Coding Sites To Check Out

image: helloruby

I was out of town recently, all alone. It was pure bliss. I met a gal at my hotel and ended up talking to her about coding sites she could show her high schooler.

I may have an issue. Everywhere I go I end up telling someone about a coding site that they or their kid should check out. Or maybe it’s just what I am passionate about!

Regardless of the reason, here are a couple resources for you to check out if you are trying to figure out where to begin with your kid OR perhaps yourself!

Treehouse Club Ages 9–14

HTML, CSS, And JavaScript

This is a good place for a lot of people to start. The info is explained simply and actually I think the kids versions of these concepts sticks better in our heads, at least it does for me.

Khan Academy

Intro to JS Drawing & Animation

Short tutorials using JavaScript to create fun drawings and animations. My 7 year old uses this. Khan Academy also recently launched HTML/CSS tutorials. I have watched several and I am impressed. They make it fun and easy to understand.

Scratch or Scratch JR

I love this program. You learn functions, loops, if-then statements, etc. These are very important coding concepts and even if you do not become a coder, they are extremely important algorithmic concepts.

You use command blocks to build games, make interactive cards or do anything you want. MIT made this and it is free. So just sign up! They also made Scratch Jr for ages 5–7.

Build your own Website

How fantastical is this book? Kids love comic book style books and this one is done so well. My kids have read it soooo many times. It’s an easy read and a great way to start introducing programming words and concepts.

There is even a dragon in there!

Brain Pop/Brain Pop JR

You can learn a ton of Computer Science concepts from this site. Actually, your kids can pretty much learn anything from this site. We have been subscribers for over 4 years and I can honestly say this is my most valuable tool I use in homeschooling. Brain Pop Jr is for ages 5–7 and Brain Pop is for the older kids.

I hope you try a few out. Let me know if you do.