This afternoon in the AT&T Classroom the CDC Kindergartners explored tools for coding and programming. To set the stage for their work, the Coding Group shared a project they had created in their small group work at CDC using Scratch Jr, a programming app designed for young children by the MIT Media Lab.
Following their presentation, the children had a demonstration of the various tools and features within the Scratch Jr platform and then worked individually within the app to create and code their own animated scene.
Building from their work with Scratch Jr, next the children were introduced to Daisy the Dinosaur, an iOS app that utilizes a visual block coding language very similar to the Scratch Jr interface. The app uses a game-life format to engage children in learning to combine and sequence drag-and-drop steps to make the dinosaur move, jump, shrink and grow. Both Scratch Jr and Daisy the Dinosaur are designed to provide young children with developmentally appropriate experiences with coding and programming while also providing opportunities for children to express themselves creatively by designing their own games, animations, and interactive stories.