Do you want your child to start coding, but aren’t sure how to get started?
If you’re like a lot of parents, you know your kid needs to learn coding to learn essential twenty-first century skills. A recent study showed over half of all top-paying jobs require coding. Another showed jobs requiring programming are growing 12% faster than the market average.
It’s clear coding isn’t just good to know – it’s essential. In fact, 65% of current grade school students will work in jobs that don’t exist yet. But only 40% of schools teach computer science and coding. How is your child supposed learn coding and other critical skills?
It can feel intimidating to know the best way to get started:
- What’s the best programming language your child should learn?
- What activities are good for beginners?
- How do you find a coding program that grows with your child (instead of one your child quickly outgrows)?
- And most importantly, how can you make this fun for your child so she or he wants to learn more?
If you’ve ever wondered about any of these questions, then you’ll want to pay attention during the first week of December. Hour of Code is coming!
What is Hour of Code, and How it Helps Kids (and Parents) Finally Learn Coding
Every year, tens of millions of students in over 180 countries participate in a global movement called Hour of Code. As the official Hour of Code site states,
The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code”, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts.
Over 200,000 educators worldwide participate, making it the largest group coding activity in the world. And this year, Because Learning is hosting a simple, easy way for your child to participate and learn coding!
How your child can participate in Hour of Code with Because Learning
There are two ways to participate.
- Browse the Hour of Code website, find a lesson you want to do on the main Hour of Code website
- Join Because Learning in participating this year!
As parents, educators, and coders ourselves, we at Because Learning want kids to learn these critical skills! That’s why we’ve designed lessons that are the perfect way introduce kids to coding, take their skills to the next level, and provide a framework they can follow for life.
Our coding lessons achieve three critical things for kids:
- First, they provide instant feedback so kids can experiment until they get everything just right. This provides immediate learning.
- Second, they’re customizable. This gives kids room to explore and play when they’ve completed the basic lesson instructions.
- Finally, they’re fun! Our own children spend hours and hours writing code, taking measurements, and experimenting to see what they can do.
It’s no wonder Because Learning’s Sensor Kits and coding lessons are used in thousands of classrooms all over the world. They are, hands down, the best way to introduce kids to coding for life.
But our kits aren’t just for the classroom. As a parent, you’ll like that our STEM coding lessons are based on a kit that actually grows with your child. That means no more kit you’ll use for six months before your kid gets bored and grows out of it.
What Lessons Do You Recommend for Hour of Code?
In our Lessons portal, we have hundreds of lessons your child can try to learn coding principles. Here are the lessons we think would be perfect for Hour of Code:
OLED Display Hello World
Can you control the styling and the message that is printed out on the OLED Display using an Arduino sketch?
Introduction to Arduino Sketches and Leveraging Variables
What is an Arduino sketch, and how can you use variables to simplify Arduino sketches?
Nightlight Engineering
Can you make an LED light turn on when a room goes dark using a sensor?
Light Show
Can you use an Arduino sketch to make your own LED light show?
Knock Knock Joke with the OLED Display
Can you alter a pre-written Arduino sketch to improve the display of a knock-knock joke?
Spooky Fun Times
Can you engineer a circuit that will use sensor data to trigger spooky sounds?
Holiday Light Show
Can you use code to make your own Holiday-themed LED light show?
Pong with OLED Display
Can you alter a pre-written Arduino sketch to improve the game of Pong?
Accelerometer Warning Lights
Can you design, build, and code a circuit that acts as a dynamic breaking system?
Sounds Great, But What do Parents and Kids Say About Your Coding Activities?
Because Learning’s Sensor Kits are used all over the world in thousands of classrooms to teach kids coding. Here’s what parents, teachers, and kids have to say:
“I’d tried to introduce my daughter to coding through DIY kits before. $150 and hours later, we still didn’t have even a blinking light. With Because Learning, we had a successful coding lesson up and running in minutes.”
– Ben, South Jordan, UT
“The big eye-opener for me is how kids just gravitate to these kits. Reading about science and technology and computer science isn’t going to get our kids where they need to be in our tech economy. … Implementing fun and engaging hands-on learning is the key.”
– Kevin Reeve, co-founder of Logan’s Cache Makers, a STEM learning club for middle and high school students.
“It’s difficult to find material that scaffolds from where my child is to where my child will be. Because Learning is something I know will grow with my child, every month.”
– Duane, Salt Lake City, UT
“We feel like the kits are helping us in laying the groundwork for that shift when it (new state STEAM standards) happens. Our favorite part about the partnership is everything they do is very exploratory in nature and there are a lot of touch points to connect to math and science.”
– Jeff Baugus
Science and Math Coordinator, Santa Rosa County Public Schools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Because Learning?
Because Learning is a platform that provides fun STEM activities. Through our high-end Sensor Kit and web-based lessons, kids develop critical thinking, problem solving, and other necessary twenty-first century skills.
Currently, Because Learning is used in thousands of homes and classrooms around the world.
How Much Does Because Learning Cost?
The subscription to access our Lessons is $21 per month. That includes the Sensor Kit (retail value: $150) and unlimited access to over 120+ lessons. Plus, we’ll send you five new lessons every month. It’s an affordable, fun way to help kids practice real-world STEM skills like measuring data, testing experiments, and coding computers.
Will My Child Grow Out of Because Learning?
As parents, we understand how frustrating it is when you buy a STEM toy for your child, only to have her or him grow out of it in a few months. We designed our Sensor Kit and lessons around the open source Arduino hardware. This is the same hardware grad students, DIYers, and many others use through adulthood.
Our feeling was this: sure, we could create just another STEM toy. But why not create kid-friendly lessons on hardware they can use for life?
Do I Need a Subscription to Participate in Hour of Code?
All of the activities we’ll share for Hour of Code will be based on our Lessons. If you activate your subscription today, we’ll rush your Sensor Kit to your home in time to join us for Hour of Code. (Plus, you’ll immediately get access to our 120+ lessons.)
You can definitely find other coding tutorials on the web. But we feel it’s such a difficult challenge to sort through them all and find ones that actually work well for kids. Since our Lessons are already used by thousands of students around the world, we know they’re a great place to begin.
Can I Cancel My Subscription?
You can cancel your subscription at any time. We just ask that if you’ve been subscribed less than 6 months you return the Sensor Kit when you cancel.
How Do I Get a Sensor Kit?
Simply click this link and fill out the order form. We’ll activate your access to our Lessons and mail your Sensor Kit to your home ASAP.
How to Participate With Us For Hour of Code 2017
- Enter your email. We’ll send you a welcome email you can share with your child that explains everything you need to know.
- Watch for updates. From now until Hour of Code (the week of December 4), we’ll send activity ideas, tips, and more to help you and your child prepare for the big day!
- Have fun and let us know what you did! When you run your experiments, we want to hear about it! Check your email for a special link with instructions on how to submit your experience.