Introduction to Coding for Kids (Age 9-13) - July 31- August 4

All camps will take place at the South Whidbey Community Center.  This morning coding camp is followed by the art camp - Clay & Earth Pigments for age 8-13 in  the afternoon (1:00pm - 3:00pm). If you are signing up for two WILASC camps on the same days, we will take care of your child during the one-hour lunch break so that they can stay full day without you). 

In this 5-day half-day camp,  Teacher Justin will introduce coding fundamentals and basic programming concepts to kids aged 9-14 through engaging, hands-on activities and projects using Scratch and Python.

Students will learn what is coding and what are some common coding interfaces. They will also learn to:

- create a simple coding project that includes basic programming concepts

- work in teams to draw complex shapes & patterns and design a simple game with Python and Turtle Graphics

- showcase their Python game for class discussion and feedback at the end!

By the end of the course, students will have a basic understanding of programming concepts, created their own Scratch games, and built simple Python games using Turtle Graphics.

CLASS SIZE: Max 12 students (if there are more than 10 students, there will be an assistant instructor to support with class management and content delivery) 

SAMPLE CLASS CURRICULUM

Day 1

1. Welcome and Icebreaker Activity (10 minutes)
2. Introduction to Coding (20 minutes)                    
   • What is coding?
   • Why is coding important?
   • Real-world examples of coding

       

3. Introduction to Scratch (30 minutes)                    
   • What is Scratch?
   • Creating a Scratch account
   • Exploring the Scratch interface

       

Hour 2 (15-minute break after the first hour):

1. Creating a Simple Scratch Project (75 minutes)                    
   • Moving and animating sprites
   • Adding sounds and backgrounds
   • Introducing basic programming concepts (loops, events, and conditions)

       

FULL CAMP SCHEDULE CAN BE VIEWED HERE

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Justin MacDonald grew up in the Seattle area and has a PhD in Quantitative Psychology from Purdue University. He has been college faculty since 2007 and regularly teaches graduate coding classes. He has extensive experience with a number of programming languages, including Python and Matlab. He also serves as the Math teacher for the 6th and 7th grades at Whidbey Island Waldorf School.