and we will test it this summer.