Coding for Kids
Featured Maker: Claire’s Favorite Subject in School Is Art!
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 7th grader Claire from Scotland! Her favorite subject in school is art, and when she gets older she’d like to be a digital artist or coder. Cool! Claire recently spoke with us about her experience coding with Tynker:
How long have you been coding with Tynker?
I’ve been doing it for like a year now.
How did you learn to use Tynker?
I started by completing a lot of the Tynker courses and then looking at the code for other projects for inspiration.
Have your coding skills improved since you started using Tynker?
A lot! Most of my projects are dress-ups. I’ve found lots of different ways to approach things and I memorize new coding patterns as I discover them.
How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured?
Very surprised because at that time I only had about five other projects, and they all had barely any views or likes. I was really pleased!
What’s your favorite project you’ve made so far?
lI just published a project called Bloom the Golden Garden, that’s my new favorite.
How do you get inspiration for your projects?
If I have no idea what to make next, I’ll go and look at some of my favorite creators and see if I can spot something that gives me some new ideas that I can work on. I’m also inspired by other video games that I’m playing at the time.
Why do you like to code?
I find building with Tynker very open and creative. The courses were good for learning but I enjoy being able to build my own things. You can make absolutely anything!
Do you have a favorite code block?
The effects block – I use that one a lot, it’s one of the latest blocks I have learned.
What do you do with a project when you’re done with it?
If I’m really happy and proud of it, I’ll show it to dad first. I also usually test it as I’m building, and if there’s anything I want to animate – a little something extra at the end, I’ll make sure I’ve finished details like that before I publish.
What are you planning to make next?
I’m not really sure right now because I just recently pushed all the ideas out of my brain!
What’s the best thing about Tynker?
It’s nice and open because in the community there are ways to remix and communicate with people, and they always respond if you have questions about things. I’ve also published some small example projects with a few lines of code that others can use in their own projects.
Has learning to code prepared you for the future?
Coding includes math and problem-solving, and everybody will need those in their life. So these are great skills to develop for the future!
Do you think other kids should try coding?
Definitely. I’ll be joining high school later this year, and our class has already done a few sessions of coding.
What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker?
When you start off and you have a big idea and you just don’t know where to start, start out simple. Look at other projects for inspiration. If there’s something that you don’t understand, don’t be afraid to ask. Gradually build up to your larger ideas!
Bonus: What’s a fun fact about you?
I love cats, we have two of them and they love to snooze on my bed as I code.
Parent Questions
Claire’s father, Jim, spoke with us about his daughter learning to code with Tynker:
I think Tynker is fantastic. And I’m very, very proud of what Claire has achieved. I started a family plan for Tynker for Claire and her brother. He has shown an interest in building Minecraft mods, and he really enjoys playing the games and courses. They both find the whole thing very rewarding.
It’s amazing to see all the fantastic ideas that Claire comes up with. It’s been amazing to watch her ambitions grow, and the progression in the level of interactivity and the quality of her artwork in her projects is brilliant.
What skills does coding help them learn?
Claire already mentioned math and problem-solving which I agree with. Something else that took me by surprise is how she and others have found ways to foster a community through their projects and are communicating indirectly by remixing.
For example, she published a project that displayed cats for adoption. In order to claim a cat, other users remix her project and circle their chosen cat. Claire periodically checks for remixes and re-publishes her original project to indicate that a cat has been adopted.
Do you feel that Claire’s better prepared for the future?
Being confident using technology and having a solid introduction to the field of programming, she’s obviously got a big head start there. Whether she eventually ends up in a field that involves programming directly or not, the skills that she is building are applicable to a wide range of careers.
How do you support her coding endeavors?
I’m a software developer myself, but I try not to get too involved in the actual coding as I think it’s important that she is given the space to explore and learn things by herself. Occasionally, she’ll ask for help with a bug, and we look at it together. She also likes to share ideas and early projects with me for feedback.
Thank you!
We want to thank Claire and her father for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker. We can’t wait to see what she creates next – HAPPY CODING!
