Dylan is a big Star Wars fan and is enjoying learning coding skills at school. So it was a no-brainer when we were offered a copy of Star Wars Coding Projects for my Padawan to help review!
This new title published by DK is a step-by-step guide to coding using the free beginner coding language, Scratch. As well as providing an introduction to coding and using Scratch, it includes six full projects to try out. These include a good mix of games, animations and simulations.
Projects include Build-a-Droid, Use the Force! and Jetpack Adventure. Each one introduces new coding skills and there’s advice from C-3PO throughout. Other main characters appear regularly too, of course. It was nice, for example, to be congratulated by Darth Vader upon completion of our first project!
I hadn’t encountered Scratch before, but Dylan was already familiar with it. Indeed, I often found myself checking the next step in the book only to find that he was already two ahead of me!
It’s all clearly explained, well designed and easy to follow. This makes what could otherwise be a daunting challenge for beginners both accessible and fun. We really enjoyed working through the projects together. I say ‘we’ – it was more a case of me watching him and trying to keep up!
The first project is a game called Cargo Bay Chase. It features the platform’s signature cat sprite, an energy ball and an evil robot.
The object is for the cat to catch the ball and avoid the robot. Each time the cat succeeds, the player scores a point. Each time the robot does, however, it gets faster. If the robot catches the cat, it’s game over.
This involves creating five different scripts. It may sound complicated, but it’s not. This is achieved by dragging colour coded blocks with different commands to the relevant part of the screen. It’s all very intuitive and the book mirrors this with child-friendly explanations of the process.
It was brilliant to see how quickly Dylan’s confidence grew. This isn’t always the case with new skills, so I’m really pleased. He keeps asking to start new projects too and this can only be a good thing.
Star Wars Coding Projects is a fantastic introduction to an increasingly important skill. It’s an ideal gift for kids who are new to coding and should set them up with both the knowledge and confidence to create their own games and animations using Scratch.
Star Wars™ Coding Projects, © & TM 2017 LUCASFILM LTD published by DK, £12.99.
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Comments
Rey would be my first choice to code as she is a pretty cool character.
we’d use Yoda
Darth vadar
My son would love to recreate Yoda!
chewbacca
Yoda
Yoda x
chewbacca
Han Solo
My son would probably choose Darth Vader.
Darth Vader
Yoda!
Jar Jar Binks, haha!
Yoda!
Yoda!
If good enough the Han Solo/Greedo scene
Yoda would be our choice
My son would love this and would probably code Yoda as its his favourite!
han solo!
darth vader
Yoda
Jabba the Hutt!
Darth Vadar!
C3-PO would be my first choice off of the coding production line.
Yoda!
Han Solo
R2D2
r2d2
I’d re-create C3PO. He has such a daft but kind personality and is a little bit ditsy.
I would recreate R2D2 in code for starters!
Thank you – BB-8 for me.
Chewbacca
Leia
It would have to be Yoda
My daughter would definitely go for R2D2.
chewbacca
C3PO
chewbacca
R2D2
Yoda and R2D2
I would love to recreate Darth Vader
general grievous would be pretty cool
Darth Vader for us.
My granddaughter would choose Chewbacca 🙂
BB8
Jabba the Hutt
Yoda
Han Solo
jaba the hut
I’d want to create Obi Wan Kenobi – he’s smart and a super cool jedi!
Han Solo
I would love to see a wookie they are so cute! My I know my daughter would love to recreate Darth Vader though.
Darth Vader
yoda
It would have to be the big furry wookie chewbacca
Chewie 🙂
Has to be Darth Vader my favourite character
Darth vadar
I would choose an Ewok
I think BB8 would be a really good one.
It would have to be Darth Vader!
Han Solo would be fun to do and so would BB8.
Darth Vader
One of the Ewoks or Ja ja binks
Has to be R2D2
Chewbacca
BB-8 🙂
R2D2
R2-D2
BB8
An Ewok so cute!
Yoda
Chewbacca.
ha ha, you think I understand? Nope! Obviously I’d be leaving that to the tech experts, my young Star Wars mad nephews! I’ll say Darth Vader but I’ll probably be met with an eye roll, what do I know?!
Chewbacca first but eventually every single one. I know my fiance would have great fun with this having studied computer science. My father was a programmer so computers were a big part of our upbringing thankfully and we hope to keep the kids up to date too as it’s easy to lose sight of the work that goes into coding when everything seems so easy to use via apps etc.
Chewbacca.
chewbacca
Love yoda!good luck everyone we all know a huge star wars fan
Wicket the Ewok
Yoda
Chewbacca 🙂
My son would probably choose a droid like BB8 or R2D2.
My boys would def say it would have to be Chewbacca
Oh it would have to be han solo as thats my 3 kids fave
Yoda for me but my boys would choose Kylo Ren or even Darth Vader
R2D2
Chewbacca
R2D2