More Ideas for Programming for Kids

In the past, I have posted about some options for kids that are available to help them learn about programming:   Codecademy and the iOS apps Cargo-Bot and Daisy the Dinosaur.  I also briefly mentioned Gamestar Mechanic in one of my posts.  Many of my 5th graders have been using Gamestar Mechanic, which you can … Read more

Codecademy After-School Club

Some of you may already be familiar with Codecademy, which offers free on-line courses in programming and web-site authoring.  Now, the site is offering a free after-school program that it states can be used with students as young as 7.  During the first semester, the students learn how to build a website.  The second semester … Read more

Computer Programming for Kids

In yesterday’s post about the iPad app, Daisy the Dinosaur, I referenced some ways to introduce kids to computer programming.  For those of you who want to pursue this further, I thought you might like this post by Marshall Brain, “Teaching Your Kids How to Write Computer Programs”.  This is a fairly detailed summary of … Read more

Daisy the Dinosaur

Daisy the Dinosaur is an iPad app that teaches basic programming to young children.  It has a Challenge Mode, in which the user is given 5 challenges that increase in difficulty, beginning with programming the dinosaur to walk forward.  In Freeplay Mode, the user can experiment with several different commands, including making Daisy grow or … Read more

Cargo-Bot

Cargo-Bot is a free iApp that I can’t decide if I love or hate.  Currently, I am stuck on one of the levels – and it’s in the Easy Category.  But, I can’t stop!  I will keep working on it until I figure it out.  This is why it would probably be a good app … Read more