Hello, and welcome to Philly CoderDojo. We’re very excited to have you and your parents start or continue your ninja journey as you learn to code! We will see you soon, our coding dojo at Bethlehem Baptist Church will be in just a couple weeks and is filling up fast. Please email us at PHLCoderDojo@gmail.com if you ever think you will be unable to attend so that another coding ninja can fill that slot in case there is a waiting list for that day.

In order to make best use of our time together, we’d appreciate if you could (ask your parent if you need help) setup your laptop computer with the programs we plan to use. You will need to bring your laptop with you to the dojos. The programs are called Scratch and Python. If you have any trouble setting up either program, feel free to reply to this email or show up a little early on Saturday to get help.

Scratch is available right in your web browser, so there’s no need to download or install it. To give it a try, visit https://scratch.mit.edu/ and click “Create” at the top of the page. We’ve also already created a sample project, it’s a game where you try to catch a falling ball in a basket to earn points. The link to that project is https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/147240950/.

Python requires a download and installation, and we’ll mostly be using it with kids who already have the basics of Scratch understood. Therefore, we’d suggest installing it if you age 12 or older or if you have had some previous experience working with computers and code.

To install Python on a Windows Computer:
In a web browser, navigate to http://www.python.org/downloads/
Click the button “Download Python 3.6.0”
Once the download is completed, click the “Install Now” button

A few reminders for Philly CoderDojo Saturday 3/18:
Just like school computer labs we won’t be allowing food or drinks near the computers, so make sure kids get a snack before we begin.

We’re going to get started right at 3pm, so please try to be on time. Again if you have any issues setting up your child’s computer, we’ll be there at 2:30 to help people set up.

We’re going to have to reschedule the 4/15 session to 4/22 so it doesn’t conflict with Easter weekend.

You will need to bring your laptop with you to the dojos. Please respond to this email if you will not have access (not shared with a brother or sister at the dojo) to a laptop to bring to the dojo. We will make arrangements for you to borrow one while you’re learning to code on Saturday.

We’d like to share information about a few opportunities for students in the Philadelphia area to get exposure to math and science outside of this program:

The Franklin Institute is pleased to present Community Nights. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun at these FREE educational and fun filled science extravaganzas that include The Franklin Institute’s famous exhibitions, special programs and themed activities. Community Nights are from 5-8pm on the third Wednesday of each month. Find more at https://www.fi.edu/special-events/community-nights

STAMP Pass – STAMP Pass is open to any Philadelphia high school student and gets you free admission to 17 museums and attractions around Philly. More information at http://phillystamppass.org/get-the-pass_/

Finally, we’d like recruit team of committed coding ninjas to develop project(s) that you will create yourself and work on in between dojos maybe including the summertime to be completed by year-end.

Thanks and we look forward to meeting you and your parents on 3/18.

Sincerely,
Philly CoderDojo Team