Save and find information — Computing, 4–6 years
Computers can keep information so it is available later. Children meet this idea when they take photos, save drawings or open a game again.
Put it away, get it back
A computer can store information instead of losing it when the screen closes or the power stops. A saved drawing, photo or game is put in a place with a name. Later, the computer uses that name and place to bring the information back.
Why save things?
People needed to keep work and records without carrying every paper or starting again each time. Computers were made to store large amounts of information and find it quickly. Saving solves the problem of forgetting a picture, a message or the place reached in a game.
Save a drawing
You draw a red sun in a drawing app. First, choose Save; second, give it the name “sun”; third, the computer stores the picture. Later, choose Open and “sun”. The computer searches its stored places and shows the same red sun again.
Saving is not magic
It is easy to think that a computer remembers everything by itself, like a person remembering a face. Usually, information must be saved in the right place, and its name must be easy to recognise. If we close without saving or choose the wrong file, finding it later can fail.
Photos, games and messages
A phone saves a photo so you can show it tomorrow, and a tablet saves a game so you can continue later. A family calendar stores appointments and brings them back on the right day. These are useful because information can wait safely while people do other things.
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