As industry and professional landscapes continue to evolve, parents, as always, want to equip their children with the skills and knowledge necessary to ensure they succeed in this fast-paced, constantly adapting new tech frontier. Luckily, one company is helping set them up to do this and more while encouraging fun, exploration, and curiosity.
Code Ninjas, a unique and innovative approach to teaching kids and teenagers the basics of coding, entered the B.C. market with its North Vancouver more than two years ago. Since then, the organization has taken off, with locations in North Vancouver, Burnaby, Langley, Abbotsford, Kelowna, Victoria, Richmond, Surrey, Port Coquitlam, Vancouver South and, opening this June, a new location in West Coquitlam.
And that’s just in British Columbia! Code Ninjas is the world’s largest and fastest-growing kid's coding franchise, with over 400 locations in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Cracking the code to a better future
The latest expansion in West Coquitlam is offering a summer camp program for children aged 5 to 15 to learn the ropes of coding in a fun and engaging way.
The Code Ninjas programs focus on game-based learning, with a curriculum specially designed to teach coding concepts through building video games. The lessons aim to provide children with essential problem-solving and critical thinking skills that will be useful throughout their lives, with an approach that makes it easy for children to learn the concepts while still placing having fun as a top priority.
The program is designed to introduce kids to the basics of computer programming and help them develop the skills necessary to create their own video games and apps, explains Nathan Zemlak, owner of several Code Ninjas locations.
This business draws inspiration from several areas, including martial arts - hence the name - with levels of achievement symbolized by coloured belts. White through green belts teach the basics of JavaScript, with higher levels diving into programming languages and engines like Unity, an extremely popular cross-platform game engine used by game developers worldwide.
Encouraging creativity while building confidence
One of the primary benefits of the program is that it provides children with a creative outlet for their ideas, encouraging and nurturing them to express themselves in a new way while creating something entirely their own. This sense of ownership can be incredibly rewarding for children, helping build their confidence and self-esteem.
“I have this awesome Super Mario game on my arcade machine at one of my locations with four levels to it, and it was made by one of our 11-year-olds during the summer,” says Zemlak.
Additionally, by learning to code, children develop essential problem-solving and critical-thinking skills they can use throughout their lives. As technology continues to play a more significant role in both personal and professional realms, the ability to code will become an increasingly desirable skill set. By introducing children to coding at an early age, the Code Ninjas program helps prepare them for the digital world of tomorrow.
That said, the summer camp program is not limited to just coding. It also includes other STEM topics, including robotics and Snap Circuits.
"We also have something called ninja exploration, where we go through different STEM topics over the last ten minutes or so,” Zemlak explains. “It's really just about introducing kids to all the topics that they don't really get an opportunity to learn about anywhere else.”
Code Ninjas’ summer camp program is an excellent way for children to learn the basics of coding while having fun and engaging with like minded peers. The program offers game-based learning, low student-to-teacher ratios, and experienced instructors who work closely with students to build a solid foundation of coding knowledge.
The summer camp program begins this June. Register your child today at codeninjas.com/summercamps.
