Computer programming has been declared “the new literacy” and coding books for kids are popular. Help your child celebrate Computer Science Education Week December 7-13 and participate in the “Hour of Code” campaign, designed to encourage all students to try computer science and complete an hour of coding. At Code.org, kids ages 6 and up can use coding to build a Star Wars galaxy, navigate Minecraft, and more.
Both Cedar Mill Library locations have programmable Finch Robots for ages 8 and up available to check out with your library card. These small robots have support for learning over a dozen programming languages and environments.
Check out these books for kids & teens:
- Getting to Know Scratch by Jeanne Nagle
- Help Your Kids with Computer Coding: A Unique Step-By-Step Visual Guide, from Binary Code to Building Games by Carol Vorderman
- Hello World! : Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners by Warren Sande
- Learn to Program with Scratch: a visual introduction to programming with games, art, science and math by Majed Marji
- Python for Kids : A Playful Introduction to Programming by Jason R. Briggs
- Ruby Wizardry: An Introduction to Programming for Kids by Eric Weinstein
Nonprofit Coding Websites for Kids:
https://coderdojo.com/ “CoderDojo is a global network of volunteer-led, independent, community based programming clubs for young people. These young people, between 7 and 17, learn how to code, develop websites, apps, programs, games and explore technology.”
http://code.org/ “Launched in 2013, Code.org® is a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color.”
http://scratch.mit.edu/ “Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century. Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge.”
