4 Things I learned as a Code Naturally Educator
1. Kids have big ideas!
As an educator at the Code Naturally Spring camp, I expected to be the one teaching the children, which I did, but I unexpectedly learned from the children as well. Their questions and imagination inspired me. With coding anything is possible, and the creative children I worked with did not let intimidating projects scare them. This camp was focused on game development, and although we had prepared game ideas set up for the students, the students took these ideas and personalized them. I enjoyed working with the students and they refined their ideas.
- Coding is like magic to kids
One girl I worked with was a beginner and was just learning the basics of JavaScript. I showed her how to make a rainbow effect with code, and she got so excited, she showed everyone. At the end of the day she said she did not want to leave. That is what Code Naturally aims for, is to inspire kids and to show them how fun coding can be.
- Kids learn fast!
From the first day to the last day, I saw the students I worked with learn JavaScript operations and functions that took me and my peers in a college class weeks to learn. The complete immersion into coding allowed for students to learn the material without outside distractions.
- Kids love to share their creations (and compete on who has the most lines of code)
Of course during the day kids can get tired of doing the same thing for a long period of time. That is why we have a few breaks including a lunch break. During this time the kids are free to play games online or share the games they have coded with their peers. The excitement these kids had when they showed their friends or parents their creations was so relatable. After all of the time and mental energy put into creating a game, these children were able to share their games with others. Many children spend so much time playing games online, why not show them how to create their own?
If you would like your child to learn how to code their own games, Code Naturally is hosting another camp during the summer. Reserve a spot: