Building from their previous coding lessons using Daisy the Dinosaur and Hopscotch, this afternoon in the AT&T Classroom the Woodland second graders were introduced to the programming language built into the Scratch Jr app. Scratch Jr is a free app developed for young children ages 5+ by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. The app engages children in using an introductory programming language to create animations, interactive stories and games. Children combine graphical programming blocks to animate characters to move, jump, dance, and sing. Children are also able to customize the characters in the paint editor, add their own voices and sounds, and insert photos of themselves. In addition to introductory programming and coding skills, Scratch Jr. also supports the development of skills related to sequencing and numeracy while also fostering children's’ creative and critical thinking. The app is available for free download from the itunes store and Google Play. Each student created their own unique animation with the app. The second graders so excited to present their work to their classmates and view one another’s projects.
