STEM Resources

Links where I find many interesting STEM/STEAM information and stories, in case you want to explore for yourself. This page definitely is a work in progress. And if you want to help fill it out with resources that you champion, definitely email me with details. I can't guarantee publishing everything but I'm open to finding interesting resources and sharing them here.

Programming Languages for Kids

Bored with Minecraft or Roblox? Try these coding apps geared to teaching coding. Links work as of April 2024.

Alice
Alice teaches programming concepts as kids create animated movies with its friendly interface and storytelling.
http://www.alice.org

App Inventor
This software programming language for education to build Android applications with a drag and drop visual environment.
http://www.appinventor.org/

Blockly
http://code.google.com/p/blockly/

CargoBot
Made with the Codea iPad application, a game to teach programming concepts.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cargo-bot/id519690804?ls=1&mt=8

Codea (iPad)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/codea/id439571171?mt=8

Code Combat
http://codecombat.com/

Code Guppy
An excellent and diverse set of basic tutorials that teach JavaScript.
https://codeguppy.com/

Code with Bolt
Bolt is a complete language that runs entirely (and safely) in the browser. It’s a language explicitly designed for kids, and comes with worked examples that map to the UK curriculum for KS 2/3 and beyond.
http://www.codewithbolt.com/

Daisy the Dinosaur
An iPad app from the people who bring you Hopscotch.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/daisy-the-dinosaur/id490514278

Erase All Kittens (E.A.K.)
An amusing story makes it easy for kids to learn about HTML and the coding process.
http://www.eraseallkittens.com

Gamemaker Studio
Requires a little more effort but this is a more professional game development system.
https://www.gamemaker.io

GameStar Mechanic
Teaches computer science concepts around coding.
http://gamestarmechanic.com/

Hopscotch (iPad)
http://www.gethopscotch.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hopscotch-hd/id617098629?mt=8

Kodable
An educational iPad game providing a kid friendly introduction to programming concepts and problem solving to kids 5 and up.
http://www.surfscore.com/

Kodu
From Microsoft, this visual programming language works on the PC and XBox.
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/kodu/

LearnToMod New
http://www.learntomod.com/

LOGO
From 1960s, a language geared towards children and serious adult computing. Ideas are incorporated into Scratch, Move the Turtle, and other languages.
http://el.media.mit.edu/logo-foundation/products/software.html

MinecraftEdu
A small team of educators and programmers in the US and Finland make it easy for kids to build and learn with Minecraft.
http://education.minecraft.net/

Move the Turtle
This iPad application teaches programming concepts and coding in a highly visual way.
http://movetheturtle.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/move-turtle.-programming-for/id509013878?ls=1&mt=8

Pocket Code
Create your own games, apps, and music videos with this Android app.
https://catrob.at/pocketcode/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.catrobat.catroid

RAPTOR
RAPTOR is a flowchart-based programming environment, designed specifically to help students visualize their algorithms.
http://raptor.martincarlisle.com/

Scratch
http://scratch.mit.edu/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_(programming_language)

Small Basic
From Microsoft, a cut down version of Basic to teach programming to kids and adults. Includes lots of tutorials. For Windows computers.
http://smallbasic.com/
http://visualstudiomagazine.com/articles/2011/12/01/get-em-while-theyre-young.aspx

Snap
A port of Scratch, from the University of California at Berkeley.
http://snap.berkeley.edu/snapsource/snap.html

Spherly
Programming language for Sphero robots, which are also fun.
http://outreach.cs.ua.edu/spherly/

Stencyl
Uses a visual programming language to create cross-platform applications for almost any platform. Stencyl software works on Mac, Windows, and Ubuntu/Linux.
http://stencyl.com/

Toon Talk
http://www.toontalk.com/

Turtle Art
Geared towards the wee ones, little kids, who can create really neat artwork and other fun stuff.
http://turtleart.org/

Turtle Academy
http://www.turtleacademy.com/

Tynker
This software programming language for education is a hosted drag and drop programming tailored towards classroom teaching of programming and computer science. Also have an iPad version of their curriculum.
http://www.tynker.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tynker-learn-programming-visual/id805869467

WaterBear
Waterbear is a toolkit for making programming more accessible and fun.
http://waterbearlang.com/

World of Codecraft
A project from North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
http://www.codecraftgame.org/