Coding Instruction from Home

Coding is the common term for Programming, or writing the programs that run apps, websites, etc.  All of this falls under the general title of Computer Science.  When I was growing up, you took computer science classes if you planned to go into a computer science field, which I didn't.  So it was an uncomfortable thing for me to start learning coding, and then building it into my classes.  I started teaching coding about 6 years ago, and now it is an enormous part of what we do, from kindergarten on up.  The kids will tell you that it's my favorite thing to teach.  Part of the reason for that is because the reactions from them when they figure out how to program something.  It is very empowering and exciting for them!

While we're all virtual learning for the next few (weeks? months?) coding is a great way to keep their little brains growing while they are having fun doing it!  The availability of coding resources online has grown incredibly over the last few years.  Now there are free resources (both online and offline) everywhere!  I wanted to share some of my favorites so that you can hopefully share them with your children as well.

Code.org was considered the first kid-accessible site for learning to code with no prior experience.  Over the past half a decade or so, they've expanded the offerings on their site to include extensive courses as well as shorter overviews, courses for non-readers, engaging games and activities, as well as more advanced text-based coding lessons.  If your child has a Google account, they can track their progress and save their projects along the way.

My favorite platform for beginning and intermediate coding lessons is Scratch .  All of my 3rd and 4th graders learn how to code in Scratch, while my k-2 students start out on the iPads on Scratch Jr. It is user friendly and adaptable to kids of all coding levels.  You do need to have an account in Scratch, so I have my students set them up using their regular school username and password, for continuity.

Typing.com (our keyboarding program) and Khan Academy (a home-learning favorite) have both developed coding curriculum along side their original curriculum.  If your child is looking for something new or different than what we do in school, this is possibly the way to go. 

Good luck and have fun!