As the prevalence of technology in society grows, it becomes difficult for parents to navigate how much of a role tech has in the lives of their children.
It can be hard for parents to find a middle ground between too much and too little screen-time as technology is being distributed to younger and younger children.
Phoenix’s Burton Barr Central Library is helping parents bridge the technological gap by offering a program called Little Bytes.
Little Bytes is taking small steps toward teaching children ages 4 to 7 about computer programing, without kids having to use a computer.
“We do these coding programs to prepare kids for futures in coding or to make them see coding in everyday life so that they understand it better,” said Samantha Groff, the youth programs library assistant.
The program combines a vocabulary word with a skill activity in order to teach the children code. Instructors remind students of the vocabulary word as they go along.
“Every week is a new vocabulary word and every week is a new skill activity. This week it was problem-solving and we combine it with debugging,” Groff said.
The students can use more technology-based approaches to coding, using code-a-pillars or software that spells their name in code.
This week, students started out with tessellations, small flat shapes that can be put together to form a larger shape.
“For the younger kids, I would take out a couple of the pieces and then ask them ‘Where did these pieces fit?’ That’s the bug in their code,” Groff said.
The activity then moved to a game called ‘Robot Turtles.’ The objective is to code your turtle through the board, using cards, to get it to its’ diamond.
If there’s a mistake in the code, another player can put down a bug card, and the player has to go back and solve the error.
“I use turtles and try to jump over stuff and try to get my diamond. It’s just fun,” Willow Warren, 5, said.
Angela Slater-Warren, Willow’s mother, started bringing her to the classes about a month ago.
“We want to introduce her to coding at an early age. We were looking for a program to introduce her to coding and this was a perfect opportunity,” Warren said.
Since her daughter started the program, Warren noticed Willow’s understanding of code quickly increased.
“She definitely has a comprehension of coding that I am surprised she’s picked up on so quickly. She was telling us the other day about algorithms. It was just clicking and she was retaining it,” Warren said.
Warren plans on having Willow continue through the program, finding it important to her learning experience.
“I think it’s very important. I wish that there ways to get information about all of the things that the library does out into the community,” Warren said.
The Burton Barr Library also offers programs for older kids as well. Children in Little Bytes can graduate into Big Bites, a program for ages 8 to 17.
“I think everything in STEAM education can be applied everywhere,” Groff said.
The free program takes place over the course of an hour and is offered on Fridays from 1 pm to 2 pm.
All of the programs are part of CodePHX, a partnership with Phoenix Public Library and the Parks and Recreation Department, that aims to teach people of all ages how to code.
Contact the reporter at stlee9@asu.edu
