Light The Arch
Recently, while we were at Wembley Stadium, my son, who was playing, received the ball from Frank Lampard, and he booted it straight into the back of the net: Goooooaaaaaalllll! The arch flashed and twinkled all the rainbow colours (just as he had coded it to do) and the crowd cheered as loud as it could …
OK, not all in that opening paragraph isn’t exactly all true, but the bit about my son using code to make the Wembley Arch flash and twinkle is 100% fact. Let me tell you more…
The lovely people at EE invited us along to the iconic Wembley Stadium to road test their new app Light The Arch. The web app allows children to design a light show on Wembley’s arch as part of EE’s lead partnership with the stadium and helps those who take part learn about the basic principles of coding.
The children quickly got the hang of this app, using the different patterns such as sweep, twinkle or rainbow to design their own light show. With each ‘pattern’, you can use the scenarios of ‘Goal Scored’, ‘Red Card’ or ‘Welcome to Wembley’ to accompany your design. As you add each pattern to your light show, you can either use the basic function, and change the basic colours or you can be super smart and actually change the coding, which unlocks even more functionality.
The app is simple and effective: it piqued both my children’s interest in coding, and using the arch gives it a real life context.
Whilst the kids enjoyed playing with the app, I gossiped with Kristin from Whine or Wine? And we enjoyed a very lovely afternoon tea and *maybe* a glass of prosecco! We both really loved the biscuits from the fab folk over at Biscuiteers.
After we tested the app, we were treated to a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of Wembley. I don’t think my footie-mad 8 year old could have been any happier. The joy on his face as we went into the changing rooms and saw the shirts of ALL his favourite players. As they ran out, as the players do, to the pitch side, we were all in awe of the magnitude of this building. I could see my daughter eyeing up where the stage goes and internally practicing “Hello Wembley!”
The final treat was the arch actually being lit up with one of the child’s designs, of course every child claimed it to be theirs …
Thank you EE for inviting us along, and get the kids to try the app either at home or at school. It’s fun, and your kids will learn something too.
To try the app yourself, go to Light The Arch on the EE website.
I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Network Research Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity. I have received a tablet as a token of thanks for this post.
