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Ask HN: Are there any children's websites that teach coding or coding concepts?

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Re: Ask HN: Are there any children's websites that teach coding or coding concepts?

#11

Post by cwhittle »

Depends on whether she has an innate interest or whether you're trying to spark interest, but I think this is the best/most fun way to start any kid with the basics: http://drtechniko.com/2012/04/09/how-to-train-your-robot/

My six year old just started with Blockly, which is similar to Scratch:

http://blockly-demo.appspot.com/static/apps/turtle/en.html

But we're going to try http://kidsruby.com/ as soon as he's got enough written language under his belt. Probably will work great for a 5th grader though.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any children's websites that teach coding or coding concepts?

#14

Post by brewgardn »

cwhittle wrote: post #11

Depends on whether she has an innate interest or whether you're trying to spark interest, but I think this is the best/most fun way to start any kid with the basics: http://drtechniko.com/2012/04/09/how-to-train-your-robot/ My six year old just started with Blockly, which is similar to Scratch: http://blockly-demo.appspot.com/static/apps/turtle/en.html But we're going to try http://kidsruby.com/ as soon as he's got e…

Great point. She is definitely more in the "spark interest" camp. Probably, naturally more suited to the design field, but I want her to be exposed to coding early so she can make an informed decision, instead of being intimidated by the prospect at a later stage (like her dad). Also, she's a great leader and I've got two more coming up behind her, so if she takes to it, I might have a hacker family on my hands :)

Re: Ask HN: Are there any children's websites that teach coding or coding concepts?

#18

Post by stiff »

I first learned some programming being 8 year old and typing BASIC programs in an editor. Somewhat surprisingly, I think it was easier to get started then than it is now, BASIC was then included among the initial program set of the computer, complete with an IDE and if you ever got to that level it included graphics routines etc. and everything was described in a single book. I now have been seriously programming for more than 10 years, including 7 professionally, but whenever I want to do some fun graphics or sound stuff I still struggle a lot to pick libraries, install them, actually make them work etc.

I would love some recommendations for programming languages + runtimes that you install with one click and immediately have at your disposal a decent language + IDE without weird quirks together with good graphics and sound primitives. I don't think this should be specifically for kids. It should simply be free of ridiculous language issues (PHP and JavaScript are out) and ridiculous runtime issues (managing a thousand and one libraries). Then it will be as good for kids as for adults (as if there was some magic gap between them!) willing to prototype. Actually, I think it is a great project idea, the few existing projects that target this are not all that great I believe.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any children's websites that teach coding or coding concepts?

#19

Post by jbattle »

EdwardMSmith wrote: post #2

Just re-introduced my kids (8 and 10) to Scratch: http://scratch.mit.edu/ Drag and drop visual programming. Its good for kids because it allows them to quickly create things that they're used to seeing/using (graphics, animations, sounds), but still uses real programming concepts. At 5 you're going to have to sit with her and help guide her on concepts, but she'll pick it up quick. Edit: Err, 5th grade, I see, not 5y…

My son loved Scratch. The other thing that is great about Scratch is the built-in mechanisms for sharing your creations with friends. Tapping in to that popularity contest mentality can either be a motivation or a distraction depending on the kid, but it's there as an option not a core part of the tool.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any children's websites that teach coding or coding concepts?

#20

Post by alecdbrooks »

sopooneo wrote: post #3

I always thought the game "lightbot" might be good as part of a intro course. http://armorgames.com/play/2205/light-bot

Interesting. I particularly like how it teaches decomposition. I don't know how understandable it would be to non-programmers, particularly children. They may need a parent or teacher on hand, at least at first.
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