Fireworks Designer

How to play this game

Following on from our Fireworks Fun activity, let's have a go at designing our own amazing fireworks display.

The first activity consisted of a free play mode, where children clicked anywhere on a blank screen and fireworks randomly appeared. In this activity, they can decide which displays they would like to see, plot them on a grid and then hit play. Their own wonderful fireworks creation will then unfold before their eyes.

On opening the activity a picture of a city at night appears. Underneath it is the grid where children can place the different symbols for the different firework explosions.

The grid has three rows:
• Symbols placed on the top row will start on the left side.
• Symbols placed on the middle row will start in the middle.
• Symbols placed on the bottom row will start on the right side.

There are eleven different firework displays available, varying in size, colour and form.

Once symbols have been placed, they cannot be removed. They can, however, be replaced by another symbol.

Children can click and drag their chosen symbols anywhere onto the grid and then click on the green arrow to play their fireworks.

To clear the grid of symbols, click on the red cross to the left of the grid.

To exit, click on the small hand in the lower right corner of the screen.

Related Learning Outcomes

Outcome 4: Children are involved and confident learners

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators

Developmental skills

Creativity

Observation

Exploration

Decision making

Colours

Symbols

Design

Planning / logic

Left and right

Mouse control - single click

Mouse control - click and drag

Teaching tips

This activity has been designed to expand on the free play Fireworks Fun activity. Children have the ability to try out each symbol, decide which they would like to use and where on the grid they will place them.

Teachers may like to explain about the three rows of the grid and what happens to the fireworks when the symbols are placed in each; mentioning left and right concepts.

Ask children to clump a lot of symbols together on the grid and see what the display looks like. Then ask them to spread the symbols evenly out across the grid and see if that changes the appearance. Does it make it shorter or longer?

Encourage children to talk about their designs. Have they chosen to use particular colours, sizes or forms? If so, why? Have they seen real fireworks displays? How did it make them feel? Talk about their experiences.