Join us on Wednesday, March 3rd at 2 p.m. for a fun filled session of STEM Club, where we will learn even more about coding!

Basic programming has become an essential skill for grown-ups and children alike. The benefits of learning to code are huge: 

  • Coders are in high demand

  • Coding provides a competitive advantage

  • Coding knowledge allows students better understand the world

  • Coding is fun and satisfying

  • Coding is fun and satisfying

  • Coding improves creativity

  • Coding improves problem solving

  • Coding improves persistence

  • Coding improves collaboration

  • Coding improves communication (to learn more check out 5 Reasons Your Child Should Learn to Code)

In our session on March 3rd, we will be using Code Combat to learn basic coding. To get ready, let’s learn some computer science vocabulary.

  • Computer Science – The study of computers

  • Computational Thinking – Modifying a problem so that it can be solved using a computer

  • Programmer – Someone who writes the code

  • Code – The language that tells a computer what to do

  • Algorithm – A list of steps to finish a task

  • Program – An algorithm that has been coded into something that can be run by a machine

  • Binary – A way of representing information in only two ways (yes or no, go or stop, 1 or 0)

  • Command – An instruction for the computer

  • Run / Go – This causes the computer to do the commands you’ve written

  • Event – An action the causes something to happen

  • Bug – A mistake in the program

  • Debugging – Finding and fixing problems in the code

  • Loop – Doing something over and over again

  • Decompose – To break a problem down into smaller pieces

 There are many fun free websites that teach coding for children, here are a few of the best:

To learn more about coding, checkout some of these great books:

DK Find Out! Coding by James Floyd Kelly

My First Coding Book by Kiki Prottsman

Coding With ScratchJr by Adrienne Matteson

How Coding Works by Ben Hubbard

How to Be a Coder by Kiki Prottsman