Education

A Blast from the Past: Learn Why Dictation is Making a Comeback

Whether you refer to it as a game or as a learning activity, dictation may be old school but it’s still a great way to find out how your child is doing with their language art skills. It’s very simple: Just read out a sentence or two and have your kid write it down, word for word. They may choose to physically write it out or they can use a keyboard. What you’re looking for is skill-level in language so the medium doesn’t matter. In addition to showing you where their skill level is, dictation can help kids in a number of ways.

Dictation can help increase your child’s listening skills

If your child has trouble listening, try this: Read a sentence while they sit and listen. Read it again and have them write it down while you’re speaking. Then read it a third time while they check their work. Once they’re done, move on to the next one. This teaches them to listen without even realizing what they’re doing.

Find out what common mistakes they’re making

If you’re relying solely on what you hear when your children talk, then you’re not up to date on their language skills. For example, do they know the difference between their, they’re, and there? Do they know when to use it’s and when to use its? What about two, too, to, or you’re and your? These can be confusing but if you don’t see them write them down, you’ll never know if they’re really perfected them.

Teach them to focus five minutes at a time

A common complaint of parents is that their kids have trouble concentrating. At CodeREV Kids, we recommend your child comes to us and learns how to code. They’ll figure out how to focus very quickly and will love doing it!

Another option is to teach dictation five minutes a day. They may not have the focus to do it for twenty minutes at a time, but if you tell your kid you’re going to dictate five sentences, they can likely focus. As time goes on and they learn to look forward to this challenging activity, add a few sentences to the game. Just make sure they’re still having fun and be sure to check their work every time.

Coding Curriculum

What to Look for in a Successful Coding Class

If you’ve been thinking of sending your kids to a California coding class then you’ve likely wondered how to choose the right option. At CodeREV, we want every parent to know exactly how to determine the best coding classes for their kids. Here are some of the criteria we recommend you consider.

Are the classes designed by teachers?

It takes a special overlap of talents to create a unique program that will keep kids interested and impart the information that’s needed. We have struck the right cord by hiring creative folks, education folks, and educators who have decades of combined experience. We know how kids learn and we know what they need to know about coding.

What’s their reputation?

Before you choose a coding class, take a moment and simply search the company you’re considering. What do reviewers say about them? What have kids have to say about them? It’s likely unreasonable to find a company that’s never had a negative review but if you see the same complaint over and over again then it’s likely the company you’re considering isn’t the right fit.

Do they make learning fun or is it a chore?

One of the great things about teaching kids coding is that most kids are naturally drawn to it. They like technology, they like video games, and they like hands-on learning. All of this combines to create a love of coding pretty easily. However, some coding classes may rely too heavily on instruction rather than hands-on instruction. We always strive to keep kids involved and make it as fun as possible so they’ll look forward to coming to us for coding classes.

Does it offer a good value?

Teaching your kid to code can be one of the best investments you ever make. With most any job now relying on technology, teaching your kids the basics of coding is a great idea in and of itself, but when you consider that it also boosts confidence, improves problem solving, and teachers critical thinking skills, it’s easy to see that the value in coding classes is a long-term value.

If you have any questions about our classes, we encourage you to reach out to us. We offer both group classes and self-paced options. We are here to help your child find their love of coding and we hope you’ll trust us with this important work.

Coding Education

What’s the CodeREV Difference?

At CodeREV Kids, we’re excited to see that coding camps and coding classes for kids are popping up all over the country. While we think that virtually any introduction to coding is a good thing, we also want to point out why we think our classes and camps are unique. Here are some of the things you can count on when you bring your kids to us. Feel free to give us a call if you have additional questions – or sign up for classes online!

Our classes are taught by real programmers who have teaching experience

Some of the classes out there are taught by either programmers who know their jobs every well but aren’t familiar with the best ways to teach, or teachers who are excellent at their jobs but don’t have an advanced understanding of the subject matter. At CodeREV Kids, we think it’s important to have both. That’s why our instructors are programmers who also have teaching experience.

Our student to teacher ratio is low

It’s no surprise that the fewer kids there are in a particular class, the more attention they can get and the more likely they will be to feel supported by the teaching staff. You’ll find many of our classes with a maximum of five students to every one teacher. We always tell you what the student to teacher ratio will be so you can choose a class that gives your child the attention they deserve.

Our curriculum is designed by the best

When you trust your kids with us for coding classes, you’re not just taking them to a camp run by tech geeks who are winging it. No, o we use a curriculum that was designed with world class education experts as well as professional developers. We’ve done our best to give you the best of both worlds.

Your child can find a class that’s suited to their level

You don’t want your child who’s never coded a thing in their life to walk into a classroom with advanced students, and you don’t want your advanced student to get bored while an instructor explains the basics. That’s why we have a wide range of classes that offer enough variety that every child can find the level they’re suited for.

If you want your child to learn how to code in an environment that’s ripe with the latest technology – including virtual reality – then it’s time you seriously considered CodeREV Kids.

Education

Simple Ways You Can Prepare Your Child to Start a New School

Starting a new school can be an extremely stressful situation for a child – and it can be just as hard for parents to feel powerless to help them. At CodeREV Kids, we know that most kids will eventually transition into a new school just fine, but we’ve found some direct actions you can take that will help them along the way.

Get your child as much first-hand knowledge as possible

Much of the anxiety that comes along with starting a new school is the fear of the unknown. The more information you can give them, the better – and if you can do it in person, that’s ideal. Ask the school if you can tour it with your child. See if you can visit the classroom before or after school before the official start date. Find out if your child can meet with the teacher. Something as simple as playing on the playground can make a child feel more comfortable. When they can picture their new school, they may feel less worried.

Find ways to find friends

Of course, many kids are most afraid that they won’t find new friends at their new school. As a parent, there’s a lot you can do about this too. For example, ask the school if there are any parents willing to arrange a play date. You can also sign them up for extracurricular activities, such as coding classes. Even if the new friends they make don’t go to the same school, it will boost your child’s confidence that they’re capable of making new friends.

Buy them some cool new school supplies

Head out to your local school supply store with a list in your hand and let your child pick out the colors and styles they want. Let them pick out some cool new pens and pencils, allow them their choice of notebooks. As you’re purchasing these items, talk about the types of things they’ll use these new tools to learn. And of course, don’t forget to buy them some cool clothes for their first day of school!

Most kids starting a new school would be anxious. As a parent, you likely can’t prevent this altogether but you can help ease their minds. Keep them involved in classroom activities even if you move during a break from school and before long they’ll have play dates all over town.

Education

How to Reinforce What Your Child Learns in a Coding Class

At CodeREV Kids, it’s been our experience that most parents want to be involved in their child’s education and extracurricular activities but they often struggle when it comes to coding for one simple reason: Many parents don’t know how to code themselves. While it would likely be worth your while to learn to do so, we understand that not every parent has the interest or time to do that. That’s why we’ve provided several ways you can help reinforce what your child has learned in their coding class.

Check up with them regularly

The easiest way to ensure that your kids are progressing is to ask them. You may not understand everything that goes on in their coding classes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask how they’re going. If they’re having trouble, talk them through it – and then talk to us so we can adjust their coding plan accordingly.

Keep in touch with us

Our goals are simple: To educate and inspire your child. If we’re not doing so, we want to know about it. Likewise, if you want to know how your kid is doing, just reach out to us. We’re happy to provide progress reports and to give you tips on specific ways your child may need help at home.

Have rewards and consequences

We set up our classes so that they are a reward in themselves. That said, your child may come up against something that’s particularly challenging and they may have the urge to quit instead of working through it. These are the points at which it’s important to have a simple reward for their continuing progress, such as extra time on our Minecraft server, and a simple consequence if they skip classes, don’t prepare appropriately, etc.

Encourage them to make friends in their classes

We work hard to ensure that your kids are having fun in our coding classes but of course they’re going to have a better time if they make a buddy or two. Encourage them to hang out with their new coding friends outside of class. Be willing to drive across town to facilitate a play date. The more they look forward to going to class, the better they’re likely to do.

Do you have questions about the way our classes work or how your child could benefit from them? We welcome your feedback and are always happy to answer your questions. Reach out today!

 

Coding Curriculum

Does Your School Need Help Setting Up Coding Classes for Kids?

At CodeREV Kids, our goal is to help kids learn coding. It’s as simple as that! In some cases, the best way to do that is to incorporate coding into the classroom. We offer several coding programs for schools that can help get these programs up and running.

In-school programs

With the in-school program, we offer a trained instructor who has both coding and teaching experience to your school. The instructor will be at your school for a full day, and it can be anywhere from just one day a week to five days a week. It’s all up to each school’s preferences. The curriculum we provide is designed to be fun and to cover every step kids need to learn robotics, game development, programming, and more. Kids have a great time but our programs also help boost confidence, problem-solving skills, creativity, and more!

After-school program

Our after-school program can stand alone as a new program at your school or it can be implemented within an existing after-school program you have. All we need is a computer lab and we’ll bring the rest! This creative programs we offer encourage collaboration and teach kids about coding through hands-on activities, brainstorming sessions, and group discussions.

For these after-school programs, we’ve partnered with schools all across the state of California for kids everywhere from kindergarten to 10th grade. If you school needs an additional technology curriculum then you should give us a call! We work to utilize common care standards in our classes and can even gear programs toward science and math goals.

Customized curriculum

When it comes to customized curriculum, you call the shots. We can do anything from turnkey customization to an as-needed curriculum. Our technology teachers will come to work onsite at your school weekly and act as the main instructor of a class, or they can work in conjunction with your computer lab instructor. It’s all up to you!

On the other hand, if you’d rather just teach the programs we’ve come up with, then we’ll work with your school to find a subscription basis that works for everyone. We’ll offer our curriculum and our program, along with training with your instructors, for whatever elements of our curriculum you decide to use in your school. This allows for total customization.

If you’re interested in getting your students more involved in technology and / or coding then your next phone call should be to CodeREV Kids.

Education

Self-Learning Vs Guidance: Which is Best for Your Child?

At CodeREV Kids, we work tirelessly to stay up to date on the latest information on the science behind how children learn. In some circles, there’s quite a bit of debate about which is better – letting a child learn on their own or guiding their learning process. We actually believe that neither is. Instead, a combined approach is most likely to work in the long term.

Consider this example

One of the best ways we can make this point is by giving you an example. Imagine that a child who’s never played golf is handed a golf club. They’re then told to spend half an hour practicing their swing. Once the half hour is over, a professional comes over and tells them what they’ve been doing wrong. It may be great that they eventually got guidance, but you must also consider that they’ve just spent thirty minutes teaching themselves the wrong way to swing a club.

There are limitations to self-learning

At CodeREV Kids, we believe the right way to handle this issue is by finding a balance. That’s why we offer coding classes that have plenty of instruction, but also give kids a chance to explore on their own. Our teachers are there not just to tell children what to do, but to inspire and challenge them. Your child will learn exactly how coding is done and will do it themselves.

Balance is easier in small groups

One of the reasons we’re able to find a balance that works for our kids is that we don’t have huge classes. With a small class size, we can instruct on the basics, go through an example together, and then give kids free reign to practice on their own. When they encounter a problem, they can let us know right away. In some cases we’ll give them instructions on how to get past their obstacle, while in other situations we’ll encourage them to learn the right way through trial and error.

There is no one-size-fits-all coding class

In addition to offer small class sizes, we also offer an alternative schedule of classes that works at your child’s pace. Whether your child takes a little longer to grasp concepts, or they race right through them, these classes give them the opportunity to find the right pace. At CodeREV Kids, we believe strongly that teaching kids to code is teaching them to be ready for their future.

Education

4 Reasons Coding Will Pay Off for Your Kids

There’s no question that kids today are busier than ever and it can be difficult to fit it all in. However, there’s one thing that we at CodeREV Kids think every parent needs to make time for: Kids learning to code. It’s not because we think every child should be a programmer when they grow up, but because technology is rapidly changing the world we live in and learning to code better prepares our kids for that. Here are four reasons that coding is likely to pay off for your kids.

1. They’ll be ready for the technology of the future

Today, our world is becoming more and more reliant on technology. This is only going to increase as time goes on. From hardware to code to programs, we are a society that’s very reliant on technology. No matter what career path your child eventually choses, there’s a good chance it will be affected in some way by technology and learning to code can help prepare them for it.

2. Coding teaches kids to be makers

When kids learn how to code, they’re empowered. They gain confidence, they learn to be innovative, and they take on skills likely leadership and ingenuity. Coding is all about finding new solutions and teaching new concepts. If you want your child to be creative and to be able to solve problems than teaching them to code is a great way to get there.

3. Kids gain important logic and critical thinking skills

There are so many skills a kid learn when they learn to code. They discover how to solve problems on their own, the best way to tell a story, how to communicate effectively with others and with an audience, how to think methodically and creatively. In fact, learning to guide while also building a video game can be extra powerful because they’ll need to use both technical and artistic skills.

4. Kids love to code!

Most importantly, kids have a great time learning to code. They get to meet new friends, they’re motivated, and they learn a genuine desire to be creative in their world. At CodeREV Kids we’re so glad that kids gain valuable skills but the fact that our students have a great time is enough of a reason for us to show up to work every day.

Education

Making the Most of Winter Break: Check-In Tips for Parents

Most California schools are halfway through the school year and that means it’s time to consider what your child has accomplished this year and what they have left to do. At CodeREV Kids, we encourage parents to talk over the following check-in topics with their kids. Winter break is the perfect time to get caught up – or get out and learn some new skills.

Do they understand backward mapping?

Many adults don’t fully understand backward mapping so it’s no surprise that their kids don’t either. Essentially, backward mapping is looking at the due date for something and then setting dates for progress. For example, if a project is due on the 30th of a month, backward mapping might include setting the 5th as the due date for an outline, with a draft by the 15th and a second draft by the 25th.

Let your kids tell you when things are due

When you check-in with your kids, don’t sit down and go over everything that they should have done or should be doing. Instead, get them to tell you. Ask them to go over milestones that are coming up. This might be challenging at first but it’s important for them to learn these skills. Don’t interrupt them or correct, give them time to find the right answer on their own.

Talk about progress daily

As a parent you do want to be actively involved in your child’s academic success but you also don’t want to do everything for them. This can be a difficult balance to achieve. One way you can do so is by encouraging progress and asking them every day how they’re coming on their projects.

Remember they likely have more than one project

Backward mapping is very important but don’t stop after you’ve had them do it on a single project. The reality is that, depending on their school and their age, they likely have a number of projects. Encourage them to map them one at a time so they won’t get overwhelmed.

Give them breaks and appreciate the results

It’s hard to stay on task and it’s even harder for kids. Don’t expect them to sit down and study for four hours without a break. Encourage them to build in break time. They might take a walk around the neighborhood, get a healthy snack, or even get on their devices for a few minutes. Once their break time is up, it’s back to work. And of course, encourage them with fun rewards like Minecraft classes.

Skills

How Important is it for Your Child to Be Organized?

At CodeREV Kids, we’re interested in ways to get kids excited about learning. We offer a wide range of coding classes that are truly unique in their attempt to teach kids not through lecture but through hands-on lessons with technology that they won’t even realize are lessons. However, we’re also looking for other ways to help parents in their quest to ensure their child’s success.

One of the recent tips we’ve been considering is a long-time teacher who offered a suggestion to help boost a child’s grades that you may not have thought of: Encouraging and teaching neatness. Yes, neatness! That may seem quaint and old-fashioned but the point is to teach kids to take pride in the work they do, to take their time, and to get organized.

Of course, being neat won’t take the place of learning material. It won’t give them the answers to their history class but it can help prepare kids for success. If your kids could use a lesson or two on neatness and organization, consider these simple ways to boost them:

  • Encourage your kid to always use their best handwriting. It’ll be easier to read, which could lead to a more favorable grade.
  • Teach your kids to proofread their work. There’s no question that a savvy teacher can see a rush job in a second and they’re likely to grade accordingly.
  • After your child finishes their work, have them read it out loud slowly. Does it still sound good? Can they find ways to improve it?
  • Show your kids that slowing down can actually result in a good job done more quickly.
  • Provide organization for your kids. Make sure there’s a place for everything and teach them how to declutter their room and study area.
  • Follow through with your kids. If you could use some help in the neatness and organization department, then set goal together and come up with ways to monitor and reward good behavior.
  • Remember that your child isn’t going to become neat and organized overnight. It takes time. Support their progress and don’t expect perfection out of the gate.

These are a few ideas to help improve neatness and organization. The things your child learns now will affect them for the rest of their life. For more ideas on how to teach problem-solving and other essential skills, learn more about CodeREV Kids and the classes we offer.