This is stretching the mandate of this forum a bit, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience in introducing computer programming to kids and has resources to recommend. I'm as familiar as one might be with things like Scratch following some quick searches, but I'm wondering if there are some first-hand accounts of what worked and what didn't at different ages. For instance, I'd be very interested in how to introduce programming concepts without using a computer (kinetic activities).
Recommended resources for introducing programming to kids?
(5 posts) (4 voices)-
Posted 7 years ago Permalink
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Depending on the age group, here are a few I've tried out:
- Ruby for Kids
- Alice
- BlueJ (a bit more advanced, but helps with OOP-style programming)
- PHP for Kids
I've also been wanting to try out RAD to do some Arduino stuff, but my five-year-old just isn't in to that yet :)
Posted 7 years ago Permalink -
Richard Lehane
MemberBest AnswerReplying to @Stéfan Sinclair's post:
Have you come across Computer Science Unplugged? It is a New Zealand site with "... a collection of free learning activities that teach Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around." Their videos are very good too.
Posted 7 years ago Permalink -
Thanks for the list, Wayne – I'll have a look at them.
Richard, that's exactly the kind of approach I was hoping to find, and I'm overjoyed that the resources are freely available online – thanks for the pointer! Having said that, I have to admit that I'm less interested in classic CS concepts (like binary) that dominate the site and more interested in pragmatic concepts (like conditionals and loops). There's a bit of that on the site too, but I'd be very happy to find more.
I suspect I may end up creating some physical activities for the kids, probably culminating in some sort of Javascript widget (which won't require additional software to be installed or configured on the school machines).
All of this to help prepare the next generation of coding digital humanists, y'all understand :)
Posted 7 years ago Permalink -
My kid (8yo) has been tearing through the w3schools tutorials, including the javascript ones.
In addition to Ruby4Kids and Scratch, and the Arduino and Mindstorms software, he liked playing around with HacketyHack, too.
Several of the GeekDad parents swear by the CS Unplugged activities Richard linked to above.
Posted 7 years ago Permalink
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