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I also used AppInventor, an online platform by MIT, let's you code visually in the browser, might be worth checking out.
Finally, show them this video: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/178938/Video_Is_your_game...
I used to help teach kids (12-16ish) how to code. One thing that we always did towards the beginning of a class was an exercise where we tell them to write down the steps to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then we'd literally get bread, peanut butter, and jelly, and follow their instructions to the letter. No one ever adequately describes the process: "put peanut butter on bread" - With what? the jar is clos…
Sounds like the perfect introduction to abstraction and wishful-thinking guided programming! (Maybe not using big words like abstraction for kids)
I used to help teach kids (12-16ish) how to code. One thing that we always did towards the beginning of a class was an exercise where we tell them to write down the steps to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then we'd literally get bread, peanut butter, and jelly, and follow their instructions to the letter. No one ever adequately describes the process: "put peanut butter on bread" - With what? the jar is clos…
resources: http://kata.coderdojo.com/wiki/Home_Page
The book I wrote is designed for self-study and seems to work pretty well for some kids.
More details on my blog here: http://grahammitchell.com/writings/how-i-teach-beginners.htm...
I've done this for several years. Here's what I've learned. TLDR: Focus on getting them to have fun & enjoy learning about 'code'. Don't care so much on how well they learn it. Every kid is unique & will respond to different things. Social & mentors are awesome. It's usually more fun to build with others if possible. Also they will want to easily share & show off their creations with others. Show them how to "hack" G…
The plan was to teach kids about how websites works/HTTP basics, basic HTML/JS etc. I had all the material and code ready. When I reached the school I found out their internet had been disconnected!
Google's "browser is offline" T-Rex game popped up and I ended up spending the entire week with them teaching them how that game worked. It was a big hit! By the end of the week they were busy modifying the t-rex sprites with each others faces and stuff :)
Basically have a back up plan for no/limited internet!
I used to help teach kids (12-16ish) how to code. One thing that we always did towards the beginning of a class was an exercise where we tell them to write down the steps to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then we'd literally get bread, peanut butter, and jelly, and follow their instructions to the letter. No one ever adequately describes the process: "put peanut butter on bread" - With what? the jar is clos…
We needed to describe how to draw some sheet music on the chalkboard, but you couldn't gesture (we could only communicate through an imaginary phone line), and he would take whatever you said as literally as possible and opposite of your original intention as he could.
"Ok, draw 5 lines" (Draws 5 squiggles) "No! 5 straight lines" (draws 5 lines in various locations and directions) "Nooo! 5 straight lines, above each other, horizontal!" (Draws the 5 lines of a musical staff, but 2 inches long and 3 feet vertical spacing between each line). "Nooooo! 5 straight lines, above each other, horizontal, they should be very long and close together" (Takes out a piece of paper from his desk, draws the staff on it) "NOOOO! On the chalkboard!" etc
It's available as an ebook as well as in paper. Short pitch: don't just learn to code by typing out existing code, learn how to think algorithmically and write your own code instead. Learn Scratch and Python side by side, seeing the same Computer Science concept in one and then the other. As well as the reviews, I've heard great anecdotal feedback.
Full disclosure: I wrote it. If I could get you a discount, I would, but I don't have that kind of sway with the publisher.
Linear programming on paper first, then linear programming by code. I have no idea how to do that one with kids, without being present (since I barely managed to do it with adults, while being present). Doing it on paper by hand first is more important then it sounds, so they can really understand a)what they are coding, b)how fricking awesome computers really are.