This week, our brilliant Year 3/4 children stepped confidently into the world of branching databases—and what an entertaining adventure it turned out to be! In their computing lessons, the children explored how these clever digital tools use simple Yes/No questions to sort and identify different items. After trying out examples involving plants, fruits and animals, they quickly began to understand how important clear questioning and logical thinking are when using technology to organise information.

The classroom soon filled with lively discussions and teamwork as groups worked together to create their very own branching databases, this time focusing on a colourful collection of fruits and vegetables. The children carefully crafted questions such as “Does it have seeds?”, “Is it usually eaten raw?”, and “Is it green?”, discovering along the way that the wording of each question can completely change the path to the final answer. Once their question pathways were complete, they tested out their databases using an online version, delighting in moments of triumph—and the occasional, very funny misidentification!

What made this lesson truly valuable was the range of skills the children were developing without even realising it. Creating a branching database encourages pupils to think logically and step-by-step, helping them understand how computers make decisions—an essential foundation for future coding and problem‑solving. At the same time, they had to communicate clearly and precisely, choosing questions that avoided confusion while still narrowing down the options. Their teamwork shone throughout, as groups negotiated, reasoned and adapted ideas together. As they worked, they were also becoming more digitally literate, learning how information is organised in the technological world around them.

It was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm, cooperation and curiosity packed into one computing lesson. Our Year 3/4 children proved that with the right questions, even the trickiest fruit or vegetable mystery can be solved! 🍉🍌🥕 If you’d like to continue the fun at home, your child would be delighted to teach you how to make your very own branching database.