Kids Code & Computer Science

Resources based on teacher recommendations and other sources.

There are thousands of online resources teachers, parents, and kids can find online to learn more about computer science and programming. In addition to a few of the usual suspects, I’ve also found a few offbeat resources equally useful.

For example, asking working programmers what programming and computer science they should know is one way to find resources. Asking computer science teachers on Twitter is another way. Here are few resources that might be useful to explore, with more links below.

BrainPop

Holly Akers teaches high school computer science in Orlando, Florida and recommends this resource. Their Engineering & Technology section has a Computer Science section with videos on different topics. Each video includes a quiz, activities, and other ways to reinforce learning. Holly says she has built lessons after watching their computer science videos. Some topics are free, for example, 3D printing and Ada Lovelace, but the site is subscription based with no advertising. There’s also a Brain Pop, Jr. site with some information for K-3 kids.

Code Maven

Maya Donnelly, a computer programming teacher in Pasco, Washington recommended this coding resource. Crunchzilla provides four different interactive activities, Code Maven, Game Maven, Code Monster, and Data Maven. Code Maven teach JavaScript through a series of interactive lessons. You click the speech bubble at the top of the page then follow directions to code in the text area below it. To the right of the code text area is a box to display your results. You also can see and navigate to any lesson by clicking the Lesson Sections link near the bottom of the page.

Women in Science Card Game

There are 54 cards in this game which highlights women in computer science history, many of them forgotten or unknown. There’s also a free PDF you can download if you want to cut up your own cards and don’t sell your cards. But if you buy the game for $20, 20% of the proceeds go to groups that promote women in science.

Bits & Bytes

Card games also can be a wonderful alternative to learning online or through lectures. Plus card games can be a fun way to learn while playing. Another card game to look at is Bits and Bytes which teaches computational thinking, as well as some of the basics of computer systems and concepts.

Techopedia

This is an excellent resource if you’re not sure of the definition for a computer science or programming word or concept. Their list is fairly comprehensive. If you don’t know, with Google you also can add site:techopedia.com to search only their site, as in Qt site:techopedia.com, or type define term where term is your search term, for example, define Qt. Techopedia definitions include both a thorough definition with additional explanations helpful if you need more basic information.

Google Computer Science Learning Opportunities

The Google for Education group has created lists of computer science resources, programming, and funding opportunities for teachers and anyone interested to learn.

For more computer science and programming resources, also check out the links below for concepts, skills, and resources suggested by working programmers.

Learn More

Brain Pop

https://www.brainpop.com/technology/computerscience/
https://www.brainpop.com

Holly Akers

https://twitter.com/akers_holly
http://hollyakers.com/

Brain Pop, Jr.

https://jr.brainpop.com/artsandtechnology/technology/
https://jr.brainpop.com/

Code Maven

http://www.crunchzilla.com/code-maven
http://www.crunchzilla.com

Maya Donnelly

https://twitter.com/GerfenMaya

Women in Science Card Game

https://www.luanagames.com/product/women-in-science-card-game/
https://www.luanagames.com/product/women-in-science-free-diy-kit/

Bits and Bytes Card Game

http://www.bitsandbytes.cards/

Computer Science Subjects an Undergraduate Must Know

http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/32533/cs-subjects-that-an-undergraduate-must-know

What Should Every Programmer Know About Programming?

http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/1785/what-should-every-programmer-know-about-programming
http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/91350/what-should-every-programmer-know

Math for Programmers

http://steve-yegge.blogspot.co.uk/2006/03/math-for-programmers.html

What Math Should All Game Programmers Know?

http://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/2029/what-math-should-all-game-programmers-know

What Algorithms and Data Structures Should a Developer Absolutely Know?

http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/11222/which-algorithms-and-data-structures-should-a-developer-absolutely-know
http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/155639/which-algorithms-data-structures-should-i-recognize-and-know-by-name

What are the Programming Concepts I Should Master to have a Deep Understanding of My Craft?

http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/185224/what-are-the-programming-concepts-i-should-master-to-have-a-deep-understanding

What Language Should an 11-Year Old Start With to Learn Game Programming?

http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/118409/what-language-should-an-11-year-old-start-with-to-learn-game-programming

Google Computer Science Learning Opportunities

https://www.google.com/edu/resources/computerscience/learning/