This week we got the chance to speak with the founders of Bitsbox, a brand new website created to make learning to program easier and more accessible for children.  Aidan Chopra and Scott Lininger wanted to create something that encourages kids to create things with code.

As fathers themselves, they understood this was no easy task. But they were up for the challenge. They eventually settled on three things that would be critical to the project’s success.

* Keep it simple. This was a key to the whole project. The website needed an interface that kids could sit down and start coding immediately.

* Make it fun. A lot of thought and effort clearly went into making this project fun. Right from the start kids get to jump in and see the results of their code. They can also scan the screen with their tablet or phone and see their creation come to life.

* Keep it fresh. Kids have short attention spans. How can coding remain new and exciting? The answer they found is brilliant. By integrating the monthly box craze (Nerd Block etc.) kids can receive a surprise in the mail each month that includes fresh new projects for them to try.

The project started out as a Kickstarter campaign smashing through the goal of $45,000 and reaching over a quarter of a million dollars in funding. The public had spoken. Bitsbox would become a reality.

Currently Aidan and Scott are putting the finishing touches on the project. The Bitsbox website is free to use and our kids had a blast playing around with it. And they didn’t even mind that they were learning at the same time.

 

Show Notes

* Bitsbox website

* New Avengers trailer

* One Cool Thing – Nerd Block mystery boxes