Writing computer code in the art room?

Last week, I had two of my first grade classes participate in The Hour Of Code (http://csedweek.org/). I have to admit I only did it because they were offering free storage space on Drop Box which can totally come in handy.
But as the kids were working, I saw some other benefits. They were really problem solving. The conversations were great. I had them partner up and work at laptops and those kids were discussing different ways they could program the bird to get the pig. they were really great thinking conversations.

 

Art is all about thinking and solving problems and so I thought, what a great connection! So after they were done, we had a little conversation about how being an artist doesn't mean you have to paint or draw. Being an artist means being creative. We talked about how they were creative when they were trying to come up with unique ways to solve their programming problems.
We came to the conclusion in the end that no matter what you end up doing when you grow up, if you are thinking creatively then you are using your artistic skills.

So even though I did Hour of Code for selfish reasons, it ended up being a great lesson for my kids!