Usborne Coding Books

Coding
Written By Manisha Snoyer (co-founder of Modulo)

Usborne's "Coding for Beginners" series, specifically the edition focusing on Scratch, is designed to make the basics of coding accessible and engaging for children. Usborne Publishing, established by Peter Usborne in 1973, has a long history of creating educational and engaging books for children. The "Coding for Beginners" series was developed to address the growing need for early coding education, aiming to make programming accessible and fun for young learners. Peter Usborne, a pioneer in educational publishing, envisioned a series that would simplify complex concepts and spark children's interest in technology. Usborne's books have been celebrated for their quality and educational value, winning numerous awards and becoming staples in homes and schools worldwide​ (Usborne Be Curious)​​ (Usborne Be Curious)​.

Differentiation: What Makes It Special The "Coding for Beginners" series is unique in its visual and interactive approach to teaching coding. By using Scratch, a graphical programming language developed by MIT, the series breaks down coding into manageable, engaging steps. This hands-on, project-based learning method makes the abstract concepts of coding tangible and enjoyable for children​ (Usborne Be Curious)​​ (Usborne Be Curious)​.

How to Get Started To start with the "Coding for Beginners" series, parents can purchase the books from Usborne’s website or other major booksellers. The series requires minimal preparation and is designed to be 'open and go,' making it easy to integrate into homeschooling. Each book begins with setting up a Scratch account and guides the user through the initial steps of coding projects​ (Usborne Be Curious)​.

How It Works The series encourages regular, short coding sessions, ideally 20-30 minutes daily, to help children build and retain their skills. The activities are designed to be largely independent but offer opportunities for parent involvement, particularly when troubleshooting or discussing the projects. Each project builds on the previous ones, gradually increasing in complexity​ (Usborne Be Curious)​​ (Usborne Be Curious)​.

What Educational Content It Includes

  • Introduction to coding and computational thinking

  • Creating games and animations using Scratch

  • Step-by-step visual instructions

  • Progressive projects that build coding skills

  • Logical thinking and problem-solving exercises​ (Usborne Be Curious)​​ (Usborne Be Curious)​

What’s Good About It Users love the series for its engaging, visually appealing content that keeps children interested in learning. The clear, step-by-step instructions and the immediate, tangible results of coding projects help boost children's confidence and enthusiasm. Parents appreciate the ease of use and the educational value it brings to their homeschooling curriculum​ (Usborne Be Curious)​​ (Usborne Be Curious)​.

What Could Be Improved While the series is excellent for beginners, some users feel that it could benefit from more advanced challenges for children who quickly master the basics. Additionally, incorporating more detailed explanations of the underlying coding concepts could help in transitioning to more complex programming languages​ (Usborne Be Curious)​.

Advice from Parents Parents recommend supplementing the series with practical coding sessions and additional resources to deepen understanding. They also suggest using online communities or forums where children can share their projects and get feedback, which can enhance their learning experience and motivation​ (Usborne Be Curious)​.

Who It’s an Ideal Fit For The "Coding for Beginners" series is ideal for young children who are new to coding, particularly those aged 7 and above. It suits learners who thrive on visual, hands-on activities and is perfect for homeschooling parents seeking a structured yet flexible coding curriculum​ (Usborne Be Curious)​.

Who It’s Probably Not a Fit For Children who have advanced coding skills or prefer more theoretical learning might find the series too basic. It may also not suit learners who are less engaged by visual or project-based instruction​ (Usborne Be Curious)​.

Grades K-5

Cost $14.99 per book

Ways to Get It The series is available for purchase through Usborne’s website, major booksellers, educational stores, and libraries​ (Usborne Be Curious)​.

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Manisha Snoyer (co-founder of Modulo)

For the last 20 years, I’ve taught over 2000 children in 3 countries (of all socio-economic backgrounds). I pioneered an English language program in a conflict region in the Middle East. I’ve worked as a bilingual public school teacher at some of the highest and lowest performing public schools and in all five boroughs of NYC. I’ve tutored 18 subjects in three languages to some of the wealthiest families in NYC, San Francisco and Paris to make up for shortcomings in private schools they were paying up to $60,000 a year to attend.

Since 2015, I’ve helped hundreds of parents start microschools (way before this was a household buzzword). I founded CottageClass, the first marketplace for microschools and learning pods that was part of the Techstars 2018 class. In 2019, I created a virtual learning program to help families through the pandemic, a free online math tutoring program (masteryhour.org), and schoolclosures.org, a hotline developed in collaboration with Twilio and 80 other partners including Khan Academy, Revolution Foods and the Crisis Text Line, that served 100,000 families impacted by school closures.

I’ve climbed trees with children in forest schools in San Francisco, and tested new digital apps with kids in seven countries.

I’ve also coached dozens of families at different stages in their homeschooling journey. Most recently, I founded Modulo with homeschooling dad, best-selling author and tech entrepreneur Eric Ries, to help families curate their children’s education, social and childcare experiences drawing from a diverse array of in-person and online resources.


During the last three years, I’ve devoted much of my time to reviewing and testing secular homeschooling curriculum and other resource. I’ve spent the last three years talking to thousands of secular homeschooling families, and poring over tens of thousands of secular curriculum reviews and testing physical curriculum and digital apps for with hundreds of students to find the highest quality, most engaging, personalized learning materials for every type of learner.

I’ve spoken about homeschooling and modular learning at multiple venues including SXSW EDU, NY Tech Meetup, and on the LiberatedEd podcast.

In 2022, Modulo was one of 8 organizations who were awarded the Bridge Grant from the Vela Education Fund to expand access to homeschooling and modular learning to under-resourced communities.

My experience in education and homeschooling has led me to believe that there is no perfect education for every child, but families have an extraordinary amount of wisdom they can apply to building the perfect education for their individual child.

My goal with Modulo is to make it possible for any family to easily build a customized education that their child will love, and that will empower the whole family to thrive, taking into account, social, emotional and academic needs.

I love to answer questions from parents and receive feedback on how we can improve Modulo, so feel free to reach out anytime! I personally answer all the questions and comments readers leave on my blogs.

In my free time, I like hiking, traveling the world, tasting ceremonial grade matcha, enjoying dark chocolate.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University with highest honors, with a double degree in French Literature and American Studies and minors in Environmental Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies.

And I love to learn!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-snoyer-5042298/
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