Drawing Kids into Mathematics
Yes, we all love coding now—especially as the Hour of Code week approaches! 😉 Last year, I asked, “So You Want Kids to Code! Why?” This year I am excited to present you with a new comprehensive resource that will support you and your students in programming—or, must I say it—coding.
The marketplace seems flooded with programs and apps that all claim to be the best way to introduce programming to kids.
Logo is still the best!
I still love Logo.
Indeed, I still love the Microworlds EX version of Logo.
This programming language has given birth to many of the languages we see today—including Scratch. It comes from the company in which Seymour Papert was key.
Seymour Papert—a student and colleague of Jean Piaget—was instrumental in founding the company and in co-developing the original Logo language. Seymour was a mathematician and focused on children being mathematicians rather than having students simply study math.
Drawing Kids into Mathematics
Let your students amaze you with their mathematical minds as they have hard fun with MicroWorlds EX! As they draw and create ever more complex projects, they will be drawn into being mathematicians. They will come to understand coordinate geometry, angles, operations, variables, and distances—and much more.
Coding for Kids for Dummies
The great news is that a new book has been created to support learners of all ages to become competent in the skills of programming with MicroWorlds EX. It is from the Dummies series and is called Coding for Kids for Dummies. The author, Dr. Camille McCue, is a veteran STEM educator and has done a marvelous job in creating a book that combines step-to-step instructions with the challenge of both guided and open-ended projects.
W
hen you purchase the book, you will be pointed to a site to download a trial version of MicroWorlds EX. Or you can download a trial version here—but you won’t have the book then!
The Construction Zone 
Oh my, that MicroWorlds EX web site is horrible!
Their specialty is Logo languages. 🙂 So look past the site. It needs a bit of tender loving care for sure.
Thanks for the shout out, Peter! I’m hopeful that kids, families, and teachers will find the book useful. I have taught with MicroWorlds EX for years, and still absolutely love it! I wrote it for a tween audience — the same age group as my students — and observe that they have the requisite math skills, logical thinking, and creativity to bring all sorts of games, animations, and simulations to life. Camille 😉