Coding for Kids
California third-grader Hyzzaneesa thinks she wants to be an environmental scientist when she grows up, though she’s not quite sure yet and admits she might change her mind. That’s okay, at 8 years old, Hyzzaneesa has plenty of time to figure that out. In the meantime? She’s just glad to be Tynker’ing, and we’re glad she is too, because she’s one of our Featured Makers!
At an age when a lot of kids would be saying their favorite subject in school is recess or lunch, Hyzzaneesa proudly answers math and science. “I like science,” she says, “because in class sometimes we do science projects and experiments. Math because practicing multiplication and everything is fun!” Clearly, Hyzzaneesa is one special kid. The fun, creativity and ingenuity that Tynker inspires gives kids around the world appreciation for STEM skills like these!
Hyzzaneesa got our attention with a game that stars a girl named Luna in her quest to make the perfect rainbow cookies. Users are given the basic cookie building blocks of flour, eggs and milk and allowed to let their imaginations run wild with colorful sprinkles and icing. Let’s get to know the equally colorful Hyzzaneesa a little bit, and find out more about her journey with Tynker.
My Project 17
How did you get introduced to Tynker and how long have you been coding? I was introduced by my brother and I’ve been coding since June!
How did you learn how to use Tynker when you were first starting out? What are your favorite Tynker courses or tutorials? I used the tutorials and I check out other people’s projects so I can remix them!
How have your coding skills improved since you started using Tynker? My coding skills have improved a lot with Tynker, but I would still say I have to learn more!
How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured? Excited and happy!
What is your favorite project you’ve made so far? What do you like about it? My favorite project is the cooking game that I made because you can make your cookies rainbow!
Where did you get the idea for your favorite project? How long did it take you to make? I got inspired to make it because I saw a lot of people making games like that, so I got interested and I tried it! It took me about an hour!
How do you get inspiration for your projects? I get inspiration from the projects that other people make, like on the community board!
Why do you like to code? I like coding because it’s fun and you can be creative however you want! You can express your creativity and can add your creativity to your code and can publish it!
What is your favorite way to use code? Do you have a favorite code block? My favorite code block is the go to touch location!
What do you do with a project when you’re done with it? Do you debug it? Show it to someone? Publish it? First, I check the game out, if it’s good then I’ll publish it!
What’s the best thing about Tynker? The best thing about Tynker is the drawing and the coding!
How do you think learning to code has prepared you for the future? Learning to code helps me for my future, because I still don’t know what I want to be, or maybe I’ll change my mind soon! Maybe I’ll want to code when I get older and Tynker helps me!
Do you think other kids should try coding? Yeah, because coding is fun!
What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker? I will tell them to try and try again! Never give up!
Hyzzaneesa’s mom, Norin, marvels at how easy it is for her daughter to code. “For us, it will take so long,” Norin says. “But for her it’s just minutes! She’s really a fast learner! We’re so proud of her and her accomplishments.”
Norin notes that one unexpected benefit of Hyzzaneesa’s enthusiasm to code with Tynker is that it’s taught her critical time management skills. Let’s face it, a lot of kids aren’t exactly eager to finish their homework, but Hyzzaneesa won’t put any of her school work off if it means getting to start Tynker’ing faster!
In fact, Norin notes: “Every morning, since we got your e-mail, she wakes up and looks at her views.” The recognition that Hyzzaneesa has received as a Featured Maker, Norin says, has had a profound effect on her self-esteem as well; she’s become more expressive and confident in herself. We can’t argue with that because were pretty impressed by Hyzzaneesa’s expressiveness and confidence too! Asked for a fun fact about herself that made her unique, Hyzzaneesa responded, “I am me! I am myself!” Couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Norin knows the world is only headed in one direction — toward a technological future. She knows her daughter will be better prepared for the future because she’s become so conversant in coding and programming at such an impressively young age. Way to go, Hyzzaneesa! We can’t wait to see what she (and all of you) bake up next!
