- a savings calculator
- guess the number game
- a card game
- state capital game
- a drawing program
- a basic video game
It is suggested that you try and complete one chapter a week, with each chapter taking 3-6 hours of your time to complete. As you read through each chapter, you should complete any examples you encounter. Along with the class notes, all of the Beginning Microsoft Small Basic codes are provided for you in case you need any help. If you need further assistance, Computer Science For Kids provides tutorial support for up to one year after your purchase from them directly.
I used this tutorial with my ten year old son. We worked at the suggested chapter a week pace, an average of four days a week, and that seemed to be just right for us (mom was learning too). Before we started each chapter, I would print the chapter out and put it in a binder. We would then read through the chapter together, with me reading aloud and my son following along. We would follow any examples or build any applications as we came across them in our reading.
This tutorial was very easy to use and very easy to follow. Computers can be intimidating, especially if you have no programming experience, but the Beginning Microsoft Small Basic tutorial made it quite joyful to learn. The download and installation process was straight-forward, I love being able to print our pages as we go, and the text was easy to read (although I did notice several typos). The applications were broken down, step-by-step, making them easy to build. I liked that the text offered quite a bit of introductory information and review of previous material, however, my son didn’t like the slow-moving pace of the first few chapters. He kept asking, “When are we going to build something?” or “Are we going to build something now?” He was quite anxious and excited to build his first computer program.
One feature I really liked about this tutorial was that even though it was easy to use and follow, it also challenged the student at the end of each chapter with a “Other Things to Try” section. This section gives the student ideas of changes they could make or things to try in the program they built in that chapter. In this section, it doesn’t break things down as much for you, so you need to really apply what you have already learned.
My son and I really enjoyed using the Beginning Microsoft Small Basic tutorial together; this was our mother/son time in the evenings. Even though my son was on the younger end of the age spectrum for this product, I feel he did really well with it. He didn’t seem to have much trouble with some of the math concepts that he hasn’t learned yet (like square roots), and he would progress naturally to the next step of several applications without even having to read what to do next. I feel that this is an excellent, thorough, beginner’s course for computer programing. We plan to continue this course and then look into other courses that Computer Science For Kids offers.
You can purchase Beginning Microsoft Small Basic directly from Computer Science For Kids. They offer a paperback textbook plus e-book download for $59.95 or you can purchase just the e-book download for $34.95.
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