Girls Learning Code Game Design with Scratch for girls ages 8-13 (Mother’s Day Edition)

This is a beginner level workshop for girls 8-13 years old and their parent/guardian/aunt/older sibling.   

Celebrate Mother’s Day is a fun new way by bringing a special girl in your life to this workshop and learn to create a game together from scratch! Note: this workshop is BYOL so each parent or guardian/youth pair is required to bring one laptop on the day of the workshop as well as their own lunch.

From Checkers, to Super Mario Bros, to Angry Birds… we think games are awesome!

Girls Learning Code is excited to combine the power of play with basic design and programming skills for a full day, game-making workshop! This experience offers girls the opportunity to brainstorm modern day game ideas with others in a super fun environment, and learn basic design principles, character interaction techniques, as well as appropriate audio integration.

Using Scratch, a beginner level programming environment that encourages mathematical and computational skills, imagination will come to life throughout the day in a new and digitally engaging form. Girls will also be introduced to Scratch’s amazing online community sloganed: “Imagine, Program, Share,” where they will have the opportunity to upload their game for anyone on the web to download and play.

At the end of the workshop, each girl will also get a chance to practice their presentation skills and showcase their creation for everyone attending the workshop to experience and enjoy!

What is Girls Learning Code?
Founded by the same women who introduced Ladies Learning Code in 2011, Girls Learning Code is less about “code” and more about changing the world – through teamwork, creativity, and, of course, technology.

What Makes Girls Learning Code Different?
Girls Learning Code has been designed specifically with girls in mind, by the team who founded Ladies Learning Code. When developing plans and curriculum for workshops, we keep in mind a recurrent theme in research on gender and technology: girls approach the computer as a “tool” useful primarily for what it can do; boys more often view the computer as a “toy” or an extension of the self. Thus, the theme of workshops are “Changing the World” and how technology can be used as the means, not the end.

Check out this video of one of our Girls Learning Code camps in Toronto.

What parents say about Girls Learning Code:

“My daughter went to the camp without a clear understanding of what a tech camp for girls was but was pleasantly surprised by the experience. She enjoyed every single day at the camp and showed great enthusiasm about the topic she and her group chose to present. I would not hesitate to send her to another tech camp with LLC whenever the opportunity arises.”

“My daughter wasn’t sold on the idea of attending a “technology camp” for March Break. By the second day she was raving about how much fun she was having AND how much she was learning. What a great combination!”

“I learned about Girls Learning Code from the Toronto Star. I looked into it and I thought it was such a great opportunity for my daughter to be exposed in the field of technology. I was really happy that she went to Girls Learning Code because she was introduced to different programming languages, exposed to companies like Google and Mozilla and had to work with different girls she’s never met before. I wish my older daughter who is now in first year university had the same opportunity as her sister.”

“This was a great iniative that is needed to encourage females to become leaders in computer technology field. It was inspiring for my daughter to visit Google, to see a modern office space, to see a bilingual women in a leading position at Google. This camp provided a perspective to girls that they not only can play and use technology, they can design, create and become leaders in technology.”

“My daughter had a blast, the other campers were a great bunch of girls, they learned, grew and had fun. The venue was well chosen, the balance of activities was good. The extra little touches of caring were noticable and appreciated. The camp was down to earth and unpretentious but the counsellors took their jobs seriously. A+. I will recommend to other parents.”