Teach kids Python with real programming and fun games at Code Combat

If there is one message I've been pushing across all of the Talk Python episodes, it's that programming is a superpower. Rather than all of us abandoning what we're interested in and becoming CS majors, we can take our passion or expertise and 10x it with a little programming skill.

In that case, we should be teaching kids fluency in programming at a younger age. And yet, almost every platform or example meant to do so pulls its punches. We'll teach kids programming concepts but not code itself. That's a bridge too far.

But it's not! That's why I'm excited about Code Combat. It's an online coding platform that uses real Python syntax to guide your hero, visually, through a dungeon full of challenges. Yet the editor and customized error messages mean this is approachable for kids before they can even type reliably.

On this episode, we'll meet Nick Winter, one of the cofounders of Code Combat. There's a lot of philosophy behind the tool and technology to make it kid-friend and real Python at the same time.

Oh, and it's running Python in the browser.
Links from the show