Year 4 Explore the Power of Sensors in Computing

This half term, Year 4 are exploring how sensors help computers interact with the world around us! They’ve been learning how inputs, outputs and code work together to create control systems — just like the ones first inspired by Samuel Bagno, who invented the first motion sensor in 1950.

Using their micro:bits, pupils have been discovering how sensors can detect light and movement, and how logic and variables help computers make decisions. This week's challenge was especially exciting: turning their micro:bits into fully functioning night lights! By coding the device to recognise low light levels, the pupils programmed the LEDs to switch on automatically. They then experimented with different designs and light sensitivities to see how their changes affected the behaviour of their code.