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 Computer programming for kids (currently 1,134 views) |
| Admin |
| Posted on: April 15th, 2006, 11:56pm |
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Posts: 1,794
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I'm not sure if I posted here earlier that I was looking for material to help my son learn computer programming. He decided to take some time off from math (a week? a month? a year?) and learn programming. He's only 7, but it's in his blood since his parents are (or, in my case, was) a computer science type.
I found something that is not only completely FREE but also seems to be working well for us and wanted to share it. MSW Logo (that is Logo for Microsoft Windows) can be downloaded at http://www.softronix.com/logo.html.
We downloaded the Setup kit (link near the top). We also downloaded the free book and CD examples. Those links are further down, called "The Great Logo Adventure" and "The Great Logo Adventure CD". They're the online equivalent of a book & CD set for learning the language. The books is written for kids (maybe aimed at middle school or a bit younger?), has lots of fun things to try, lots of encouragement of experimentation, and builds slowly to more advanced stuff.
Prerequisites would be decent reading skills (maybe as young as 2nd-3rd grade, with help from parents) and it would be helpful to be able to type, although hunt & peck would probably work.
The language is easy to pick up, has immediate graphical feedback because you start by learning to draw lines and shapes by controlling a "turtle with a pen", and a miminum of difficult syntax and punctuation (like those pesky brackets, parentheses, semicolons, colons, etc that exist in so many programming language). However, it is a powerful language that is capable of much more than the simple "turtle" graphics that it starts with.
I can share more if anyone's interested in this. |
Elizabeth
Mom to Eric (8 ) and Ruby (4.5) |
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| monica.cohu |
| Posted on: April 16th, 2006, 5:41am |
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Elizabeth, I will call you about this. Ian's asked different questions about computer stuff. Things that I don't have a clue about.
MOnica |
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| Crystal_Miller |
| Posted on: April 16th, 2006, 3:40pm |
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Thanks Elizabeth. Sorscha is working on her own website right now on Neopets. Her dad is a computer guy and most evenings they spend 2 to 3 hours working on stuff...not just playing games. I cannot believe how much she knows compared to me. I have to ask her for help. I should have know when she was about 4 years old, I was trying to do something and she said to me, "Mom, that's the slave drive...you have to put it in here!" haha
This looks like a wonderful addition and I'll see if she wants to check it out. Thanks for sharing. We are a big tech family. I have a girlfriend who does not let her kids even get on the computer because of "bad guys and bad stuff." I think "the earlier the better" with this generation.
Oh yeah...and Sorscha loves to MSN...so if any kids are interested in MSNing with her please let her know and she can add them to her list.
Thanks again Elizabeth. OH, and I love your respect for your kiddo. That's AWESOME!!!! |
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