Coding for Kids
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 7th grader Sai from South Carolina. We featured him last year, but he keeps coding amazing projects so we brought him back! Sai likes to play soccer as well as the piano. He also swims and does Taekwondo. Sai spoke with us about his experience coding with Tynker:
How did you get introduced to Tynker?
We did Tynker one year at school, and I just liked Tynker a lot so I decided to start doing some of the courses on my own.
How did you learn to use Tynker?
We mainly did it with our teachers so they showed us how the blocks and everything worked, and afterwards I did a lot of the courses myself at home.
Have your coding skills improved since you started using Tynker?
They’ve definitely improved. I actually used a different coding program before. And so after I was introduced to Tynker I had to actually learn a lot more. And so I was able to do better, like the coding area because it was more interactive.
How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured?
It’s a very nice feeling, actually. So, I mean you work hard on the project and it’s nice to see an outcome from all the hard work you put into projects!
What’s your favorite project you’ve made so far?
One of my favorite projects I’ve made so far is the one I did in week four (of Tynker Summer Code Jam), which was Basketball Moments because I like basketball a lot.
Where did you get the idea for this project?
From basketball!
How long did it take you to complete your Code Jam projects?
Most of my projects usually take half a week to get done. Just because I have school and everything.
Did they have any interesting challenges to figure out?
Yeah, so at one point, I had a really bad glitch, and I could not at all get it to work no matter what I did. I eventually found the problem in the syntax of my coding. And so I had accidentally been using the wrong type of symbol for it.
How do you get inspiration for your projects?
Usually, I just think about my surroundings or things that are happening and then usually I can just find a pretty good idea. Or, I would just talk to one of my family members and then we would just go through possible ideas that might be pretty cool.
Why do you like to code?
I like coding because coding is something I think everybody should know. But then again, it’s very fun to make your own projects because you have a sense of pride in making something that you own and original. And it’s going to be interesting to see how much you can make from just coding. It’s one of the best things in the world to me honestly.
What’s your favorite way to use code?
I’d have to say my favorite code blog would be the broadcast block because I like the way you can activate multiple events, and it’s kind of like the actors are talking to each other and relaying messages. It’s a very interesting block to use.
What do you do with a project when you’re done with it?
So firstly, try it out myself, and then debug it. And then if I think everything works fine I just show it to one of my family members, and then they tell me whether I should add something, or just keep it that way. And so if everything’s good at the end I review it one last time, and then I publish it.
What are you planning to make next?
After the code jam, I like to make a montage project with all the projects I’ve made from the past weeks. So that’s what I’ve been thinking of doing next, just like a collection of all the projects I’ve made for the Summer Code Jam.
What’s the best thing about Tynker?
So the first thing I think about Tynker is that there are so many ways you can channel your creativity into code. You can make so many different types of projects, you know you have lots of actors, the drawing tools are great, so you have a lot of ways you can channel your creativity and doing stuff, and the code is clean and easy to understand.
Is there anything we should change or add to Tynker?
So I think Tynker is pretty good for now actually. I can’t really think of anything more to add!
Has learning to code prepared you for the future?
Well, as more and more people go into the digital world, I feel like it’s the best thing out there to learn to code, so creating stuff that people all around the world can use is definitely something that will help people in the future.
Do you think other kids should try coding?
Yeah, definitely. Because even if you’re not great at coding at first you can get better. Look at other people’s projects, remix them and look at the code. So like, anybody can do coding if they try so yeah people should definitely try coding.
It’s a very great way that you can channel all your creative energy. You can make things that are completely original. I hope everybody does try it because coding is the future so it would be cool for everybody to try it.
What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker?
Don’t rush out and try to make your own projects that you see other people making because those people have experience. They’ve done the courses in everything. So I feel like you should really just try and use the courses and learn first, and then slowly advance to make even better projects.
What’s your favorite subject in school?
I like math a lot. I like the fact that there’s like a defined way that you can solve it. So if you get something wrong, you can know what you did wrong, and then you can work and fix it better.
Will you keep learning more about coding?
Yeah, text coding is definitely something that I would like to learn because it’s that sort of a technical way of where you have the program, and you keep repeating the script. You’re making the script and then you’re running it. So yeah, I definitely do like to venture into text coding and hopefully get better at making my own apps and everything.
Parent Questions:
Sai’s father, Kumar, talked to us about his son learning to code with Tynker:
We’ve learned a lot thanks to Tynker. You know, last year you’re just trying to learn by yourself and he did something. But I think the big difference between last year and this year is learning new things.
So, I happen to see a couple of lessons. Tynker, it’s really good and really structured. That made him learn more and you see that, you know, in the project and see that reflection of it in the product. It’s really thankful, really thankful to Tynker for that.
Do you think coding has helped him?
Like soccer or many other things, I think he liked coding the best, you know, among all of them. Looks like it’s helping him a lot in terms of thinking logical. You need to put the code in structure and that thinking is translating to other things in day-to-day life.
Besides coding skills, how does learning to code help Sai?
The one thing I liked about the Code Jam is it’s a really good way for them to learn about the world, how competitive it is, and how to do well in a competition. I would say it’s really a great learning experience for him.
Do you feel that Sai is better prepared for the future?
He’s on the right path.
Thank you!
We want to thank Sai and his father for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker. We can’t wait to see what he creates next – HAPPY CODING!
