Alright, lemme tell ya ’bout my “girls first time” project. Don’t get any funny ideas, it’s all about getting my nieces into coding!
It all started ’cause my sister was complaining that her daughters, my nieces, were spending too much time on TikTok. So, I thought, “Why not channel that screen time into something productive?” I figured coding would be a good skill to pick up, even if they don’t become programmers. Problem-solving, logic, all that jazz.
Phase 1: Picking the Weapon
- First off, I had to figure out what language to use. I ain’t gonna throw them into C++ right off the bat!
- Scratch seemed like the obvious choice. It’s visual, drag-and-drop, perfect for absolute beginners.
Phase 2: Setting Up Shop
Since I live in the sticks with internet that likes to take naps, getting Scratch installed offline was a must. Downloaded the desktop version, piece of cake. Then, I created a simple “Hello World” project. Showed them how to drag blocks, connect ’em, and boom, words on the screen!
Phase 3: The First Mission – A Cat That Moves
Okay, “Hello World” is boring as dirt. I decided we needed a goal. So, our first real project was to make the Scratch cat move across the screen. That meant learning about:
- Motion blocks: “move 10 steps,” “turn 15 degrees” – the basics.
- Events: “when green flag clicked” – to start the program.
- Loops: “forever” – to keep the cat moving.
There were a few tantrums when the cat wouldn’t do what they wanted. Lots of, “It’s not working!” I had to keep reminding them to check the blocks, make sure everything was connected right. Patience is key, man. Key!
Phase 4: Adding the “Fun”
Moving cat? Yawn. We needed some spice. We added:
- Sounds: A meow when the cat starts moving.
- Backdrops: A forest for the cat to “explore.”
- A second sprite: A mouse the cat could “chase.”
The chase sequence was the tricky part. We had to use:
- “Go to random position”: For the mouse.
- “Point towards mouse”: For the cat.
- A conditional: “If touching mouse, say ‘Gotcha!’”
Took a while, but we got it working. They were stoked! High fives all around.
Phase 5: Victory… and Next Steps
They spent a good hour just making the cat chase the mouse and meow. Mission accomplished. Now, what’s next?
- I’m thinking a simple game. Maybe a platformer, or a simple “catch the falling objects” game.
- Eventually, I’d like to introduce them to Python. It’s more text-based, but still relatively easy to pick up.
Look, I ain’t trying to turn them into coding prodigies. Just want them to have a basic understanding, and maybe spark some interest. And hey, anything’s better than endless TikTok scrolling, right?
That’s my story. Stay tuned for the next episode!
