Adventures in Coding

Book description

Learn to code the fun way with nine real projects for true beginners

Adventures in Coding is written specifically for young people who want to learn how to code, but don't know where to begin. No experience? No problem! This book starts from the very beginning to take you from newbie to app-builder in no time. You'll 'learn by doing' as you build projects designed to help you master fundamental programming skills—and you'll have a great time doing it. These skills form the foundation of any programmer's tool set, and you'll continue to use them as you graduate to other devices and more difficult projects. Each chapter includes a video to help clear up any confusion and make sure you really understand, so you can keep programming your way through every single project without hitting major roadblocks. If you're ready to start designing your own program, this book will help you get started today.

More and more kids are learning to code, and many schools offer basic programming classes as part of the regular curriculum. This book is structured like a class, starting with the basics and building skill upon skill, making it both a perfect accompaniment to formal instruction and an ideal guide for self-study.

  • Learn the basic programming skills you'll use everywhere
  • Build nine fun projects from super-basic to pretty challenging
  • Build the skills you need to create bigger and better apps
  • Watch video tutorials for extra help and explanations

How many times have you played with an app only to find yourself wishing it had this or that feature? If you learn how to code, you can be the creator of the next big app! But it all starts with that first small project. Adventures in Coding provides all the information you need, so let's get coding!

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. About the Authors
  4. Introduction
    1. What Is Scratch?
    2. Who Should Read This Book?
    3. What You Will Learn
    4. How This Book Is Structured
    5. What You Need to Use This Book
    6. Conventions
    7. Companion Website
    8. Contact Us
  5. Adventure 1: Scratching the Surface
    1. Coding Is Everywhere
    2. Speaking the Language of Machines
    3. Knowing Your Coding Lingo
    4. Writing Your First Scratch Program
    5. Learning the Scratch Environment
    6. Further Adventures in Coding
  6. Adventure 2: Where in the World Is Scratch?
    1. Setting the Stage
    2. Understanding Coordinates on the Stage
    3. Knowing Your Directions
    4. Moving a Sprite
    5. Creating Random Scratch Art
    6. Further Adventures in Coding
  7. Adventure 3: Using Control Blocks
    1. Understanding Code Nesting
    2. Branching Programs in Scratch
    3. Making Comments in Scratch
    4. Looping in Scratch
    5. Building the Fly Catcher Game
    6. Further Adventures in Coding
  8. Adventure 4: Using Sensing Blocks
    1. Learning the Sensing Blocks
    2. Getting and Using Text Input
    3. Detecting Key Presses
    4. Watching for Mouse Moves
    5. Using Timing
    6. Sensing Touching and Distance
    7. Building the Apple Patrol Game
    8. Further Adventures in Coding
  9. Adventure 5: Using Event Blocks
    1. Understanding the Role of Events
    2. Working with Key Press Events
    3. Using Backdrop Change Events
    4. Implementing Sensing and Timing Events
    5. Getting Your Message Across
    6. Putting on the Big Event
    7. Further Adventures in Coding
  10. Adventure 6: Variables and Lists
    1. Understanding Variable Blocks
    2. Making Lists
    3. The Ultimate Party Host
    4. Further Adventures in Coding
  11. Adventure 7: Using Operators in Scratch
    1. Saying Hello to the Operators
    2. Doing the Math
    3. Coding Logically
    4. Operating on Text
    5. Understanding Other Operations
    6. Make a Math Practice Game
    7. Further Adventures in Coding
  12. Adventure 8: Using Graphics and the Pen
    1. Creating Art with the Paint Editor
    2. Use the Pen to Make a Skywriting Plane
    3. Further Adventures in Coding
  13. Adventure 9: Building Your Own Blocks
    1. Making Your Own Blocks
    2. Borrowing Blocks with the Backpack
    3. Putting on a Fashion Show
    4. Further Adventures in Coding
  14. Adventure 10: Making and Using Sounds and Music
    1. Using Sounds
    2. The Sound Library
    3. Using the Sound Editor
    4. Editing Sounds
    5. Recording Sounds
    6. Importing Sounds
    7. Forming the Scratch Jazz Band
    8. Further Adventures in Coding
  15. Adventure 11: Exploring the Scratch Universe
    1. Visiting scratch.mit.edu
    2. Sharing Your Projects
    3. The Scratch Community Rules
    4. Remixing Projects
    5. Interfacing with the Real World
    6. Sensing with the PicoBoard
    7. Further Adventures in Coding
  16. Appendix A: Installing the Scratch Offline Editor
    1. Installing the Scratch Offline Editor on Windows
    2. Installing the Scratch Offline Editor to Your Mac Operating System
    3. Other Resources
  17. Appendix B: Testing Your Programs
    1. Practice Proper Planning
    2. Ask Other People to Test
    3. Look for Possible Invalid Input
    4. Use Comments Often
    5. Test Early and Often
    6. Keep Track of Tests and What Breaks Things
    7. Use Custom Blocks
    8. Use Sliders for Numbers
    9. Keep Learning
    10. Keep Practicing
  18. Glossary
  19. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Adventures in Coding
  • Author(s): Eva Holland, Chris Minnick
  • Release date: March 2016
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781119232681