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I am currently using the visual coding language Scratch and this page presents information and references for Scratch.
I teach Scratch at the Rockville Senior Center. In my course I take a look at concepts like functions and loops and conditions and variables. These are types of ideas in programming. The Scratch programming language looks a little bit different; it uses blocks instead of the more traditional text-based programming languages. However, Scratch is based on the same fundamental ideas and the same principles of computational thinking.
For kids younger than 8 years old use ScratchJr. See https://www.coderkidstx.com/blog/scratchjr-projects-for-kids
Source for the Scratch program is https://scratch.mit.edu/ Scratch is available free from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
For an excellent elementary overview go to
https://scratch.mit.edu/about/ click on INFO FOR PARENTS then click on Getting Started guide (PDF).
You may enjoy the TED talk by Mitch Resnick that are also available on YouTube.
Note competitors with a similar approach are listed at https://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/Alternatives_to_Scratch
I recommend studio.code to see associated JavaScript code https://studio.code.org
Here are statements by the creators of scratch:
We created Scratch to empower people to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.
We are guided by a set of Learning Principles and Design Principles taken from the web as follows:
Projects
People learn best when they are actively working on projects — generating new ideas, designing prototypes, making improvements and creating final products.
Passion
When people focus on things they care about, they work longer and harder, persist in the face of challenges, and learn more in the process.
Peers
Learning flourishes as a social activity, with people sharing ideas, collaborating on projects, and building on one another's work.
Play
Learning involves playful experimentation — trying new things, tinkering with materials, testing boundaries, taking risks, iterating again and again.
Design
We believe that the learning process is inherently iterative. Tinkerers start by exploring and experimenting, then revising and refining their goals and creations. To support this style of interaction, we design our interfaces to encourage quick experimentation and rapid cycles of iteration.
Explanatory comments on blocks (elements used for coding)
Blocks - Scratch Wiki Click this URL for the explanation of all blocks
http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/Scratch_Wiki:Table_of_Contents/Program
http://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/Blocks explains block mechanics
Introductory material
Short video Learn Scratch in 10 Minutes https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/31407152
https://scratch.mit.edu/help/cards/
for games - tutorial mode http://inventwithscratch.com/?utm_content=buffera9197&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=appdotnet&utm_campaign=Buffer
Tutorial you-tubes
For a large number of tutorials with google enter;
https://google.com/search?q=scratch tutorials
Enter "scratch 3.0 tutorial" as a search term for youtube. Get many hits.
showing specific techniques
Bouncing Off Walls Scratch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFwlAUBGgKg
Scratch - Bouncing off a Sprite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34KXu7Up_4Q
Shared embedded examples -- Look up Katzper in the Scratch search box for many other programs. After clicking on your choice click on the green flag in the new screen to run the program.
Tutorial URLs
GriffPatch https://scratch.mit.edu/users/griffpatch/
Code AI Swarms, Flocks & Hordes | Boids Scratch Tutorial Very long
Courses
https://www.theachievery.com/en too broad
https://cs50.harvard.edu/scratch/2024/weeks/1/ Latest I suggest its use.
CS50 / Week 0: Harvard University
https://cs50.harvard.edu/weeks course lectures
http://cs.harvard.edu/malan/publications/fp079-malan.pdf
Scratch for Budding Computer Scientists writeup old version of scratch.
Coding instructions
AI chatgpt can give a set of instructions needed to program what you request.
The catch is that you must already know Scratch and then implement all by yourself.
About computer basics
Carrie Anne Philbin Crash Course in Computer Science
Boolean Logic & Logic Gates: Crash Course Computer Science #3 - Bing video