Binary Code Necklace

• Black and white beads
• Third bead colour of your choice
• Black marker
• String
• Scissors

Everything inside a computer is based on numbers. A computer doesn’t recognize an internet picture of a cat as a cat; it only knows the series of 0’s and 1’s that make up the image of a cat. It’s the order that the 0’s and 1’s appear in that tell the computer the colour something should be, the sound it should make, the size it should be, etc. This series of 0’s and 1’s are referred to as binary code (binary means two) and it’s the way computers interpret images, languages, and sounds. The 0’s and 1’s are called bits and in this crafty activity we will spell out our names in computer language with white beads representing “1” and black beads representing “0”.

1. Have the participants write his/her first name vertically along the left side of the Binary Name sheet.
2. Find the first letter of the name on the Binary Code Card and colour in squares next to the letter on the Binary Name Sheet just like the squares on the Binary Code Card. Do this for every letter of their name.
3. Now the child has the beading pattern for their necklace. Cut a piece of string about twice the circumference of the child’s neck. String the black and white beads onto the string according to black and white squares on the Binary Name Sheet.
4. Use the third bead colour as a spacer between the binary coded letters. There should be a coloured bead in between every 8 black and white beads.
5. Tie the completed necklace around the child’s neck, leaving a loose fit, and trim off the excess string.