We already know that Barbie can’t teach girls how to code, but what about Anna and Elsa?
Code.org is a non-profit educational group that helps kids of all ages learn to code by bringing them a variety of games and challenges to make the process fun. The website has drawn inspiration from President Barack Obama to Flappy Bird, and now it’s turning to one of the biggest fandoms in recent memory: Frozen.
Its latest project has come just in time to help us cope with our wintery wonderland. Here’s the website description:
Let’s use code to join Anna and Elsa as they explore the magic and beauty of ice. You will create snowflakes and patterns as you ice-skate and make a winter wonderland that you can then share with your friends!
Sounds fun! The project uses simple instructions to teach students how to code to animate Elsa’s and Anna’s movements. We can make them run, ice skate, and even create snowflakes.
Aja Romano
As the website notes, what seems like merely combining puzzle pieces is actually the key to a whole world of code. “Under the hood, the blocks you have assembled can also be shown in JavaScript, the world’s most widely used coding language.”
The whole project is designed to take about an hour, so it should be a great way to keep yourself or your family members entertained for a little while on a snowy afternoon.
And hopefully after you’re done, you’ll know a little more about programming and scripting languages than you did before.
Photo via jiff01/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)