ARE YOU A fearless adventurer? Do you like to set sail on new ventures and learn new skills? Do you want to learn how to use technology to turn your ideas into reality? Are you curious about computer programming, but aren’t sure where to start? If your answer to these questions is a confident “yes!” then this book is for you!

Like people, computers can be talked to in a variety of languages. Computer programming, or coding, is a way for people to talk to computers. Many computer languages are similar to one another, so once you know one programming language, it’s much easier to learn another one.

Adventures in Coding introduces you to the world of programming, using Scratch.

What Is Scratch?

Scratch is for anyone new to coding. It’s a great place to begin your lifelong adventures in the world of computer programming. Scratch introduces programming concepts in a fun and approachable way. Using simple drag-and-drop features, you can create real computer programs while learning the fundamentals of coding.

Who Should Read This Book?

Adventures in Coding is a great starting point for any young person who is interested in learning how to create games, apps, and art on a computer.

What You Will Learn

Adventures in Coding introduces and guides you through the world of coding using Scratch. You learn the ins and outs of the Scratch universe—from learning about the features of the Project Editor, to connecting with fellow “Scratchers” and sharing projects.

Adventures in Coding teaches you how to create fun games, animate characters, build interactive projects, and more!

How This Book Is Structured

Each chapter of this book is an adventure of its own. With each adventure, you learn a new aspect of Scratch while building on what you already learned. Each adventure finishes with a completed project.

What You Need to Use This Book

The Scratch programming interface lives on the web. All you need to get started and complete the adventures in this book is a computer with a web browser (such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Internet Explorer) and an Internet connection. No experience is expected or necessary. There is nothing you need to purchase or install. Scratch is always free, to anyone!

Conventions

Throughout the book, there are some special boxes to guide and support you. They use the following key:

You will also find two sets of sidebars in the book. Challenge sidebars give you extra suggestions for expanding on the projects in the book. Digging into the Code sidebars further explain how some of the more complex programs work.

Companion Website

To download the videos mentioned in this book, visit the companion website at www.wiley.com/go/adventuresincoding.

Contact Us

Your authors, Chris and Eva, would love to hear about your progress in coding. You can reach out to us with questions, or to show us a cool project you’ve created, by visiting www.watzthis.com or emailing us at [email protected].