Teach Your Kids to Code with One Hour

Beths notes on introductory coding platforms

definitely need a mouse to do this on a Chromebook (zooming and panning around the robot world, scrolling down to get help); good sound effects!; connects drag-and-drop programming to a programming language; not a lot of documentation, but you can click Help for detailed instructions; introduces loops and conditionals

Michelle, or Binka, makes.While at Maker Media, she oversaw publications, outreach, and programming for kids, families, and schools. Before joining Maker Media in 2007, she worked at the Exploratorium, in Mitchel Resnicks Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab, and as a curriculum designer for various publishers and educational researchers. When shes not supporting future makers, including her two young sons, Binka does some making of her own, most often as a visual artist.

Beth also suggestsEdSurges Coding Resources.To Beths list Ill add these two that Maker Ed has listed on its Resources page:

Make: and Maker Faire are registered trademarks of Maker Media, Inc.

info about coding for 2nd7th graders

works well for younger kids. Teachers should set up pairs ahead of time if they need to share computers.

. If using portables (like laptops or tablets), make sure that you allow for a charging break in your schedule. Does the room youre using have enough outlets, or a charging cart, to go around? Also, be sure to charge the laptops the night before.

Theres an opportunity in early December to be a part of something bigger:Code.orgsannual Hour of Code (HoC) celebration of all things algorithmic is just a few weeks away. HoC coincides with Computer Science Week, and its all about mobilizing millions to try their hand at putting together a few instructions, conditionals, and loops as a first taste of how programming works. Since its launch nearly two years ago, Code.org has introduced over 100 million people, mostly school kids, to the power of programming. They do this through the workshops led by peoplelike youwho have realized that power and want to pass it along to others.

We all know why getting kids to code is important. We hear all about how tech companies need more people to build the tools of the future, people of all identities and on all kinds of paths. Not every kid will become a programmer or a project manager or even anything connected to tech, but even the poets and veterinarians and florists and historians benefit from having a basic understanding of how software works. This brand of literacy pays off in having a population full of potential employees AND informed citizens. Programming is a powerful skill every kid needs in their back pocket. Any kid can learn the basics.

Jens Bergensten, lead developer at Mojang, tells a story pretty common in the software industry: he was a kid who loved gaming and wanted to make his own video games, one thing led to another, and now he and his pals are gazillionaires. When we had him onMaker Camp 2014we learned that Jens started making his first games at age 11 using BASIC and Turbo Pascal.

Michelle Binka Hlubinka

An Interview with The Paper Airplane Guy, JohnCollins

. As you get started with your workshop, emphasize that programming is about solving puzzles and having fun. The kids dont need to know the stuff you might care about (like the importance of STEM subjects). Keep it light-hearted and celebrate their special Hour of Code experience! HoC comes but once a year. Consider running a physical demo as part of the introduction, such as the classic game where kids give a set of instructions to a classmate to see whether they can get to their destination.

Weekend Watch: The Maker Monster InvadesYouTube

, for ages 5-7, a great lead-in to Scratch

tutorials and gallery contain ready-to-use projects and lessons;

. Write the URL for your chosen tutorial on scraps of paper to have at each station. The kids will inadvertently close windows. Also try to have some offline activities that relate to programming in your back pocket in case everything in your original plan falls apart.

The reCAPTCHA box was not checked. Please try again.

The latest news about startups, products, incubators, and innovators

Five Mistakes I Made During My FirstKickstarter

Aprils Ultimate ShopWorkbench

choose from various courses to explore making a website, and programs such as: Ruby on Rails, Java, CSS

introduction to programming variables

Teach Your Kids to Code with One Hour of MinecraftPuzzles

. Younger students (like our first graders) struggle with the trackpads, so try to have computer mice or other peripherals on hand to plug in in case theyre more adept at using those.

If the importance of computer science isnt enough to motivate your school, HoC also dangles a very tasty bushel of carrots in front of teachers, with everything from gift cards to a $10,000 donation.

; good for K8; getting started videos to help teachers create a classroom, add students, choose a lesson plan;

Lets all say hooray for Hour of Code!

; some kids may need some assistance with reading; no audio; ok on iPad Mini; uses JavaScript, but kids arent typing in the code; tutorials have video introductions including household names and diverse programmers; students have an option to sign in to save their progress

: popular web-based programming language; check out

Access and the Sustainability of Makerspaces; New York toNigeria

Supersize Your Noggin with a Lens and CardboardBox

angles (90, 180, 360) would be helpful to know

features two adjacent boxes one displays code, the other shows what the code does, and as you play around with the code with some help from a prompt, you learn what each command does

New to this arsenal of irresistible and easy-to-use introductions to coding is Minecraft. That creative digital utopia that every kid loves (and which manyteachersdo, too), teamed up withCode.orgto take its bitmapped pickaxe to K-12 education and carve out some space for computer science.

Your FREE PDF is on its way. Please check your email. You will also be receiving the weekly Make: Newsletter to keep you inspired with new projects and more product reviews.

How much time do your kids (or you!) spend stuck in front of a screen, poking around in some gamespace? Perhaps in one composed entirely of pixelated blocks? Fess up! Time to turn those hours of screen time intomakingtime. Im here to tell you how my kids elementary took on the challenge to introduce programming to every student at our K5, and how you too can open up coding to the kids you want to transform into the Makers of tomorrow.

; kids are actually typing the code; uses Ruby, not Java; only 4 simple directions, but might be challenging for some students; not sure about iPad usage, but works well on laptops; class setup is needed prior to student use

. Suggest to every volunteer that they try the tutorials at home first before helping the kids.

Tutorials are all well and good, but inspiring a room full of kids can be a challenge no matter what the topic. I talked to our schools Hour of Code kingpin, Henry Sobel, about how he went about setting up the sessions so that all 300 or so students at the school had a chance to dip their toes into coding. Here are our tips for things to think about that may not be on the HoC prep list:

: iPad, desktop, and Android-compatible; ages 5+; can set up so students can continue where they left off

Keep up with the Greatest Show(and tell) on Earth

If running a workshop in early December is too intimidating, keep in mind that anytime is a good time to learn.Beth Espinoza, who teaches at the San Francisco Friends School, evaluated a number of different platforms to use to introduce the kids to programming and shared these with a group of Maker educators last week. These are great for using during HoC, as a followup afterwards, or anytime you want to get kids coding.

Giving Electronic Dice a Roll at MakerFaire

. While videos and tutorials abound, you cant do this alone. The big challenge is wrangling enough parents and other volunteers to help: at least 23 per class is ideal. (Thats why were telling you about the Hour of Code now, so that you have a few weeks to get helpers signed up. As the tutorials are fairly basic, a background in programming is less important than having patience, basic computer skills, and enthusiasm for these students future.)

Maker Pro News: Makers Will Run the Factories of theFuture

Minecraft tutorials for Hour of Code use a block-based language called Blockly. If you pop open the hood youll see some real-deal JavaScript under there.Kids solve fourteenMinecraft-themed puzzlesby writing code (or rather by snapping code together). Im excited about this because I know its going to blow my kids minds to get to play Minecraft at school. Their schoolmates loved HoCs Angry Birds tutorials last December, with most of the students eagerly snatching up the bookmarks so they had a link to continue coding at home. I have to think that the kids are going to totally lava our workshops this year.

fully self-contained online course with short presentations, movies, quizzes and automatic guidance/hints to help with the programming exercises;

Teach Your Kids to Code with One Hour of MinecraftPuzzles

Stay inspired with the Make: newsletter

Thanks for your submission. Our editors will review your materials and follow up with you via email as soon as possible. In the meantime, keep making stuff!

Stay inspired with the Make: newsletter

Weekend Watch: The Maker Monster InvadesYouTube

Five Mistakes I Made During My FirstKickstarter

Light Up the Room With These LEDEarrings

Beyond Hour of Code for K-5 students: Keep Learning!

Thanks for signing up. Please check your email to confirm.

Your changes have been saved. Keep Making!

you are now signed up to the Make: newsletter.

:drag-and-drop coding that eliminates syntax, with option to show the code as text,

Tips of the Week: Captain ObviousEdition

iPad, Android, and web browser; some reading involved with commands; non-readers cannot use independently

This doesnt apply to just kids! Its so satisfying to teach someone to program. Just about everyone, from ages 4 to 104, could use a little bit of time opening up the black box of all things tech to realize that the future is in their tablet-tickling hands.

Access and the Sustainability of Makerspaces; New York toNigeria

We know that the Maker community is full of fans ofScratch, and Hour of Code is the perfect time to draw your friends into the global Scratch community. Scratchoffers up three awesome Hour of Code tutorials, including one that features the stars of Cartoon Networks showWe Bare Bears.For those wanting to introduce younger kids to programming, check out their new friendlyScratch Jr. book.

Lets get down to the brass tacks.To add your school or makerspace to a growing list of over 93,000 HoC events the week of December 7 to 13, the first thing you should do is to check out the abundant resources onthe HoC Host an Event page.

Make sure you load, open, and test your tutorial software or programming environment on each piece of hardware (laptops, tablets, or desktop computers)schools often have firewall issues that can vary, even from machine to machine.

Tips of the Week: Captain ObviousEdition

Make: is the voice of the Maker Movement, empowering, inspiring, and connecting Makers worldwide to tinker and hack. Subscribe to Make Magazine Today!

: program to control a virtual robot to move, pick up, paint, etc. using text instructions;

iPad only; requires some reading; simple block-based programming

Nearly 2 million people have signed Code.orgs online pledge that Every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science. This isnt just about getting the kids you love best to learn. Lets get every kid coding. Does your local school give its students this opportunity? If not, you can make a difference!

will be available for students that want to dive deeper into programming.

For students who have some coding experience

20+ hours of programming curriculum

Leave a Comment Cancel reply