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Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone had any good recommendations for programming books for children. I want to get my son into programming as he shows an interest in it, but most books are a little dry due to the target market.
I grew up using Usbourne books teaching Basic, with the book showing a listing and then various minor corrections for the BBC, Vic20, Apricot, Spectrum & CBM - which I then had to correct to make them work on an Amstrad CPC. However, these aren't really that viable these days...
Anyway enough nostalgia - I'm not too fussed whether it is PHP, Java, C#, Python, etc. I do have a Raspberry Pi so I thought Python might be a good bet as he could transfer the programs from the laptop to the Pi. I must add that is a Windows 8 laptop, just in case that influences any answers.
Apologies if this topic has already been covered in a thread elsewhere, but I couldn't find one talking about programming books.
Any suggestions will be gratefully received.
Adrian
Breaking code since '85.
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For Python, these[^] are good books written especially for children. Downloadable as (legally) free PDF files, but also available as hardcopies.
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Give him K&R[^] and wish him God Speed...
speramus in juniperus
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Nah, if interested, the little geek already has it.
Veni, vidi, vici.
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AntMe! is a great book to learn c# and vb.
I had it when i was 10 years old.
You are learning Basics, so no really really deep digging.
But you are programming while "playing".
Check it out, maybee it fits your requirements 
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HobbyProggy wrote: AntMe! is a great book to learn c# and vb.
I had it when i was 10 years old.
Oh boy, I feel really old now.
SG
Aham Brahmasmi!
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Maybe something like Lego Mindstorms might be an idea?
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Ah yes, the good old days. I'd be half inclined to get an old 8 bit off ebay for £10 and use that, but maybe that's not a good idea thinking about it.
Visual Studio might be considered a bit intimidating for anyone new to programming, especially a nine-year old.
Dunno.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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Book? How very 20th century of you!
Have you seen Blocky?[^]
It's a block based programming interface - I haven't played with it too much, but I admire the way they lead youngsters into it.
The good thing is it's not a language, so they start learning the skills without the need to learn a language - but it can be used to generate code for python or javascript.
I figure a great introduction, and so much more fun than a book ...
MVVM # - I did it My Way
___________________________________________
Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011
.\\axxx
(That's an 'M')
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It's tricky. Most of the material aimed at any sort of beginner (not just kids) is dumbed down to the point where it insults the reader's intelligence. On the other hand, most material not aimed at beginners is a little advanced for someone who's actually a beginner.
Anyway, does he need a book? He could just find everything on the internet, right? That's what I did.
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http://smallbasic.com/[^]. It's not a book, although there probably are some written on it, but Small Basic is good. They have lots of walk-throughs and tutorials.
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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Kahn Academy programming course[^]
Really good online course for javascript, gamified and completely free. Not my favorite language, but I would still definitely recommend to start there because it has the best quality you can offer a kid for free; also the same site has an impressive mathematics course.
Youtube channel: Computerphile[^]
Applied computer science explained on a conceptual level; good introduction to learn more about all sorts of things.
Then I guess it depends if he/she wants to be an 'inventor' (Arduino[^]) or a 'video game designer' (GameMaker Studio[^]).
.
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This old collection looks OK. http://tedfelix.com/books/[^]
But why only books? Please check second link in my signature.
thatrajaCode converters | Education Needed
No thanks, I am all stocked up. - Luc Pattyn
When you're wrestling a gorilla, you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is - Henry Minute
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I actually read the "Danny Dunn" series when I was a kid.
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Buy him some pc / console games (and the console) and leave the little one alone !
Microsoft ... the only place where VARIANT_TRUE != true
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How about this free ebook?
C# for sharp kids[^]
=========================================================
I'm an optoholic - my glass is always half full of vodka.
=========================================================
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I don't know any particular book but there is a programming lanugage called LOGO from the department of computer science of the ETH Zurich which might be interesting for you and your children. This is the department where Niklaus Wirth used to work (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niklaus_Wirth[^])
Here an article in English:
https://www1.ethz.ch/inf/news/spotlight/ferienpass/index[^]
Learning a specific language is one thing but learning to analyse a problem and come up with a program to solve it is usually not done by just learning a language.
Here a script in English:
http://abz.inf.ethz.ch/media/archive1/unterrichtsmaterialien/primarschulen_stufe_sek_1/logo_heft_en.pdf
However, have a look and have fun!
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Scratch [MIT] is actually pretty good at that age. My kids had fun with the book "Super Scratch Programming Adventure!".
For Python, "Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python" [^] is ok, but code academy is probably better, unless they get distracted easily by youtube / pokemon / fungames…
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There are a couple of pretty good books from Pragmatic Programmers:
3D Game Programming for Kids[^]
That one is in JavaScript.
The second is a 'Beta' book, so not complete yet, but they let you download it while it's being written:
Learn to Program with Minecraft Plugins[^]
That one is in Java.
I've got both in my shopping cart right now...just holding out for a holiday coupon!
I have always wished for my computer to be as easy to use as my telephone; my wish has come true because I can no longer figure out how to use my telephone - Bjarne Stroustrup
The world is going to laugh at you anyway, might as well crack the 1st joke!
My code has no bugs, it runs exactly as it was written.
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Get the game "Robot Turtles". The kickstarter has expired, but there are games available starting today at [^]
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http://www.smallbasic.com/[^]
This is a MS curriculum targeted to children 10 to 16 years old.
Note: I have no experience with this, it is just something that popped up once in a too generic search for a tutorial and I bookmarked it.
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Looking for appreciation is different from looking for recognition ?
What does it mean if someone says, "I'm not looking for recognition, but appreciation"
May be recognition would involve tangible rewards in general? and appreciations happens through air?
Starting to think people post kid pics in their profiles because that was the last time they were cute - Jeremy.
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The teacher recognised Little Johnnie's writing on the blackboard, but she did not appreciate it.
speramus in juniperus
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Your Boss recognised that you fixed the bug, but since you built in two other bugs he did not appreciate it.
Veni, vidi, caecus
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