Rules for Drawing Flowcharts: A Kindergarten Guide to Computer Science

📚 What is a Flowchart?

Imagine you're giving instructions to a robot. A flowchart is like a map that shows the robot exactly what to do, step-by-step! It uses shapes and arrows to make the instructions easy to follow.

📜 A Little History of Flowcharts

Flowcharts aren't new! They've been around since the 1920s. Frank Gilbreth, Sr., a clever engineer, introduced the concept of 'process flow diagrams' to show how work gets done efficiently. Over time, they became super useful for planning and understanding computer programs. Now, even little kids can use them!

✨ Key Principles for Drawing Flowcharts

• 🟢 Start and End: Every flowchart needs a beginning and an end. We use a special oval shape for these.
• ➡️ Arrows Show the Way: Arrows connect the shapes and show the order of the steps. Imagine them as roads telling the robot where to go next.
• 🟦 Rectangles Mean Action: A rectangle shows a step where something happens, like 'Put the block down' or 'Turn left'.
• 💎 Diamonds for Decisions: The diamond shape is for questions! Like, 'Is the block red?' The answer (yes or no) tells the robot which way to go next.
• 📄 Keep it Simple: Use short, easy-to-understand words inside the shapes.
• 📏 Be Orderly: Arrange your flowchart from top to bottom or left to right. This makes it easier to read.
• 🔗 Stay Connected: Make sure every shape is connected with an arrow, except the very first and last ones.

🎨 Flowchart Symbols Explained

Symbol	Name	Meaning	Example
	Terminal	Start or end of the flowchart.	Start, End
	Process	A step or action.	Pick up block, Move forward
	Decision	A question or choice.	Is the block red?
	Input/Output	Getting information or showing results.	Display 'Finished', Read color of block
	Flow Line	Connects the symbols and shows the direction.	Connects Start to Process

🌍 Real-World Examples

Let's say we want to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

1. Start (Oval)
2. Get bread (Rectangle)
3. Get peanut butter (Rectangle)
4. Get jelly (Rectangle)
5. Put peanut butter on bread (Rectangle)
6. Put jelly on bread (Rectangle)
7. Put bread slices together (Rectangle)
8. End (Oval)

Each step would be inside the correct shape, and arrows would connect them all in order.

💡 Conclusion

Flowcharts are a super helpful way to plan and understand how things work! Even grown-up computer scientists use them. So, grab some paper and crayons and start drawing your own flowcharts! You'll be coding in no time! 🎉