No Starch Press has published a new, revamped edition of its classic Scratch coding cards for kids. The Official Scratch Coding Cards ($24.95, 76 laminated cards) teaches the basics of programming through fun activities to do alone or in groups, with or without guidance.
These beginner-level activities use Scratch, the visual coding language that’s inspired millions of young coders around the world. More than just a language, Scratch shows users how to create with coding, a key to unlock the mysteries of all other programming languages. The new edition contains:
- Fun projects that teach all the basics, from animating a character to programming a game;
- Activities designed and approved by the same people who created Scratch;
- Updated instructions and images for the newest version of the language, Scratch 3.0.
Beginners can start coding immediately by following easy step-by-step instructions for 10 different projects — and can add their own creativity to make each project their own! The front of each activity card shows what you can make, and the back shows how to do it by snapping together blocks of code. By bringing these projects to life, kids (ages 8 and up) will absorb key coding concepts, laying the groundwork for more advanced programming in Scratch and other languages. The cards are perfect for sharing among small groups at home or in school/after-school programs.
The Official Scratch Coding Cards were developed by Natalie Rusk, one of the lead developers of Scratch. She works as a research scientist in the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. Rusk co-founded The Computer Clubhouse, an international network of after-school centers where young people learn to use new technologies to express themselves creatively.