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Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children

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Re: Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children

#191

Post by snowytrees »

yalogin wrote: post #50

Folks here who used scratch with their kids, what is the next step after scratch? How did you introduce a language/platform to your kid? I have introduced python and my kid is able to pick it up, but am unable to come up with projects that sustain interest. It feels dry without UI and one shouldn't be doing web dev with python too. So what is the progression for python and kids?

As someone who learned programming with scratch in elementary school, the next step they did was using DrRacket but honestly I did not like it. I don’t remember anything I made with it but still remember my scratch projects. I think pygame would be a good next step as it is batteries included and let’s you build similar gui applications with an event loop. However, I haven’t used scratch since around 2010 so it could have evolved a lot since I used it and the concepts might not translate anymore.

Re: Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children

#192

Post by sokoloff »

vb234 wrote: post #146
JoeOfTexas wrote: post #13

My 9 year old daughter surprised me yesterday with her little game made with Scratch. I was impressed. I surprised her back when I did user-testing haha. She discovered the fun world of bugs and user's doing things they shouldn't!

I’ve been tempted to teach my daughter programming with scratch. At what age did you introduce your daughter to Scratch and programming? Where there any helpful/fun guides you or she discovered along the way?

I introduced to my kids at around 6 and 8. 6 was maybe a little early, but not much (and will vary by kid, of course).

One thing that really added to the fun when they were making games is I got a PS3 controller (which is bluetooth) and connected that to the computer as a keyboard, which Scratch code can then read and use in the games.

The first big (for them) project we did was: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/219423211/ They had just turned 7 and 9 when we did that and dad helped them out with a fair bit of guidance (and cribbing from other projects), but after this one, they really took to playing around with it on their own and a few times per month, I'll look over and see Adam using scratch around 5 years later.

PS: There is a Scratch Jr if your kids don't seem quite old enough to have the attention span/focus for scratch.

Re: Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children

#193

Post by dang »

Related. I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been more (most of these threads were small). Others?

Ask HN: Alternatives to Scratch for a blind child? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34229502 - Jan 2023 (67 comments)

Ask HN: is learning Elixir suitable for a kid who currently uses MIT’s Scratch? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32242897 - July 2022 (4 comments)

Show HN: CodeStruct – Python programming environment for novices after Scratch - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32232110 - July 2022 (5 comments)

Show HN: PickCode – An educational coding environment for students after Scratch - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32230329 - July 2022 (32 comments)

I made advanced BI queries with Scratch puzzle pieces - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32130444 - July 2022 (20 comments)

Scratch is a big deal - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32120445 - July 2022 (296 comments)

Linux Kernel Module written in Scratch (a visual programming language for kids) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31921996 - June 2022 (38 comments)

Snap is Scheme disguised as Scratch [pdf] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28337196 - Aug 2021 (40 comments)

Syllabus for teaching Scratch programming to kids - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24633742 - Sept 2020 (2 comments)

Show HN: My 10 yr olds recent scratch creations - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23892698 - July 2020 (9 comments)

Scratch: Block-based visual programming language - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22854218 - April 2020 (10 comments)

Recursion and Fractals - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21879638 - Dec 2019 (19 comments)

Scratch 3.0 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18810216 - Jan 2019 (110 comments)

Game of Life in Scratch - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14625653 - June 2017 (7 comments)

How Scratch teaches kids to follow the hacker ethic - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14274249 - May 2017 (115 comments)

A Forth to Scratch compiler - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13564754 - Feb 2017 (7 comments)

Why I Believe Scratch Is the Future of Programming - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13129030 - Dec 2016 (62 comments)

Scratch is probably the answer - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10144228 - Aug 2015 (27 comments)

MIT Scratch – Teach kids to program stories, games, and animations - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8751969 - Dec 2014 (30 comments)

MIT's Scratch Team releases Scratch 2.0 editor and player as open source - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7739604 - May 2014 (61 comments)

Scratch for Arduino - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6613619 - Oct 2013 (11 comments)

What's New in Scratch 2.0 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5685448 - May 2013 (47 comments)

Super Scratch Programming Adventure--A new programming comic for kids - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4419513 - Aug 2012 (2 comments)

Using Kinect with MIT's Scratch (visual programming language) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2086238 - Jan 2011 (4 comments)

Use Scratch to Easily Program Household Appliances - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2077265 - Jan 2011 (8 comments)

Apple Rejects Kid-Friendly Programming App - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1281738 - April 2010 (26 comments)

Scratch: Programming for all - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=955228 - Nov 2009 (2 comments)

Ask HN: Guido van Rossum's comment about go and scratch - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=946338 - Nov 2009 (26 comments)

Scratch Helps Kids Get With the Program - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=608629 - May 2009 (11 comments)

Scratch is a Programming Language for Kids - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36053 - July 2007 (5 comments)

Re: Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children

#194

Post by detritus »

alexb_ wrote: post #142
JoeOfTexas wrote: post #13

My 9 year old daughter surprised me yesterday with her little game made with Scratch. I was impressed. I surprised her back when I did user-testing haha. She discovered the fun world of bugs and user's doing things they shouldn't!

I remember when I was young, I made a scratch game that was just "Guess the secret letter". Basically "if l pressed, you win, else you lose". Except my 10 year old brain did not understand what else meant. So I created, over the course of hours, a different if statement for every key on the keyboard that all ended with "you lose". Was a shock to me when my parents, after seeing my code for the first time, told me wha…

One of the fun things about having a kid is realising how fundamentally-learned everything is, and how much we adults end up taking for granted. I catch myself so many times explaining things to my daughter, and then realising that the terms and concepts I'm using in the description also need describing. (She's 22).

Re: Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children

#195

Post by birdyrooster »

ar9av wrote: post #103

Scratch gets a lot of hate with semi-experienced programmers (the kind to browse this sub) because of its simplicity, but it's actually really good. It teaches you basic programming concepts without all of the complexity of other programming languages. I remember back in school, some of the students in my computer science classes didn't understand the basic concepts of programming: variables, loops, functions, etc. a…

My first CS course used Scratch to teach it and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than the C++ which followed and I certainly remember more from the experience. C++ was my introduction to pain.

Re: Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children

#196

Post by kgwxd »

yalogin wrote: post #50

Folks here who used scratch with their kids, what is the next step after scratch? How did you introduce a language/platform to your kid? I have introduced python and my kid is able to pick it up, but am unable to come up with projects that sustain interest. It feels dry without UI and one shouldn't be doing web dev with python too. So what is the progression for python and kids?

Roblox Studio is, by far, the most encouraging environment I've see for kids. Being able to easily share a multiplayer 3D world with friends is a HUGE motivator. My 6yo has been using it almost daily for a few months now and things like Scratch never held his interest for more than a few hours total. Only downside is you need a decent PC for it to be usable.

Re: Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children

#197

Post by overthrow »

ar9av wrote: post #103

Scratch gets a lot of hate with semi-experienced programmers (the kind to browse this sub) because of its simplicity, but it's actually really good. It teaches you basic programming concepts without all of the complexity of other programming languages. I remember back in school, some of the students in my computer science classes didn't understand the basic concepts of programming: variables, loops, functions, etc. a…

fyi, this comment is a copy/paste of a 4 year old comment from https://old.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/asqslg/if...

I guess HN has karma farming bots now

Re: Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children

#198

Post by Wowfunhappy »

asciii wrote: post #176
qikInNdOutReply wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remember that robblox investigation, were they interviewed that 12 year old that already talked like a burned out developer, feeling cheated out of the revenue. The children yearn for the mines.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gXlauRB1EQ

Yikes... Scratch and Roblox conspiracy to create an army of child developers? :O

Please do not conflate Scratch and Roblox!

Scratch is open source software created by a nonprofit foundation to promote education and creativity.

Roblox exploits children for profit and I quite literally believe they are violating child labor laws.

Re: Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children

#199

Post by raspasov »

overthrow wrote: post #197
ar9av wrote: post #103

Scratch gets a lot of hate with semi-experienced programmers (the kind to browse this sub) because of its simplicity, but it's actually really good. It teaches you basic programming concepts without all of the complexity of other programming languages. I remember back in school, some of the students in my computer science classes didn't understand the basic concepts of programming: variables, loops, functions, etc. a…

fyi, this comment is a copy/paste of a 4 year old comment from https://old.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/asqslg/if... I guess HN has karma farming bots now

Wow.

Re: Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children

#200

Post by archgoon »

overthrow wrote: post #197
ar9av wrote: post #103

Scratch gets a lot of hate with semi-experienced programmers (the kind to browse this sub) because of its simplicity, but it's actually really good. It teaches you basic programming concepts without all of the complexity of other programming languages. I remember back in school, some of the students in my computer science classes didn't understand the basic concepts of programming: variables, loops, functions, etc. a…

fyi, this comment is a copy/paste of a 4 year old comment from https://old.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/asqslg/if... I guess HN has karma farming bots now

Yep, as are most of the other comments.

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