Colten Reads Coding Books For Fun!

Colten Reads Coding Books For Fun!

This week’s Featured Maker is, in his words, “the only kid in my class who really likes homework!” Meet Colten, a third grader from North Carolina. When he’s not busy doing homework (and loving it!) he’s coding.

Colten said, “During my free time I code a lot and play video games because sometimes they help me get ideas for my games.” He’s only been coding for about a year but has already created several really impressive projects. We were lucky enough to chat with him and learn more about why he loves to code!

What do you want to be when you grow up? An astrophysicist!

What’s your favorite subject in school? Math and science.

How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured? Really great!

How did you get introduced to Tynker? Well, one day in computer class we played a game called Candy Quest in Tynker and I was like, “Oh, you can build games in this too? Maybe I should try this at home.” I tried it and I liked it so I kept on making these really good games. I’ve been coding for a year or so.

How did you learn how to use Tynker? I learned how to use Tynker in computer class. I also tested a lot with the blocks.

How do you get inspiration for your projects? Well, sometimes I just think of stuff that people like and things that are really great. I also read books to find ideas. I like to read coding books!

How do creativity and coding fit together for you? I use creativity when I use stuff I like and think of a way to put them into a game. Then I create the game!

“Flight Simulator 1”  Check out more of Colten’s projects here!

Why do you like to code? I like to code because you can make all sorts of games and stuff that other people can play.

What is your favorite project you’ve made so far? Yes, I forgot the name, but it’s originally called Project 18. I like it because I made it like a maze – there was this mouse and ghost that appears every 20 seconds and you have to touch the cheese to actually win the game. Then it says “You Win!” I used the broadcast block for that.

“My Project 18”

What are you planning to make next? It’s called Robot Boss Battle Series.  

What do you do with a project when you’re done with it? If they’re not really going right I just fix it, sometimes there are these bugs where blocks just stay on the screen so I have to restart. I try to get rid of the blocks but I can’t figure out a way.

What’s your favorite feature in Tynker? My favorite thing is that you can publish it and share with other people, and you can also check other people’s games out.

How do you think learning coding now might help you in the future? I can invent awesome things that also include coding!

Do you think other kids should try coding? Yes! It lets their minds get creative, and when there’s something wrong they can fix it.   

What advice would you give for kids starting out with Tynker? If you make a mistake you shouldn’t delete it and stop coding, you should just try to fix the bug!

Colten’s mom Tamara loves that Colten is learning to code! She told us that Colten and his brother are really into robotics. “[They have] been finding different games and books they liked regarding coding, and they just really took off with it!”

How was Colten first introduced to Tynker? “They have a computer portion of their class every week and they were first introduced to Tynker there,” said Tamara. “When they came home they asked, ‘Hey, can we download Tynker on our iPads?’ I said, ‘It’s coding, why not?’ and then they just took it from there!”

For Colten’s mom, learning to code builds critical thinking and problem solving skills. It “prepares them for the world because today a lot of things incorporate coding!”

Tamara thinks it’s “amazing to see how many kids love to code!” She said, “You just think, ‘When I was younger this wasn’t a thing, and I wish it was!’”

Thanks for chatting with us, Colten and Tamara! We’re excited to see what you decide to create next, Colten. Keep coding!