Since my last update in July, I have worked with the youth services directors in the Longmeadow and East Longmeadow public libraries to finalize the coding for kids program schedule. I prepared the workshop materials, including four fun coding activities with a range of degrees of difficulty. The coding activities involved creating their own interactive game with characters and settings, creating a dance party with animal sprites, making their own song with melodies and beats, or creating a Star-Wars themed interactive universe. I also included more challenging activities, so kids could explore more coding on their own after the workshop ended. I provided all the instructions, example code, and coding basics in a packet that the kids got to take home. One of my main hopes was to not only introduce kids to coding, but also encourage them to pursue their interest beyond the workshop through accessible activities. Finally, I enlisted my friend in town to help out at the workshops. While preparing for the programs, I was a little worried about a lack of interest and low participant numbers, but I was happily surprised. Both workshops in Longmeadow and East Longmeadow were fully registered with 4-5 kids on each waitlist, which only motivated me more to prepare well.
On August 19th and 21st, I held two coding workshops for kids at the town libraries of Longmeadow and East Longmeadow. Both workshops were great successes. First, the turnout was good, with nine kids from kindergarten to grade 4 participating in East Longmeadow, the youngest boy coming with his older sister. At the workshop in Longmeadow, six kids from grades 2 to 6 participated. More importantly, the students all engaged in the coding games actively and independently. I had initially planned to walk through an activity on the projector, but they were so eager to play around and try coding on their own that they sped ahead, solving each step by themselves until they needed to ask for help. When I worked with each kid, I made sure to not straight up give them the answer, but rather encourage them in the right direction. Not a single kid looked bored or uninterested throughout the whole workshop, and many even asked if they could do these activities on their own afterwards. One of the youth services directors even commented that she had never seen young kids so engaged in a whole event and invited me to hold the workshop again next year. My favorite part of the experience was seeing the kids smile and jump with excitement when they passed a difficult level, as that sense of accomplishment is one of the reasons I love coding as well. I loved seeing everyone enjoying the workshop and having fun.
Honestly, the outcomes of the coding workshops exceeded the expectations I had when planning the events. I’m grateful that I could use what I learned in school to introduce computer science and coding to young kids in a fun way, and I hope that they will continue to explore the materials I gave to them. Something I found interesting was just how involved the kids were with coding, especially at such a young age and without outside influence. I realized that kids themselves have actually become more interested in computers and technology because of the prevalence of smart phones, electronics, etc. in our society, possibly because of a desire to better understand how those devices work. I hope I was able to help them foster that curiosity. Additionally, with innovations in AI technology, many parents are more aware of the benefits of computer science in their children’s future. Quite a few of the parents at the East Longmeadow workshop expressed their hopes for their kids to pursue more advanced coding and thanked me for a wonderful event that gave their kids the opportunity to start early.
On the other hand, while kids have increased their interest in learning computer science, I believe there are still not enough educational opportunities or resources to support their passions. For example, the East Longmeadow workshop was limited to nine participants because the library only has nine chromebooks. If the library had more chromebooks, more kids on the waitlist could have participated in the workshop. East Longmeadow is already an economically prosperous town, so I believe there needs to be an even greater focus on working to provide these same opportunities in underserved communities with fewer resources, which is something I hope to pursue in the future. Early educational opportunities, such as coding workshops, can better prepare kids for the changing world and alleviate negative cycles.
Lastly, the workshop experience highlighted the importance and effectiveness of in-person learning and community. While the workshop duration was much shorter than what I originally proposed due to the lack of physical space, a non-existent limitation for an online workshop, in-person learning was more worthwhile because the interactions within the room fostered a more fun and engaging learning environment, enabling the kids to feel more comfortable, receive clear help from me, and take away more lessons. In both workshops, many parents even stayed to excitedly work through the coding activities with their kids so they could assist with additional activities at home. Being in such a vibrant environment and seeing the participants learn and enjoy something I am passionate about was an extremely meaningful experience that I am grateful for.
