Coding for Kids
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 7th grader Carl from the Garden State of New Jersey! He likes to play video games, especially Fortnite. His favorite subject in school is math, and he also plays the piano. Carl recently talked with us about his experience coding with Tynker and being a Tynker Code Jam winner!
How did you get introduced to Tynker?
I didn’t have an account at that time so I was just looking at one of the coding games. And then I really wanted to finish it so I asked my dad to get me an account. I’ve been using Tynker for two years.
How did you learn to use Tynker?
The first course I did was Code Commander. I just liked the goblin theme so I moved onto Goblin Quest.
Have your coding skills improved with Tynker?
Now, I know how to use a ton of other stuff like physics and broadcasting and messaging and stuff like that. I knew how to do a little bit of physics before because I learned it in the Goblin Quest course.
What’s the favorite project you’ve made?
I put the most effort into my Code Jam projects. I like my Week 4 one. I designed a flying machine.
How does it feel to be a Code Jam winner?
I was watching the announcements live on YouTube. I mean, when I won I wasn’t that surprised because I did put a lot of effort into my project, but I was still super happy.
What’re you going to do with your prize money?
I’m thinking of buying a ton of LEGO sets!
How do you get inspiration for your projects?
I go to the community page a lot so I see what other people do and see what I can build off of that.
Why do you like to code?
Coding is pretty fun, and I want to choose a career that has to do with coding.
What is your favorite way to use code?
I like to make games.
What do you do with a project when you’re done with it?
I just publish it right away if it’s not bugged.
What are you planning to make next?
I want to continue the one where I was trying to implement a joystick into the game.
What’s the best thing about Tynker?
It’s a fun way to learn how to code. It’s not a boring course. It’s fun! Now I’m trying to build on text coding in Python.
Do you think other kids should try coding?
Yes! Coding is very useful because it increases your knowledge of computers and also opens up jobs and stuff where coding is essential.
Do you know what you want to do when you grow up?
I was thinking of going into some engineering, something like computer science.
Carl’s dad, Chris, talked with us about his son coding with Tynker:
It’s been good to see him get engaged. I think the whole gamification of coding that Tynker has is what gets him hooked into it, so that’s been good.
How do you support your child in their coding endeavors?
He’ll show us his projects once in a while if he’s running into issues, and I’ll ask him to try something different or help him with suggestions on how he can fix things.
The Code Jam has been very useful because it gives him something to look forward to week after week. Every Monday morning he goes off with his laptop and he’ll try to hide what he’s working on because he doesn’t want us to see until it’s finished, so I think that’s been pretty fun for him.
What benefits do you think coding has for your child?
I think trying to stick through and work through a problem, not give up as easily, and the fact that doing something well takes time, putting in the time to do something well, persevere through the challenges. Those are useful skills he’s learning through this.
Thank you!
We want to thank Carl and his dad for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker. We can’t wait to see what Carl creates next – HAPPY CODING!
