Gavin Loves Coding…And Treasure Hunting!

This week’s Featured Maker has a unique hobby – metal detecting! In his words, “I usually find money, but it’s just pennies and dimes­, and a couple quarters now and then.” Gavin, a 10-year-old 5th grader from Texas, loves metal detecting, playing piano (especially classical music!), and coding with Tynker!

We’ve been really impressed with the quality of his projects, so we chatted with him to find out more about him and why he likes to code.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to design a video game! When you play a game, sometimes you think of things that you would’ve liked to have seen in the game, and if you can make something, you can go back and add something that you would’ve liked.

What’s your favorite subject in school? Science! We get to do a lot of experiments and there’s a ton of stuff you can do.

How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured? I was freaking out! I told my teacher, then she told my other teacher, then it went to the office and to the principal!

How did you get introduced to Tynker? At school in third grade. We had our first Hour of Code and we got to go on Tynker! I think the first thing we ever did was the template where you get to code a parrot to tell a joke. Over the years, I’ve just gone in and taught myself how to code! We’re planning on doing Hour of Code at school soon.

“Metal Detecting!”

How do you get inspiration for your projects? Sometimes I just think of them! I also like to look at the community and see what other people have done – that gives me inspiration, too.

How do creativity and coding fit together for you? I like to draw things in Tynker. I don’t think I’ve ever really used the template, I just draw my own!

Why do you like to code? It’s fun! It’s fun that you actually get to make your own games and play them! I’m glad that other people can see it, and I’m just happy to see it!

“Tynker How-To: Coding for Beginners”

What are you planning to make next? I just have to think of something else to make!

What’s your favorite feature in Tynker? I like to draw, and I like that it’s blocks and you can just put them together!

How do you think learning coding now might help you in the future? Learning to code now is good because in the future it’d be easier if I already had experience! If I wanted to be a game designer and I already knew how to code, it’d be a lot easier.

Do you think other kids should try coding? Yes! It’s fun and there’s so many things you could do with it. I mean, it’s endless! It may take work but you can do it!

What advice would you give for kids starting out with Tynker? Start with a template or something. You can work your way up, and then eventually when you work your way up you can just get to the blank template and go from there.

Gavin’s mom Dana said that Gavin was “so excited” to be featured. As we chatted with her, she touched on the unpredictable (but exciting) future, saying, “Nothing like that existed for us when we were young! By the time he’s in college, there’s no telling what he will be able to do.”

The difference between playing and making is apparent for Dana. “We’re supportive of his screen time because he is creating, not just staring at a computer screen… It definitely is a creative outlet for him – he likes to draw and do those things. He’s very good at math and science, and I think those things play into the coding too.”

Definitely – creativity, math, and science all intersect when it comes to coding! Thank you for speaking with us, Gavin and Dana. We can’t wait to see what you come up with next!