“When parents these days hear the old saying ‘The jobs of tomorrow haven’t been invented yet,’ they tend to add, ‘so my child had better learn to code,'” Wilson Rothman reports for The Wall Street Journal. “As software has redefined a range of industries and professions, many parents are rushing to make sure their children learn the building blocks of computer programming.”
“Toy and game developers have responded. One recent entry — and, for young children, one of the best — is Osmo Coding, by Tangible Play Inc.,” Rothman reports. “Using plastic bricks that represent computer commands, children arrange ‘scripts’ that the iPad’s camera interprets as instructions for a cute on-screen character to act upon… Parents who feel guilty that their children stare too idly at glowing pixels can use Osmo to turn screentime into physical playtime.”
“It would be hard for a parent to mistake Osmo Coding for a one-way ticket to Silicon Valley riches,” Rothman reports. “But there’s joy to be had in seeing a child like my 5-year-old son take to it, carefully stringing together the six or seven commands that will steer Awbie past trees, around a slimy slug and straight to the treasure chest. Time to count up some rainbow strawberries and move on to the next level! Those Silicon Valley riches can wait.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Is your kid coding yet?
I highly recommend PureBasic when the “kid” is old enough. It’s VERY easy, and has all the BASIC commands. if you want to, you can also do O.O.P.. But the main thing it’s like the BASIC programming they “used to ” have come with the computer. I’d STILL like to see a BASIC come with the EVERY computer sold. It used to. But, I’m not holding my breadth.