Review of Code for Teens

Code for Teens sent me Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginner's Guide to Programming Volume I. 

"Oh, dear!" I thought as I opened the package. My heart started pounding. My mouth went dry. "Computers, programming, technology. It all sounds so scary."

Lucky for me my teens are not afraid of computer programming. In fact, they think it's pretty cool!

Since my fearless teens weren't home, I flipped open the book. To my surprise, I was delighted. It was bright and cheery! I love bright colors. Best of all, the writer made me chuckle. He made me relax. By the time I had finished the introduction, I thought that I could do anything with a computer. He gave me hope!

I loved that the book instilled confidence in the reader with the tone and easy-to-read explanations and directions. 

Here are some things I really liked:
It started with the basics and built slowly on them, step by step. 
It summarized key concepts at the end of each chapter. 
There will drills to cement learning. 
The review included everything that had learned so far. I appreciate that because sometimes when I'm learning the current topic, I forget the previous one. 

I recommend letting students learn at their own pace. Some will move quickly and others more slowly. 

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By the end of chapter one, the kids wrote a line of code. Wow! That's pretty cool. 

One of my daughters, who now programs for a living, took an introduction to computer programming online in high school and found it tedious and boring. She was very impressed with Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginners' Guide to Programming Volume I. She said that she wished she could have used it in high school.

What about the more creative teens who don't like anything that remotely resembles math or engineering. Don't worry, my creative children have declared the book "readable, funny, entertaining, and interesting." High praise from them about something as difficult as computer programming. 

To be honest, some of the stuff was still intimidating and over my head, but my teens got it and that's what matters! I feel that using this curriculum will make them marketable in an ever-changing job market, but more importantly, it will allow them to be creative on the web. It thrills me to imagine my children creating websites or games or interactive sites that teach the world about Jesus and His mission on earth. Learning to program can have eternal benefits, too. 

Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginners' Guide to Programming Volume I ​has helped take away some of my own fear of technology. Go Code for Teens!

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Would you like to learn more about Code for Teens? 

Check them out on Facebook.

In this day of computer, internet, and all things techno, this book is a great way to prepare your children for life in the 21st Century. This would make a great computer class. After all, Java Script is the world's most common computer programming language and learning it will be a blessing to your teens. 

Until next time, Happy Homeschooling! 

Warmly, 
Meredith Curtis

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