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Ask HN: Curriculum for kids coding Summer camp?

4 points by callmeed 11y ago

Hey HN, I'll be teaching a week-long kids coding camp this Summer at our local university. It will be targeted at 3rd-6th graders. I've taught classes in the past using Google's CS First program [0]. However, some of the organizers are worried that too many local kids have already done CS First and may get bored. I've been tasked with finding some alternative programs. Any recommendations? Thanks https://www.cs-first.com

jcr 11y ago
Berkeley Snap [1] and MIT Scratch [2] come to mind. I'm not a teacher, so I'm unsure if these are applicable to your age/time constraints, but they might be worthwhile. [1] http://snap.berkeley.edu/ http://snap.berkeley.edu/ [2] https://scratch.mit.edu/ https://scratch.mit.edu/
- callmeed 11y ago
  Yeah, I'm familiar with Scratch because that's what CS First users. I'm wondering if there are any decent curriculums to go with Scratch or Snap. Thanks.
  - jcr 11y ago
    This is a bit late, so just in case you don't check your discussions ('threads' link), I sent you an email. This might help: Computer Science Field Guide (canterbury.ac.nz) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11030532 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11030532 Specifically, this comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11030861 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11030861 adpirz 28 minutes ago Same folks did this for younger grades: http://csunplugged.org/ http://csunplugged.org/
Outdoorsman 11y ago
I'm in the same boat...have committed to teaching "STEM" related programming concepts for a week of camp this summer... I'm leaning toward something R-Pi 2-related...exposure to Linux, etc...though that might increase fees... For what it may be worth I've learned that summer camps love the idea of kids taking home a gift for their parents...in days past this might have been a pencil holder made at the Craft Hut from woven reeds... So, I'm looking for a project that meets both requirements ...still looking, but will bookmark this and check in later for more ideas, or to share... Good luck!...
- jcr 11y ago
  I looked for an email address in your profile, but you didn't put it in the 'about' section, so there's no way to contact you. Hopefully you'll check the 'threads' link on HN and see this. Computer Science Field Guide (canterbury.ac.nz) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11030532 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11030532 Particularly this comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11030861 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11030861 adpirz 28 minutes ago Same folks did this for younger grades: http://csunplugged.org/ http://csunplugged.org/