Ethan (And His Dad) Love Tynker’s Physics Blocks!

When twelve-year-old Ethan isn’t playing the piano, guitar, or trombone, he’s coding! Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, he was introduced to Tynker in his 6th grade class and has been creating fantastic projects ever since.

He told us that while his favorite subject in school is maths, he thinks he’s better at science. After seeing his projects, our bet is that he’s fantastic at both! Ethan’s dad told us he went to coding classes outside of school, showing impressive dedication. We were lucky enough to get a few minutes to chat with Ethan about his projects and why he loves to code.

How did you learn how to use Tynker? I was already using [another coding app] before, and we did coding at school!

Have you played through any Tynker courses? Yeah, I’ve finished the first two. They’re quite good – they helped me get introduced to Tynker!

How do you get inspiration for your projects? I’m usually just playing around with the blocks, and I think I can make something cool with the blocks.

How do creativity and coding fit together for you? I like to make projects look nice; I spend a while on thumbnails and things like that.

Why do you like to code? I guess it’s just fun to do anything and make stuff! Playing your own games is cool.

What is your favorite project you’ve made so far? I think the one that just got featured is pretty cool. Now that it’s featured, I feel like I should keep working on it and making it better. I usually get good ideas when I’m making other projects.

Ball Sandbox

What are you planning to make next? I actually just made something today and published it! I was working with the pen, which is something I really like.

What do you do with a project when you’re done with it? I see if it’s good enough to publish. If it is, I do!

What is your favorite feature in Tynker? Physics blocks!

Do you look at the Tynker community projects? Yeah! Yesterday there was a popup to a Minecraft game, and I tried that one.

How do you think learning coding now might help you in the future? I guess I could get a job with it like Dad!

Do you think other kids should try coding? Yeah, I think it’s a really good hobby and a great way to learn.

What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker? I would just get started with the courses straightaway because they really helped me.

When asked how he feels about Ethan learning to code, his dad Sean said emphatically, “I love it!” He continued, saying, “I have a love for it, so I’m excited my kids are interested in it as well.” Sean has noticed that “all through his schooling, they’re encouraging the kids to learn to code,” adding, “they’re probably going to put me out of a job!”

He pointed out that coding builds good “analytical skills,” and mentioned that he and Ethan have “spent a lot of time in the public library near our home doing courses.” Ethan and his dad share an interest in the physics in coding! Sean told us, “Ethan has been really excited, showing me the physics side because he knows I have an interest in that myself! He showed me what Tynker does with physics and I was really impressed with that.”

We couldn’t agree more – coding builds important analytical skills. We think the fact that Ethan has a role model to code with is also a big plus! Thanks for speaking with us, Ethan and Sean – keep contributing the Tynker community!