Module 8: Practice Activities
Final Practice Challenges!
These are the last practice activities in the course. Have fun with them! They include more logic puzzles, strategy challenges, a "teach someone else" activity, and reflection questions to celebrate your learning.
Activity 1: More Logic Puzzles
Puzzle A: The Three Hats
Three friends are standing in a line. Each one has a hat on, but they cannot see their own hat. Here is what they can see:
- Person 3 (at the back) can see the hats on Person 1 and Person 2.
- Person 2 (in the middle) can see the hat on Person 1 only.
- Person 1 (at the front) cannot see any hats.
There are 2 red hats and 1 blue hat. Person 3 says "I do not know what color my hat is." Person 2 thinks for a moment and says "I do not know either." Then Person 1 says "I know what color my hat is!"
What color is Person 1's hat, and how did they figure it out?
Here is the reasoning:
- Person 3 sees two hats. If both were blue, Person 3 would know their hat is red (since there is only 1 blue). Since Person 3 does not know, the two hats in front cannot BOTH be blue.
- Person 2 knows this. Person 2 sees Person 1's hat. If Person 1 had a blue hat, Person 2 would know their own hat must be red (since both cannot be blue). But Person 2 does NOT know.
- So Person 1's hat cannot be blue. Person 1 reasons through all of this and knows their hat is RED!
This puzzle is all about using OTHER people's answers as clues -- just like using error messages as clues when debugging!
Puzzle B: Grid Logic -- Who Has Which Pet?
Three kids -- Mia, Noah, and Olivia -- each have a different pet: a cat, a dog, or a fish. Use the clues to figure out who has which pet.
Clues:
- Mia is allergic to cats.
- Noah does not have a fish.
- Olivia's pet cannot live in water.
| Cat | Dog | Fish | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mia | |||
| Noah | |||
| Olivia |
- Clue 1: Mia does not have the cat.
- Clue 2: Noah does not have the fish.
- Clue 3: Olivia does not have the fish (fish live in water).
- Since neither Noah nor Olivia has the fish, Mia has the fish.
- Since Mia has the fish, she does not have the dog. Noah does not have the fish, so Noah has either the cat or dog.
- Olivia does not have the fish, and Mia has the fish. If Noah had the dog, Olivia would have the cat. Let us check: nothing prevents Olivia from having the cat. So Noah has the dog and Olivia has the cat.
Answer: Mia = Fish, Noah = Dog, Olivia = Cat
Puzzle C: Number Sequence
What number comes next in this sequence?
2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
Hint: look at how much the numbers grow each time.
The answer is 42.
The differences between numbers are: 4, 6, 8, 10. The differences go up by 2 each time! So the next difference is 12, and 30 + 12 = 42.
Spotting the pattern in the differences is called finding a "second-level pattern." Your pattern-spotting skills are strong!
Activity 2: Strategy Game Challenges
Challenge 1: Unbeatable Tic-Tac-Toe
Can you play 10 games of tic-tac-toe without losing a single one? Use the strategies from Lesson 2: take the center or corners, always block your opponent, and try to set up forks.
Keep track: how many did you win, how many were ties?
Challenge 2: Nim Master
Play 5 games of Nim. This time, try a different starting setup:
- Row 1: 1 object
- Row 2: 3 objects
- Row 3: 5 objects
Does going first or second give you an advantage with this setup? Write down what you notice.
Challenge 3: Invent Your Own Game
Create a simple strategy game that two people can play. Your game needs:
- Clear rules (what can you do on your turn?)
- A way to win
- A reason to think ahead (not just luck!)
Write down your rules, teach someone how to play, and play a few rounds together. Does the game work? Do you need to change any rules?
Activity 3: Teach Someone Else!
The Best Way to Learn is to Teach
Pick ONE skill from this course and teach it to someone who has not taken the course -- a sibling, a friend, a grandparent, or even a stuffed animal!
Choose from:
- How to give precise instructions (the Robot Game from Module 1)
- How to spot patterns (from Module 2)
- How to break a big task into steps (decomposition from Module 3)
- How if/then thinking works (from Module 4)
- Why loops are useful (from Module 5)
- How to find and fix mistakes (debugging from Module 6)
- How to plan before building (design thinking from Module 7)
- A logic puzzle (from Module 8)
After you teach it, answer these questions:
Activity 4: Course Reflection
Look Back at Your Journey
Take a few minutes to think about your whole experience with this course. Talk about these questions with your parent, or write your answers down.