Category Archives: Skills

What does it take to build robots for a living?

Robotic PartsHas your kid asked you this question? Well, it turns out that this is something asked by many children. Robotics has taken hold of the imaginations of young people for over half a century, even before B-9 warned Will Robinson of danger and Robby helped Adams defeat Morbius. This urge to learn about and build robots is a great thing to foster in your child.

There are many products for children on the market these days that appeal to the robotically inclined. This is great because it is paramount that your child begins to learn about this complicated technological field as early as is possible. While you may have grown up with annoying girder and screw kits for your engineering play as a child, there are much better things around these days. Most notably, there are great Lego kits for building robotic projects that include the ability to learn to program creations with a home computer. There are plenty of other kits from a variety of manufacturers that will fit the particular interests of your child.

One of the best ways to help your child learn about robotics is to enroll them in afterschool or camp programs which specialize in teaching programming, engineering, or robotics to children. CodeRev is a great California company which leads the country in providing this type of service to young people of all backgrounds and levels of computer experience. Robotics classes at CodeRev expose your children to a number of aspects of robotics through the use of fun projects involving Legos Mindstorms, basic programming, and circuitry. What’s more, as your child gains experience in the area, they will get to use technology like Arduinos and Rasberry Pi that innovators use in the industry today.

Of course, along with focused extracurricular activities, school is of paramount importance. It is especially essential that you encourage your child’s growth in math and science to help them meet their goals in robotics. I’m not just talking about physics and chemistry either. Biology is a great thing to know about when you are trying to make a machine mimic life! Art will be helpful in developing your child’s mind. Remember that even if you child doesn’t end up pursuing a career in robotics, the skills that you help foster in your child will help them in other jobs and interests. Coding and robotics are cropping up everywhere these days.

What does it take to design video games?

Video GamesMany kids ask their parents this question, or simply state “I want to design video games.” Luckily it might mean that something good will come of all those hours spent in front of the television, controller in hand. However, many children don’t realize how hard it is to become a video game designer or developer or how competitive the industry really is.  So, if your kid is serious about pursuing and interest in video games, make an effort to nurture the skills that she or he will need to be successful. Many of these skills are not taught in most schools, but this interest can be a very productive and rewarding extracurricular activity.

CodeRev is a wonderful California organization which specializes in teaching children to code and love to use the computers while developing skills that will be essential professionally in the near future. Your child can take part in Spring or Summer Camps along with wonderful afterschool programs. Younger kids can start with learning to make Minecraft levels to gain an understanding of visuals and design. They can then work up through a variety of other programs along with older children in both coding and video game design, along with classes on related subjects like robotics and web design.

When it comes to school itself, make an effort to encourage a number of subjects in your child’s learning. Visual art and music classes will develop your kid’s creative mind while math and science are needed to develop an advanced and competitive understanding of computers and games. As it is not often taught in schools, try to encourage your child to continue to learn coding on the side. Again, continuing education at places like CodeRev is a great way to accomplish this. To design video games in this day and age you have to develop a large amount of experience before most companies will hire you. The industry is often too fast-paced to train people in it. Summer internships are a great way for your kid to develop skills in making video games in between college semesters. These experiences will keep your child’s mind active while preparing them for a potentially lucrative field. What’s more you can rest easy knowing that if you child does lose interest in video games as a career, the skills that they learned pursuing it will be helpful in a variety of other paths that they may choose.

Learning In California

San FransciscoOf all the states in the USA, California is a great place to raise a child. There are many reasons that California is so good for growing kids, and I will try to hit the high points in this short article. One of the most important parts of being a parent is trying to foster the development and learning of your child without smothering or being overprotective. We all want to help a child do what they want, and one of the most critical ways that we do that is by finding great activities which stimulate our kids’ minds. California is wonderful in that this journey of learning can reliably start in the public school system. The schools will be able to expose your child to a variety of ideas and subjects, but there are some things which may not be covered in class. Never fear, there are great afterschool programs and camps in California to further your child’s learning and career in areas that school might miss. CodeRev Kids is one of my favorite examples of these programs. They do a great job of making learning about computers and coding fun for kids in both after school and camp programs. If someone had put Minecraft in front of me when I was young, I might have learned to code too!

The outdoors are a great place too. No matter where you live there are a number of great outdoor activities for you child from the mountains to the oceans. If you child shows a significant amount of athletic talent, California boasts an amazing density of national and state parks and locations, as well as world class museums. The Exploratorium is one of my favorites in San Francisco. There are even great trade and craft programs all over the state. Take advantage of the great the state school and community college systems in California as they often offer great programs for your younger kids which might spark interest in them early in life.

Hot Activities for Your Kids This Summer

Youth CampIs your child bored of doing the same thing every summer? It happens. Sometimes the old Boy Scout or Church camp, no offense to those fine institutions, just stops being fun for your kid. What are you supposed to do when the old summer activities don’t work anymore? We have put together a few options for you below. Hopefully these options are varied enough that you will find something for whatever kind of child you have.

Coding camps are a great option for your kids that can’t pull their heads out of the tablets. CodeRev Kids is one of the foremost summer camps in this area. For younger kids, you can get them started in fun activities like Minecraft level building, which help to teach the basics of programming and using the computer. They can move on, or older children can participate in a variety of programs which appeal to plenty of tastes from robotics, to web design, to more complicated coding. Coding camps are an amazing way for your kids to learn great skills which can help them immeasurably later in life.

There are a number of great outdoor camps your children can attend over the summer. We won’t talk about the basics like football, baseball, or any of the other sports you might be familiar with. Instead we’ll mention some outdoor activities which you may not have thought of. Circus camp is a great option for children with a bunch of energy, and it teaches skills which instill poise, grace, and a good party tricks too boot! Rock climbing and ultimate frisbee are two more great options for outdoor sporting camps, depending on whether you child prefers individual or team sports.

Space camp is the old standby and a personal favorite of this reviewer. What better way to teach physics and encourage a love of science than with rockets! These days, space camps will also teach your kids about biology, nutrition, health, and chemistry, so there are many topics to pique your child’s interests.

Skills To Get Your Kids Into College

Kid Learning Cello

Here are some things your kids can do after school that will help them get into college. Remember to always search for activities that your child enjoys.

  1. Sports – Participating in team or individual sports can be an essential component of your child’s development. Team sports teach cooperation and individual sports teach perseverance and body confidence. Most sports or athletic activities will contribute to the physical well-being of your child, but make sure not to over-train or allow your child to become involved in activities which may be damaging. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t let your child play hockey or football if she wants to, but be aware of the possible health consequences in any sport.
  2. Code academies – After school coding schools are growing in popularity, as they are great ways to develop your child’s brain without them knowing. CodeRev Kids is a California-based company that is a great example of businesses like which are popping up all over the country. Your kid won’t realize she is learning complicated analytical skills which will greatly help them later in life as she works on programing a Lego robot arm to pick up a ball, or the next level of a computer game. Even better, your child can use her programming skills later in life to find a career, not only in tech, but in other fields as well.
  3. Music – Music is great. We all know this. Sign your kid up for some classes and see what sticks. Try to find an instrument that your child likes enough stick to. This will usually be a guitar, but every child is different!
  4. Community service – Through a church, Scouts, or other organization, community service projects are a great way to endear good values in your child, while also making sure that she learns life skills imperative to her future.
  5. Art classes – Learning other artistic crafts, from sculpture, to jewelry making, to metalworking, to painting and drawing, can be instrumental in your child’s brain development. These activities will enhance your child’s problem solving skills, as well as abstract reasoning and three dimensional understanding.