Concrete learning in children typically starts from about the age of 6. Their thinking becomes more organised and rational. They start to solve problems by applying logic, but struggle to think abstractly or hypothetically.

This is an important consideration when introducing a child to computing. After all making the connection between a computer game and the lines of code, makes little sense to most people - let alone a child.
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By making code physical the links between different blocks is immediately apparent, paving the way for a smoother transition towards the abstract concepts.

Imagine if you could feel the blocks of code inside the screen...

...with Griditch you can!

Each Griditch block (grit) contains a chip that can be encoded with an image and sound that can interact with other grits. 

Let's look at an example...

IF we scan a lock grit, the following image will be displayed

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IF we scan a key grit, the following image will be displayed

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But IF we scan the key first THEN scan the lock, the following image will be displayed

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In Scratch you would use The If () Then, Else  Control block to perform a similar operation.

IF Statements introduce children to Selection - a fundamental computing concept.

If () Then, Else Control block

Griditch can be thought of as a tangible version of a visual programming language.

Here's an example of a visual programming exercise taken from code.org. The objective is to get the angry bird to the pig by dragging the correct blocks into the work-space area.

Here's the same exercise replicated on a Griditch board. 

The objective remains the same, only this time the digital objects are replaced by grits.

Now children can develop their understanding of computing in a more natural way!