Talcott Mountain Academy
Submitted by tomDev on
In just a few weeks, students will bound out of their classrooms with unbridled enthusiasm—excited to head home and begin winter break. This weeklong holiday is a favorite for students, but what about parents?
With children home day-after-day, many parents find themselves either playing ‘activities director’ to keep their child entertained; or scrambling to find childcare because most employers don’t offer employees week-long ‘winter breaks.’ (Wouldn’t it be great if they did?!)
This December, instead of spending days plotting an entertainment strategy that involves coordination with other families and seemingly endless travel (“Are we there yet?”), there is an alternative: let your child explore the power of coding!
As we all know, kids love video games. They play them, watch them, fantasize about them and study them. Now… they can make them! This winter, students in Grades 4-8 will spend two days at the Talcott Mountain Science Center learning all aspects of coding and ultimately integrating skills from science, math and logic to make games, graphics and more!
On Thursday, Dec. 27 and Friday, Dec. 28, students who enroll in ‘Coding’ during Talcott’s December Vacation Program, will create code, explore apps and use tech wizard to learn how to make computers do powerful coding. They’ll learn top-level skills including design, implementation and analysis, debugging and, finally, computing in context.
“When designing a computer program, students need to be able to correctly solve a given problem. At the same time, they need to specify and design a program that is understandable and can be adapted to changing circumstances,” says Priya Rajagopal, Talcott Mountain Science Center technology teacher. “The problem-solving skills that students will learn are not only applicable to coding, but also to everyday challenges.”
Students will also develop an awareness of the social and ethical ramifications of computer use and cybersecurity.
Class sizes at the Talcott Mountain Science Center are intentionally small, with no more than 12 students per course. This ensures that all students are hands-on and receive individual attention to maximize their learning.
To register for or learn more about ‘Coding’ and other classes being offered for students in grades K-8 at the Talcott Mountain Science Center this December, please visit http://www.tmsc.org/programs/vacation/december or call 860.677.8571.