 Unplugged activities are a great way for students to collaborate with others and vocalize their questions and learning process about computer science. Students use physical manipulatives and kinesthetic movement to reinforce the concepts they're learning on the computer. Unplugged activities are also a great equalizer for classrooms in that students who might feel intimidated by writing a program on the computer could more easily relate to doing something like planting a seed or doing a dance. Also, some students are easily overwhelmed by learning complex concepts while they're struggling to learn programming itself. Presenting the detailed ideas in a context that they're familiar with, like using playing cards or beads and string, can help ease that tension and make everything feel more natural when they get to the online activities. Unplugged activities are also a great resource for students who don't have computers at home because they can continue to do unplugged activities at home, some with no materials at all. Unplugged activities are also useful for teachers who find themselves without access to a computer lab, like for reasons of the internet being down or they're being testing in the lab.