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Curriculum for ages 9-14 The activities below introduce students to computer science and the programming language Scratch. Different themes attract and engage students of varying backgrounds and interests. All materials are free and easy to use. Sample activities These activities take approximately one hour to complete, and are great for special one-day events such as […]

“Do I give (kid’s name) something educational, or something fun?” As parents, relatives, and friends of people with children, we face this question every holiday season, birthday, etc. – because no matter the occasion, we’re torn between pleasing the child and pleasing their parents. Work smarter, better, and faster with weekly tips and how-tos. My go-to solution? Toys, […]

“Good morning, Mr. Kelley!” Over the past year, I’ve enjoyed hearing this cheerful greeting from my students at the start of every class. No, I’m not a teacher; I’m a Senior Java Developer at Atlassian. But this year, I’ve been able to teach kids computer science education in a local Sydney school. Like many places, […]

I’m a 16-year veteran of the tech world, a “recovering coder,” and the mother of a 6-year-old girl. And if I was looking at tech from the outside, I would be freaked the F out right about now. The headlines about women in tech have been bleak these past few years. Discouraging data on gendered […]

If you have young children like I do between the ages of 5-10 you’re probably all too familiar with the Minecraft craze and may even have the books and foam toys related to Minecraft in your home. In the interest of trying to find some educational value out of this block building fascination I started […]