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Peninsula Kids
Home»Education»Good screen-time: Scratch Jr. for parents
Education

Good screen-time: Scratch Jr. for parents

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Help your kids learn to code!

By David Hawkins

Do you ever worry when your children are zombie-like in front of the TV, mobile phone or tablet?

This seems to be a concern for many modern parents as digital screens are literally all around us. Now, I’ll admit upfront that I’m not against kids using screens but lately I’ve been realising that we have become a family of tech consumers. And I want my kids to be tech controllers. Imagine if our children learned that they can do more than just absorb what is playing on a screen. Instead, they can create it.

I decided to explore this with my kids using a completely free app called ScratchJr.

That was the sound I made when I thought about having to teach my kids about computer programming. I had no idea what coding was and only vaguely remember the early ’90’s when I knew how to type C:\>RUN.EXE into DOS to be able to play Duke Nukem. Computer code now surrounds us. We need it to start our modern cars, to play a song on Spotify and to “tap n’ go” with our credit cards. There are few areas of our lives that aren’t touched by programming these days.

Creating codes for these high-end uses is complicated and requires a lot of knowledge and training.

Yet, at its simplest, coding or programming is just making a recipe for a machine to follow.

Enter ScratchJr: a free-to-download and use app for mobile devices such as iPads and tablets that allows children to easily create “their own interactive stories and games”. It has been created through a collaboration between Tufts University, MIT and the Playful Invention Company with the intention of empowering kids who are 5-7 years to become the storytellers and technology controllers.

ScratchJr uses an image-based interface to allow young children, who may not yet be able to read, to take control and create their own game or animation. All they have to do is tap and drag. It is so easy to understand that even us oldies can work it out!

Kids start by choosing a background image and some fun characters from a colourful cartoon library. Then the programming begins. Each command is depicted by a large colourful block that can be dragged into the ‘programming area’ (otherwise known as the big blank space) and jigsaw-pieced together with other blocks to create a recipe (otherwise known as a programme).

Yellow blocks are ‘triggers’ that start the animation. Blue blocks are for ‘motion’ and tell the characters how and where to move. Pink blocks change the ‘look’ of a character by making it bigger or smaller, appear or disappear, or even adding a speech bubble.

Green blocks let you add sound. Yellow blocks ‘control’ the other commands and red blocks tell the programme what to do at the end. Work out what you want your character to do and then choose blocks that create the command programme. If it doesn’t work the first time, move a block out and put another one in.

It really is that simple.

I’ve now started a weekly afternoon ScratchJr session for my sons and their friends, ranging from 4 to 8-year olds. Everyone brings along a tablet or iPad and we spend 45 minutes creating kid-driven content. What makes this so easy for me is the amount of great lessons and teaching aids available online. The ScratchJr website has 9 walkthrough lessons that introduce all of the actions that you can command in the app; these are very achievable and allow the kids to get to know what each block can do.

There are also some lesson groups aimed at schools and some assessments, all of which can be used at home.

When you’ve exhausted the official content, just type “ScratchJr lessons” into Google search and discover lots of ideas and plans created by other users and teachers. There are also books of ScratchJr projects that you may be able to borrow from your local library.

By helping our children begin to create little animated stories we help them take the first step on an important journey that can open up a world of opportunities for their future; for them to understand that they have the power to be in control of their technology.


David Hawkins is a Peninsula-based stay-at-home-dad who realised that he needed to improve his Dadding. So he set himself the simple task of being an Awesome Dad. He now challenges all dads to be awesome dads, by doing something  out-of-the ordinary with their kids.

Peninsula Kids – Autumn 2020

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Grab your cameras and hot choccies! Neon Fields returns to glow up Frankston! When the sun goes down it is time to gather family and friends and venture into Neon Fields. Beauty Park will once again be transformed into a colourful fantasy world where you’re invited to interact and play among the lights during this free event! —————————————————————————— #southsidefestival #neonfields #frankston #beautypark #visitfrankston #whatson #whatsonthisweekend #thingstodo #freeevent #photoops #lovepeninsulakids @southsidefestivalfrankston
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In July, Associate Professor Andrew Kornberg, Senior Neurologist at The RCH Foundation, will embark on a remarkable solo flight around Australia to raise $4.5 million for life-changing treatments for children with rare and complex conditions. Called Fly for the Kids, this one-of-a-kind fundraiser will help establish dedicated spaces, resources, and specialist staff at the RCH, making advanced therapies — including revolutionary gene therapy — more accessible to sick children across Australia. Andrew’s journey will see him revisit patients whose lives have been transformed by advanced therapies, putting real faces and stories to the incredible impact of this innovation in paediatric healthcare. You can learn more about the campaign here: https://flyforthekids.org.au @rch.foundation
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Today we received a gorgeous entry for our colouring in competition from a 75 year-old reader of Peninsula Kids magazine in the actual MAIL! 💌 This has made my day so much that I may have to pay the entrant a visit with a special prize for all their effort and for giving me a huge smile on a Monday! How’s that artwork?!?!?! 🤩 Have you sent your entry in? IG: Use Linktree in bio to download a copy. FB: check out pinned/featured post. 🧑‍🎨 @chocolate.grove —————————————————————————— #peninsulakids #peninsulakidsmagazine #colouringin #colouringincompetition #chocolate #chocolatehamper
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⏰ Don’t Be Late for This Important Date! 🎩 On now through 20th April, the stylish boutique hotel, Hotel Chadstone, is bringing the magic of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland to life. Inspired by the famous Mad Hatter’s tea party, this whimsical high tea invites you to delight in both sweet and savoury creations that reflect the fantastical nature of Wonderland. 🐇 Bookings are essential. For reservations, please call +61 3 9108 3333 or email info@altusrooftop.com.au #madhattershightea #madhatter #dontbelate #hightea #schoolholidays #schoolhols #thingstodo #chadstone #altus #chaddy #funforall #familytime #gettogether #drinktea #teatime
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