Hey everyone! Wynn here and we just got in a really neat book. Scratch Code Robots by Max Wainewright is part of the Scratch Code Challenge series. This book is a wonderful introduction into the world of Scratch coding. It is essentially a step-by-step walk through of how to code robots. Without any prior knowledge, you can pick this up and start. This would be a great rainy day weekend project.
It is not a secret that I love Scratch. It turns a relatively complex idea like coding into a simple digestible block building game of sorts. There are tutorials like this book, or you can learn simply by trial and error. I wish I would have had something like this when I was younger. When I was a kid, we programmed Lego racers with Apple II computers during a special summer school program. It was complicated and buggy. It also had this huge ribbon like cord that had to attach to the car and it slowed it down. In short, it sounded a lot more fun than it actually ended up being.
Scratch lets you program directly on the screen to test out your code. If you have a robot to use, you can transfer that code over and program your robots to do the same thing. There are other programs like Scratch that are more or less advanced depending on your skill set. However, I think Scratch is the most approachable and widely used, which means there are more examples and guides to help you if you need it.
Regardless of age, if you are looking to get your feet wet in the world of coding, Scratch is a great first step. Scratch Code Robots is a great way to help explore it. Visit www.scratch.mit.edu and start your coding journey. In addition, if you or your child is in grades 1 through 6, I will be having a Scratch based program on August 27. We will be creating a short adventure set on the high seas. Register at www.myfcpl.org/calendar.
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