Reddit mentions: The best children computer & technology books

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IAmA creator of logic puzzles and games that teach programming skills, and former homeschool dad and NASA researcher. AMA!

Hello Reddit!

My name is Mark Engelberg. I began my career as a virtual reality researcher at NASA, and then transitioned to the computer game industry. I designed and programmed adventure games, and helped develop compression algorithms that have been used in over 6000 video games.

I am now an award-winning logic puzzle designer with three new ThinkFun programming board games at Target!

My preferred programming language is Clojure and I use it to create tools that help me invent new puzzles. I am passionate about math and computer science education and have taught students at every level.

https://www.reddit.com/r/KeybaseProofs/comments/6oyua7/my_keybase_proof_redditenigmisto/

https://www.facebook.com/ThinkFunGames/photos/a.125775831476.130179.104029271476/10155657855076477/?type=3&theater

https://twitter.com/ThinkFun/status/898257651888517121

NOTE: Shortly into the AMA, a Reddit moderator mistakenly deleted the AMA post. I eventually got the post reinstated, but during the critical period of time for which ThinkFun had advertised the AMA, it was unavailable. For that reason, I'm going to leave the AMA post open for a couple of days, and respond to any further questions as time permits.

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blurfocus :

What heuristics do you code into your tools for generating good puzzles? How

do you automatically evaluate the difficulty level and how enjoyable the puzzle

would be to solve?

enigmisto :

That's a great question. I talked about this in-depth in my recent podcast

interview on Programming Throwdown

http://www.programmingthrowdown.com/2017/08/episode-69-puzzle-games-with-

mark.html starting at the 42:00 mark.

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SaturnineDenial :



What makes your logic puzzles stand out in the industry?

enigmisto :

One key difference is that each of my three new logic puzzle games is rooted

in a key computer science principle, so that playing the games also immerses

the player in computational thinking. Also, they are "unplugged" games,

whereas most programming games are costly electronic/robotic toys or online.

There's no other company that's doing anything quite like this right now.

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mikejlay :



I homeschool my 11 year old son, how do you feel about the state of American

public schooling? What are some ways to get math and computer science

integrated into a home school experience? Thank you!

enigmisto :

One of my main motivations for homeschooling was my dissatisfaction with the

state of math and CS education in the public schools. The thing that baffles

me the most about public schooling is the whole philosophy of "teach them

once, they either get it or they don't, and then we move on". In my opinion,

if something is worth teaching, it's worth teaching until the students

understand it. Lots of great options for math. At elementary school level,

check out: http://stern.buffalostate.edu/CSMPProgram/ For middle school and

high school, check out https://artofproblemsolving.com/ and

https://www.eimacs.com/. For CS, at middle school level there are options

like bootstrapworld.com and https://www.amazon.com/Hello-World-Computer-

Programming-Beginners/dp/1617290920. At high school level, there are a bunch

of AP materials, or something like

http://homedirs.ccs.neu.edu/matthias/HtDP2e/. Also, tons of great free

coursera and edX college courses for both math and CS. Here's one good one:

https://www.edx.org/course/how-code-simple-data-ubcx-htc1x Homeschooling

gives you the freedom to try different approaches and figure out what works

for you.

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knopitynope :



Between the three games, which is your favorite? Also, can you tell us more

about your virtual reality experience at NASA?

enigmisto :

That's like asking me to pick a favorite child! Honestly, each one was my

favorite as I was working on it. But I will admit that Robot Repair has

special meaning to me, in that it's my "love letter" to some of the key

influences in my life with respect to logic, programming and puzzles: Imacs

(imacs.org), Knuth (author of Art of Computer Programming), and Raymond

Smullyan (master of logic puzzles). I worked at NASA in the early 90s when

it took two $500k machines to render a VR scene, one for each eye. I built

VR simulations for the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission. We were among

the first to prove that VR was actually useful for something, because people

retained memories of the procedures as if they had stepped through them

themselves, not just memorized them from the book.

: porcupinewhy :

:

: If NASA said it needed you as an astronaut, would you do it?

:

:: enigmisto :

::

:: I am renowned for my asteroid-exploding prowess, so I am certain they

:: will be calling me someday. Saving humanity is what I do.

::


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GGharjan :



Do you feel as if home schooling takes away a lot of the social aspect of

public school?

enigmisto :

Living in an urban area like Seattle, there was no shortage of opportunities

for social interactions between homeschooling kids and families. We'd have

park days weekly, for example, where the parents would hang out on picnic

blankets in one part of the park while the kids played in the playground and

the athletic field. It was the norm to see kids of different ages playing

with one another, which doesn't happen a whole lot at schools. And because

the parents were always "around", the kids had role models to help teach them

to treat each other positively and work out their differences in a mature

manner. My daughter chose to attend public school for her high school, and

yes, it was thrilling for her to be around thousands of other kids every day,

but there were a lot of downsides to the social aspects of public school, too

(a lot of peer pressure and potentially toxic relationships that needed to be

carefully navigated). I think her rich social interactions earlier in life

as a homeschooler helped her navigate those high school social challenges

successfully. So as long as you find a good homeschool community to be part

of, I don't feel there is a social downside to homeschooling. Your mileage

may vary, of course, depending on where you live, your kids' personalities,

etc.

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IamAbot_v01. Alpha version. Under care of /u/oppon.
Comment 1 of 2
Updated at 2017-08-18 14:40:19.406219

This is the final update to this thread

Sounds like you have this well planned out. Your best route to success is definitely the support of your parents and their support and understanding. Having a firm commitment to return to school should this not be viable after one year is smart and a good compromise for their support of you vs you getting a chance to chase a dream. It's easy to just say 'go for it' but of course there are many factors that will have a huge influence on whether you reach you goal (e.g, your location will greatly affect your chances; it will be much harder in some regions (e.g., South America or Australia) than in others (e.g, NA, Korea, EU)).

A simple google search (especially in the 'news' section) will yield you a lot of articles that will be helpful for your parents understanding the viability of this career choice. Keywords such as Overwatch league, Overwatch league salaries, Esports growth, etc. will yield you many options to show your parents. Choose articles from reputable sources they would recognize such as Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/professional-videogamers-get-their-own-stadiums-1529512135 or ESPN http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/20163254/overwatch-league-owl-announces-details-player-contracts-team-buy-in.

As well, there is a reference book series aimed at middle grade students who want a career in esports that presents the information in a very easy-to-digest manner for parents:

https://www.amazon.com/Gaming-Professional-Sports-Teams-sports/dp/1599539659/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549235737&sr=8-1&keywords=Gaming+and+Professional+Sports+Teams+Douglas+Hustad

https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Sports-Industry-Game/dp/1599538911/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549235806&sr=8-1&keywords=Inside+the+E-Sports+Industry+by+Carla+Mooney

Most important, however, is understanding the commitmentrequired in the next year. For Tier 3, where you will start, expect to scrim 4 hours a night (which includes some nights doing vod reviews instead of playing), with two days off. This is combined with also playing extra hours of ranked games several days of the week, ideally while streaming to build an audience who will root for you/give you exposure. These are time commitments which will preclude girlfriends, nights out with your friends, birthday parties, even holidays etc since scrim times for Tier 3 tend to be from 18-24 (6:00 to midnight) and break rarely.. For Tier 2, expect to scrim four hours a day, six days a week. Above those hours, you will also have to spend time streaming/playing ranked and reviewing vods of your performance and analyzing your mistakes. In all, it is a full time 'job' for which it is unlikely you will receive any compensation. T2 hours are harsher: usually 16:00 to 24:00 (between 4:00 pm to midnight), six days a week. WIth only one day off, it can be daunting.

For your parents, you need them to understand you are becoming an entrepreneur - a business owner. And like most business owners, you build up a reputation and create a service/product for free, with the goal of eventually someone paying you for it. This is the same as training to become an architect, being a software designer, starting a photography business or even a vocation such as electrician or plumber. The plus side is you don't have to rack up a lot of student loans for a school - you're learning for free but have to be motivated enough to do it on your own. The down side is that you have to have discipline and work hard - you're on your own. This is the price that most entrepreneurs pay. Along the way, your personality and playstyle will turn into a brand - how well you create and market that brand may be the difference between a career and failure. Unless you are a prodigy, there is much more to a professional career than just clicking heads.

Finally, appreciate that you will need social skills - the greatest opportunities happen to those who are well connected or network. It's come to the point now that there is big money involved with Overwatch due to OWL - and few teams are willing to pay big money on someone with a bad reputation unless they are a complete prodigy. And players are starting to not want to recommend other players who are difficult, unreliable, or toxic - because it makes them look bad when someone doesn't live up to the 'favor' of the recommendation. You can have friends in Overwatch but you have to remember that this is a business - and you can't let friends destroy your busines through their own faults or shortcomings.

So factor in a complete plan with goals and objectives - how to gain a fan following through .e.g, streaming, gaining expertise and networking in ranked games, being reliable and putting yourself out there and being bold (it's difficult to ever get 'discovered' if you are shy), being ready to spend long hours reviewing metas in other regions and your own games to fix issues, and remembering that coaches and fellow players are your best avenues to improvement. Work with them and listen to them since being a pro often comes down to much more than just clicking heads.

For breaking into T3, you can check series of articles: https://www.reddit.com/r/Competitiveoverwatch/comments/90aw1l/the_path_to_pro_beginnings_breaking_into_tier_3/

More specific advice would likely have to come from knowing your world location (which Overwatch region you reside in), your hero pool, and your personal circumstances. Just remember that there are thousands of top 500s around the world - but only a few ever become pros in OWL. There is a LOT more to being a pro then being good at the game.

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I don't have kids yet, but I have volunteered with different organisations teaching kids to code, so perhaps I can help a bit if you don't mind.

It very much depends on your kids what age would suit them, and of course you know them better than anyone! There are some great tools for teaching young kids to code:

• Scratch is a flowchart-based game/animation creation software specifically designed by MIT students for kids in the 5+ age group. It's one of the most commonly used for young kids just starting out and they tend to find it really fun. It's also free and works on a Raspberry Pi or a typical computer. There is also an online gallery where kids can upload their projects and download other kids' projects, and show their friends and such.
  
  
• Alice is a similar teaching tool for coding, perhaps very slightly more advanced but I haven't had the same level of experience with it to say. It looks good and is popular and free.
  
  
• Construct 2 is a more advanced game development software that is popular and easy to use for kids in the 10+ age category, or younger if they're confident and have previous experience. It's also free, and is HTML5 based so no need to install loads of stuff.
  
  I think by the time they hit 13+ they are usually capable of following the typical books for kids that age, Python for Kids is one that I've known to be very successful but there are plenty of similar books for other languages depending on what they're interested in.
  
  That's by no means an exhaustive list of course! Just some things I have experience with myself that you might find useful. Also if there is a Coder Dojo or similar kids coding group near you they can be great for kids.

>Thank you for your response yes I would like to read the python book.

Here's the book. If you know where to look you can find it for free digitally but I won't link that.

>The vpn does protect me from prism right it’s just individually directed nsa targets that it doesn’t protect?

This is an interesting question wrt Proton specifically. If you use their Swiss servers only, in theory it should protect you from PRISM, because the NSA has no power in Switzerland and they're not a member of any intelligence sharing agreements (e.g. Five Eyes) either. So there's no reason to think the NSA is gonna be passively wiretapping over there.

If on the other hand you connect to a US server, I can pretty much guarantee you that whatever data centre the endpoint server is in, the NSA has access to it through some form or another.

The same is likely true on, say, a UK server because we know the UK is the major partner with the US in the Five Eyes. In fact the official name of the agreement is the UKUSA Agreement. This means they share intelligence very closely, so GCHQ will have a UK data centre tapped and share that info with the NSA.

Assume the same if you connect to any server in Europe as well. They're all part of intelligence sharing agreements with the US. Germany and the Netherlands are especially bad for this.

Oh and Canada yeah they have data sharing shit as well.

So if you really want the best chance of avoiding PRISM, use only Proton's own Swiss data centre.

>I just don’t want all my non criminal data being collected by the government or corporations. I’m not doing anything criminal.

Exactly. Or frankly things the crooked state calls criminal even though they need harm no one (e.g. smoking weed).

>Also what are your thoughts on solid and Inrupt?

Looks like another company's go at the same idea behind Swarm.

I like that so many projects for a decentralised internet exist. It shows there is a market and big interest from serious people.

However why is a for-profit company developing such a thing? That's the question I always ask myself with corporate backed projects like this. They realistically can't charge for access, which leaves some type of monetisation based on data. Otherwise where is the revenue coming from?

With the Ethereum project I mentioned there is no company, it's just a pure community open source project.

>I’m interested in these things to realease a platform or encryption software to sell, make a business as I think privacy is the new era of the internet.

Well they all have SDK's so you can develop on top of the platform. They're also open source so you can contribute directly to the development.

>However if VPNs don’t do that and Tim Berners lee is already developing a new internet it might just be a waste of time.

Really the current internet was not designed to become what it is today. The WWW will be replaced eventually. By who and with what are the big questions.

>Also have you heard of guardian firewall for the iPhone? Is it a waste of money?

Not worth their prices at all. I also question why they have a free VPN. A VPN is not free to run so again... where does the money come from?

If you want to block trackers and ads etc from your internet connection look at Pi Hole instead. I use this both locally on my WiFi, so anyone who connects automatically uses a local DNS server that blocks ads, trackers, malware, etc. You just need a spare computer or to buy a Raspberry Pi and set it up. Don't pay $9.99 every month. Pay $30 once and set it up yourself.

You can also use a VPS to set up the same thing in your own VPN that you control. It would cost you only $4 or so a month.

TinkerCAD is also cool, has more than just block coding resources (electrical engineering, computer-aided design, etc.).

Try out GameJams (using game development software like Godot or Unity), too. That might get them to learn to love how fun and cool coding can be rather than just the idea of coding.

MIT AppInventor2 might be good for the older kid, after he/she has had some experience with scratch and the other resources that have been recommended.

If it were regular school, I'd say the older kid should take a "scratch course" one year and then the next take the "MIT AppInventor 2" course.

Useful books for MITAppInventor2 (these were used in my community college intro to computer science class):

• "Hello App Inventor!: Android Programming for kids and the rest of us." by Paula Beer and Carl Simmons
  
• "Building Android Apps In Easy Steps" by Mike McGrath
  
  It is really much more important for them to learn the conceptual ideas about how programming works, rather than just a coding language. After they learn the basics, it's also important for them to create stuff on their own WITHOUT guided directions, like those in the Codecademy lessons and Scratch activities.
  
  In terms of hardware, for app development you can either go android or apple, which means either getting an android mobile device or apple mobile device. I'd recommend android, that's all I've had experience with and it's pretty great. Windows or Linux are great for coding. Personally, I don't like coding on laptops, but I have before with my school laptop, and it's an HP. So...HP? If you're gonna buy a laptop please make sure it has GOOD memory (8gb or 16 gb should be enough, but the more the better, especially for game development!). Just for the sake of getting the most modern hardware, the central processing unit should be a corei7. Good memory and a good CPU will make the laptop really fast, efficient, and perfect for heavy tasks like compiling/running code or testing a game.
  
  For written programming languages, like Python and C++, you'll need a program to write code on. This type of software is called an IDE, which stands for Integrated Development Environment. Within this software, there are tools used to run code like the "interpreter", "console", "source code editor", and the "debugger."
  
  It's a bit technical, so if you're going to be teaching them then I'd suggest learning the basics about how programming works in general, too.
  
  By the way, coding camps are very expensive but they're useful. Check out CodedByKids, TechGirlz, iD Tech, and maybe FIRST (robotics competition).

Honestly, it really depends on how interested he is in the concept. Sure, he's into modding minecraft, but most kids are, and unless he's writing the code himself he's really only downloading an placing files. Also, computer capable is very vague.

Personally, I'd discuss if he'd be interested in learning more about things like programming himself, and talk it over a lot before you decide to buy it. Although it's not a very expensive item, if he's not going to use it it's a bit silly to get.

Perhaps get a kid's book on programming(EDIT: This seems like a pretty good starting point), or look into how to make simple mods with him for minecraft with him to determine if it'd be a good fit.

If he's interested, or better yet, passionate about the concept, it could be pretty great. Also, I don't believe this is something you could be too young to be exposed to, my son's two and we discuss these sort of things, it's just a matter of the language you use and how you present it.

Personally, 10 year old me would have gone crazy(in excitement) for it.

My friend who was getting into Python recently asked me about the same thing, I've made some research and this was what I came with. Just for the record, I'm personally a book dude - can't really focus much when learning from Udemy courses and stuff like that, so I will only cover books:


First book:


Python Crash Course by Eric Matthes
Very solid position for beginners. The first part of the book covers Python's basics - data types, lists, functions, classes, pretty much everything you need to get a good grasp of Python itself. The second part of the book includes three practical projects, mini-game, data visualization and an introduction to making web apps with Django. From what I so, it's a pretty unusual approach to beginner friendly books, since most of them avoid using additional libraries. On the other hand, it's harder to get bored with this book, it really makes you want to learn more and more once you can actually see the effects of all your work.


Automate the Boring Stuff with Python by Al Sweigart
Best alternative if you want to spend 0 bucks or want to dive all into projects. Even though it covers basics as well, I still recommend to read it, even if you have done Python Crash Course before, even just for the sake of all those projects you can make to practice your Python. He also has a Youtube channel where he has a loooot of Python content and sometimes does cool things like streaming and helping people make their code better, really cool guy, be sure to check his channel!


Second book:


Writing Idiomatic Python by Jeff Knupp

Very solid book, filled with examples what you, as a Python developer should do, and what you shouldn't (and why not). Sounds like not much, but it is actually a lot of useful knowledge that will make your code shorter, cleaner and better.


Effective Python by Brett Slatkin

A bit easier to understand and easier to approach than a previous book, but still has a load of knowledge to share.


Third book:


Fluent Python by Luciano Ramalho

One of the best Python books overall, covers all of the things that previous books could have missed or didn't have time to introduce. My personal favorite when it comes to books for advanced Python developers.


All of those recommendations are my personal opinion, so if anyone has anything to add, I will gladly listen to any comments!

Ruby is a fine programming language, but there's more engaging resources for Python, scratch, and JavaScript at the moment.

If you have no previous programming experience, scratch is a whole lot of fun quickly. It's a bit "kiddy", but easy to learn the basics of programming and have fun doing it. I recommend picking up this book.

When you're through that, if you want more (or you've already done some basic programming sometime in the past) I'd move to python. This book is similarly engaging and will get your legs under you. By the time you're done, you'll be in a good position to know enough about python to what you want to learn next if anything.

After doing some of these books or other tutorials, it's important to find something you want to use that you can build. That's why I like these game based books: you get to learn how to make games that are fun to play for a bit anyway. Anyway, think about your other hobbies and try to come up with a useful program you can make for them. Programming is easier to stick with when there's an end goal beyond learning programming.

1. Get a model B+. The biggest improvement as far as a novice user is concerned is that it has 4 USB ports. The model B only had 2, so if you wanted to plug in something like mouse + keyboard + WiFi dongle + webcam, you'd need an external powered USB hub. So the B+ is well worth it just for that.
   
   
2. Don't feel bad - you're right that a lot of the blog posts/tutorials you can find online are written for people who already understand Linux and electronics, so will be full of jargon that you don't understand. For example, many people will point you to the elinux.org wiki in the sidebar - but IMO that isn't well-written for beginners, so it isn't a good starting point.
   
   There are definitely some completely beginner-friendly resources out there. Many of them have a series of lessons you can follow one at a time. Typical "beginner" tutorials will start you off with something very simple, like blinking an LED. Then you learn how to use a button press to toggle an LED on and off. This gets you familiar with the very basics of inputs and outputs, and then you can start doing more complicated projects.
   
   Here are four YouTube channels with good tutorial videos (they were linked to from the official announcement of the Model B+, so you know they're legit):
   
   

• RaspberryPiIVBeginners (particularly check out the series of "Raspberry Pi - GPIO & Python" videos here)
  
• The Raspberry Pi Guy
  
• Raspi.TV
  
• Geek Gurl Diaries
  
  If you don't mind spending money, I definitely recommend this book:
  
  
• Getting Started with Raspberry Pi
  
  This book is written for kids, but it's just as useful to a novice adult:
  
  
• Adventures in Raspberry Pi
  
  I haven't looked through any of these in detail yet, but there are a bunch of resources on the official website (and ideally, since their original mission was K-12 education, these will be written for beginners):
  
  http://www.raspberrypi.org/resources/learn/
  
  Anyway - I'd probably recommend starting out with the "blink an LED, push a button" route, but it's up to you. Browse through the tutorials and see if there's something that really catches your eye. If you have trouble understanding something, feel free to message me (I work in science education so I'm used to explaining stuff like this), or just make a new post in this sub. Generally, if you've at least tried to figure it out on your own/have done your homework and can write an articulate post like you've done here, you'll get some helpful responses (as opposed to "hey guyz i don't understand/know what to do with a raspberry pi what should i do", in which case people will usually tell you to go Google it).

You're in luck! I think you'll find more than enough self-taught programmers both in this subreddit and in the industry. Programming is a valuable skill to have in just about any field, so kudos to you for taking the initiative to learn.

If you want to learn Python, but don't have much/any programming experience, I would highly recommend Python Crash Course from No Starch Press; It will teach you everything you need to get started, and will give you plenty of exercises and projects to get some hands-on practice.

If you're planning on using Python for any scientific applications, you've picked a great language for it. Python has sets built in, and has some great libraries like numpy, scipy, matplotlib, and jupyter for more advanced operations and data visualization.

After you're comfortable in Python, I would recommend learning R, which is language designed specifically for use by statisticians.

Good luck!

First of all I should say that I'm no expert in these things, but I'm sure other people will be able to make other suggestions.

>I plan on installing Linux as my OS (technically my first time)

If you're more used to Windows then the UI will be fairly easy to get used to, but the biggest change will be the command line. This is a really powerful but complex tool and I think the best way to get used to it is really just to dive in and use it as often as possible. MagPi have a book for it (Conquer the Command Line) to get you started, but if you wanted something more comprehensive I've spent some time reading The Linux Command Line and found it really helpful.

For Python I think I started out with Code Academy, but mostly picked it up as I went along. I'm currently reading Python Crash Course and I think it is pretty decent, although most people seem to recommend Learn Python the Hard Way (note the tiny link near the bottom of the page to read the book for free).

At the end of the day the most important thing is to take baby steps and take them often: when you've kept at it regularly for a few weeks it becomes a lot more easy.

It's taken a while, which turns out to be a good thing. I didn't set out to write a book; I've never wanted to write a book just for the sake of writing a book. When I had enough meaningful and unique experiences to share, I thought it would be good to put together a book.

I considered finding a place to hide out in Alaska right at the end of the trip and write the story then, but I was ready to get back into the teaching life. So when I could I typed out all the journals I'd been keeping on the long trip. It was 1500 pages raw! I then cut out all the stuff that would be meaningless to other people - dreams, encounters that didn't turn out to be that interesting, etc. That process of reading the journals and typing them and trimming them really cemented my memories of the trip. But still, it read like a journal, not like a book. So I stayed in a tent for a week in the Arizona desert and wrote out the story in an oversized art journal. I then typed that out when I got back home, and edited it from there.

The benefit of taking a long time to write the book is that it's much more timeless. I took out all the stuff that seemed important at the time but really isn't in the long run. What's left is the timeless joy of long-term independent travel, the hard lessons anyone who lives on the road for an extended period learns.

Edit: I never answered your question directly. I did the ride in 1998-1999, so I've been working on the book off and on for a long time. Every time I got close to finishing it, the school year would start up again and I'd get busy. The first few times I reread it after putting it down for a while, I'd find sections I couldn't believe I had kept in the book. the last few times I read it I couldn't find anything to take out, and the story as a whole seemed even more relevant than when I first started drafting it. That's how I knew it was ready to share. It really was a life-defining journey, and the book captures that well.

I also wrote Python Crash Course, which is an introduction to programming in Python. That book has done really well, there are 48,000 copies in print and it's been translated into six other languages. The experience of writing that book made it a lot easier to put the finishing touches on this book.

Before my last year in college I sat down and implemented a A path finding program in C#. Not sure if that seems too simple or not for what you're thinking, but in it's own way, it was a great project. I found an "outline" of how A works and built from there.

Also, i've just recently started reading this book it's a great course on developing an RPG in C#, however, it also provides an awesome platform to develop your own AI for NPC's. i'm looking forward to creating a little NPC economy where they buy and sell to and from each other. (as well as developing AI for the monsters in the game) anyway, fun stuff!

I tried to help my nephew get into it a bit but only partially successful. I don't see him that often I'm afraid.



You can start early (about 8yrs) with Scratch. https://scratch.mit.edu/ It's got quite the community. I got this book and was pretty impressed: https://www.amazon.com/Help-Your-Kids-Computer-Coding/dp/146541956X It also deals with Python in the second part.



There are also plenty of games that help get into coding like Lightbot: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lightbot.lightbothoc&hl=en
and Lego Mindstorms fix factory: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lego.mindstorms.fixthefactory&hl=en


You could also get Lego Mindstorms itself of course. They have another new thing down the pipeline called Lego Boost for a younger audience: https://www.lego.com/en-us/boost



And have you ever heard of coderdojo?

Here's my list of the classics:

General Computing

• But How Do It Know? - The Basic Principles of Computers for Everyone
  
  
• The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles
  
  
• Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
  
  
• Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
  
  Computer Science
  
  
• The New Turing Omnibus: Sixty-Six Excursions in Computer Science
  
  
• Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools, 2nd Edition (aka The Dragon Book)
  
  
• The Art of Computer Programming
  
  
• Algorithms, 4th Edition
  
  
• Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition (aka CLRS)
  
  
• Essential Algorithms: A Practical Approach to Computer Algorithms Using Python and C#, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Grokking Algorithms: An Illustrated Guide for Programmers and Other Curious People
  
  
• Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, 2nd Edition (aka SICP, available for free on the MIT website)
  
  
• Discrete Mathematics with Applications, 4th Edition
  
  Software Development
  
  
• Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems by Martin Kleppmann
  
  
• Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (aka The Gang of Four)
  
  
• Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving
  
  
• The Pragmatic Programmer: your journey to mastery, 20th Anniversary Edition, 2nd Edition
  
  
• The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering
  
  
• Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction, 2nd Edition
  
  
• The Design of Everyday Things
  
  
• Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship
  
  
• Programming Pearls, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual
  
  
• Hello, Startup: A Programmer's Guide to Building Products, Technologies, and Teams
  
  
• Hacker's Delight, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams, 3rd Edition
  
  Case Studies
  
  
• The Soul of a New Machine
  
  
• Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
  
  
• Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution
  
  
• Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet
  
  
• Fire in the Valley: The Birth and Death of the Personal Computer, 3rd Edition
  
  Employment
  
  
• Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions, 6th Edition
  
  
• The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide: How to Learn Programming Languages Quickly, Ace Your Programming Interview, and Land Your Software Developer Dream Job
  
  
• The Self-Taught Programmer: The Definitive Guide to Programming Professionally
  
  
• The Passionate Programmer: Creating a Remarkable Career in Software Development
  
  Language-Specific
  
  C
  
  
• The C Programming Language, 2nd Edition
  
  Python
  
  
• Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming
  
  
• Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science, 3rd Edition
  
  
• Effective Python: 59 Specific Ways to Write Better Python
  
  C#
  
  
• The C# Player's Guide, 3rd Edition
  
  C++
  
  
• The C++ Programming Language, 4th Edition
  
  
• Starting Out with C++: from Control Structures to Objects, 9th Edition
  
  Java
  
  
• Introduction to Java Programming and Data Structures: Comprehensive Version, 11th Edition
  
  
• [Java: A Beginner's Guide](https://www.amazon.com/Java-Beginners-Seventh-Herbert-Schildt/dp/1259589315/, 7th Edition)
  
  
• Java: The Complete Reference, 11th Edition
  
  
• Core Java Volume I - Fundamentals, 11th Edition
  
  
• Starting Out with Java: From Control Structures through Objects, 6th Edition
  
  
• Effective Java, 3rd Edition
  
  Linux Shell Scripts
  
  
• The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Wicked Cool Shell Scripts: 101 Scripts for Linux, OS X, and UNIX Systems, 2nd Edition
  
  
• Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible
  
  
• Mastering Linux Shell Scripting
  
  Web Development
  
  
• Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Web Graphics, 5th Edition
  
  
• Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming, 3rd Edition (also available for free on the author's website)
  
  
• JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development
  
  
• HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites
  
  
• You Don't Know JS: Up & Going
  
  Ruby and Rails
  
  
• Ruby on Rails Tutorial: Learn Web Development with Rails, 4th Edition (Note: this book is somewhat out of date compared to the live version on the author's website.)
  
  
• The Well Grounded Rubyist, 3rd Edition
  
  
• Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby: An Agile Primer
  
  
• Agile Web Development with Rails 5.1
  
  
• Programming Ruby 1.9 & 2.0: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide, 4th Edition
  
  
• Eloquent Ruby
  
  Assembly
  
  
• Assembly Language for x86 Processors, 8th Edition

One of my main motivations for homeschooling was my dissatisfaction with the state of math and CS education in the public schools. The thing that baffles me the most about public schooling is the whole philosophy of "teach them once, they either get it or they don't, and then we move on". In my opinion, if something is worth teaching, it's worth teaching until the students understand it.

Lots of great options for math. At elementary school level, check out: http://stern.buffalostate.edu/CSMPProgram/ For middle school and high school, check out https://artofproblemsolving.com/ and https://www.eimacs.com/. For CS, at middle school level there are options like bootstrapworld.com and https://www.amazon.com/Hello-World-Computer-Programming-Beginners/dp/1617290920. At high school level, there are a bunch of AP materials, or something like http://homedirs.ccs.neu.edu/matthias/HtDP2e/. Also, tons of great free coursera and edX college courses for both math and CS. Here's one good one: https://www.edx.org/course/how-code-simple-data-ubcx-htc1x

Homeschooling gives you the freedom to try different approaches and figure out what works for you.

> How Useful are e-Books for Studying?

It depends. Personally, books of any kind tend to be hit-or-miss with me when it comes to studying. They tend to suck the life out of me very, very quickly due to density/dryness. Instead, I like to find videos of the material I'm wanting to learn and watch those instead - preferably in a MOOC structure. This way it makes it easier for me to stay focused with a well-defined start and ending point, and most MOOCs tend to follow a "you watched, now do" style of teaching along with several exercises along the way which I love. There's plenty of resources out there like Lynda.com, Coursera, or Udacity that offer beginner courses up to the advaced stuff in c++ and/or python.

> I'm currently looking into the Humble Bundle e-books they're offering this time around and wanted to ask for input on how helpful they would be.

Are you referring to this bundle? If so that is a big haul of material and adjacent tools (not to say it's not a good price though). If you value the books at what they're offering, then go for it. I'd just say it's a little over-kill for a beginner.

If you are hard-pressed on following a standard textbook/e-book format, I'd recommend Python Crash Course. It has been the only book I've gone through front-to-back. It's a great intro to python and switches into a project-based structure later on in the book. It also has subsequent books that cover other types of projects in python.

You sound like several Electrical Engineers I've known that got their degrees, then left and started coding. They're impatient and can easily put down a few lines of code, run it and see the working product.

I would recommend starting to teach yourself. CodeAcademy, Coursera, Lynda.com are all great resources to start teaching yourself.

I'd also HIGHLY recommend getting Python for Kids. I know your not a kid, neither am I. I wanted to get into coding and all the sites assumed you already knew the basics. This book teaches you everything from the ground up, and while it is titled "...for Kids" the author also wrote it with adults who are brand new to coding. It is amazingly well done. Python is also commonly used by server admins and database guys. Since you like the electrical stuff, those go hand in hand. Get the book, teach yourself some Python. Then go to community college and take a course or two (very part-time student) for your COMPTIA and server stuff. Within a year/year and a half you'll have a solid foundation for Junior Admin/Ops/Database.

P.S. If you do get Python for Kids, it tells you to use the official Python IDE, it sucks, I hated it. I'd recommend getting PyCharm instead. Both are free.

I found the Crash Course in Python much more useful overall. I felt I came away with a better understanding of the language and the ability to do some useful stuff, whereas Automate was just as/a bit more useful but I didn't feel it gave me as good of an understanding of the language. I think it was a bit longer as well.

I don't think there is a free verison but I could be wrong.

Both books were definitely helpful for me though.

http://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036

I was watching Derek Banas Python tutorials and he recommended some books he consider are useful, and amongst them was this book. Being beginner my self I give it a go and it really is a good one.
I mean, dude is a pro, and he finds it great, so why not to try.

And you can check his tutorials as well on links below.




you tube




personal site




Good luck, and don't give up!

JEAN: I recently found the following two books that seem to be good for babies. ;)
http://www.amazon.com/HTML-Babies-Volume-Web-Design/dp/0615487661
http://www.amazon.com/CSS-Babies-Volume-Web-Design/dp/0615555217

More seriously, giving her opportunities to study math and science seem to be the best way to go. Make sure she's exposed to role models. Help her grow a thick skin against people who doubt her. My mom also always told me that she was raising me to be independent and support myself. That was good for me.

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036

really good book to get into Python, it kind of assumes you know the basic logic, but it's very entry level friendly and im sure you can find it for free in a pdf somewhere. it's a good overall language to know if you are going to be doing any kind of analytical work.

System Era Softworks are looking for C++ developers, so your information seems accurate.

I’d recommend you start out [playing around(https://www.amazon.com/Python-Cookbook/dp/1449340377) with Python before committing to C++. It’s much easier to achieve to some tangible goals. Maybe start out scripting some simple tasks. E.g. create ten files that each contain their own creation date and file path. Then progress through making some short text-based multi-choice adventure game (Gender-Neutral-Internet-Person and the Quest for the Reddit Upvotes). Start out simple and see if you enjoy the challenge before committing to learning C++ through game development.

P.S.: System Era lists familiarity with Python as a desired skill. It’s still relevant for automating tasks and getting stuff done even when you learn more complex languages.

P.P.S.: Python 3 is the right choice. 2.7 is an outdated dialect. You’ll know what this means soon enough.

This watch is a fun (for eight year olds), practical, and very affordable Christmas present. This costs more but looks pretty slick and is automatically set to atomic clocks via radio, which is pretty damn cool when you're eight.

This Leatherman is a little pricey for what it is but little boys love multi-tools, Leathermans are great multi-tools, and it comes with a pointless knife (as in, there's no sharp tip) that you install yourself, in case you don't trust your child with knives (I may or may not have a scar from using my Leatherman Micra in a really stupid way when I was 10) or your kid will definitely take it everywhere, including their school which has a zero-tolerance/thought policy on pointy objects. (If you have no problems with knives, the Squirt would be my first choice for a mini-multitool.)

This book is pricey for a single book but I had the old version as a kid and it's still one of my all time favorite books. Highly recommend, for a kid interested in technology.

Also, to clarify slightly more: YES, I believe it's more than possible to learn Python in a month assuming no previous programming experience.

But again, that doesn't mean you'll understand advanced aspects of the language. I mean that you'll understand basic programming concepts - and especially those specific to Python - such as variables, types, functions, classes, etc.

This is the book I spoke of earlier. I feel that if you read carefully through it, work the examples, do the problem sets, and practice on your own a bit, within a month it would be fair to say you "know" some Python. A good deal, in fact, and it's not a particularly long book. But know, there will be things that still elude you. StackOverflow, Google, Reddit, and maybe a more advanced book after will get you the knowledge you may desire.

Best of luck to you!

I bought this book in January and have been working my way through it. I would heartily recommend it to beginners, it is a great starting point to getting the most out of the Arduino. It gives you ideas to create some nice projects of your own. For example, I have used what it taught me about ultrasonic sensors to create a project which switches on an LED strip when I wave my hand in front of it. I have also used the timer project in the book as a basis to create my own kitchen timer with a dual display.

All of these are great suggestions! I'm a private tutor in Manhattan who specializes in STEM. From my experience Scratch into Python is typically the best for a child. It depends on her typing capabilities as to how quickly she will want to / can make that jump to Python.

I believe that your enthusiasm will continue to fuel hers. Be excited when she is excited and be there for her when her programs fail and she is not sure why. You may not have the answers, but her learning how to continue despite failure is a HUGE part of coding! She will be frustrated and mad, but then she will have an "aha" moment and be so excited to share it with you. You'll love it! I'm excited for you.

I'll leave one book that I saw a student of mine buy. She is only 7 and she really loves it!

Coding Games in Scratch

Buy this book.
https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=python+crash+course&qid=1562493760&s=gateway&sr=8-3
I recommend it to everyone. They also sell them at booksamillion, but I prefer the amazon kindle version as it's so convenient to reference when working. It's structured perfectly and it involves projects. The chapters perfectly step you up from lists, to dictionaries, to classes etc.

I have my degree in Computer Science, so my path is probably not ideal for you at this point. However, that does not mean that you can't do it!


My honest recommendation at this point is to just jump in and get started. I've been recommending this book as a start for friends and fellow teachers https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036.


Alternatively, if python isn't your thing, grab a textbook for c or java. These are the ones I used for my degree and still keep as desk references.

https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Out-Control-Structures-Objects/dp/0133769399

https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Java-Programming-Comprehensive-Version/dp/0132936526


Once you have gotten started and are fairly comfortable doing the exercises in books, I suggest these websites for additional problems to explore:

https://codingbat.com/

https://www.hackerrank.com/

https://leetcode.com/

https://uva.onlinejudge.org/

https://open.kattis.com/

https://codeforces.com/


If you are going to go for it, make sure to join some communities. Familiarize yourself with stackoverflow.com (ask jeeves for programming, with some proper wizards to answer questions). /r/programming is pretty good too.


Finally, never stop to sit on somebody else's problems and projects. Pick something that you want to make but have no idea how to make it. Then do it. And don't stop. See the project all the way through even though your code will be HIDEOUS and unattainable by the end. There is a lot to be learned from finishing a project.


The formal logic stuff is the root of computation, but if you are using your cell phone without understanding it, then it follows that you should be able to write programs without understanding it. There is a depth of programming where it becomes important, but I would say that 90% or more of developers don't really need to understand the underlying processes by which processors process.


Good luck!

Totally understand. Good luck. If you haven't already you should check out the free interactive python tutorials available online at codecademy.com and this book is fantastic for learning early python https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036/ it also is part of a series that gets progressively more complex, all interactive.

Remember, a bootcamp will give you structure but in order to succeed in tech you need to be self-driven and disciplined internally, relying on external sources for discipline will not bode well in the professional environment. You're constantly needing to update your knowledge and learn new material.

Feel free to PM me any time.

taken from one of my Comments in regards to a suggested python book book: thread

>I recently bought this book(LPTHW), and Decided to return it after reading this thread and instead bought Python Crash Course.It includes a Game, a WebApp, and a Data Visualization Program as final projects that you can do in any order! Python crash course unlike the former covers code in python 3.0, and (when needed) addresses python 2.7 differences.
i have yet to really start in on it as I'm currently Learning C# but comparing the two i would say this book is Much more beginner friendly (LPTHW is actually a little condescending) what i appreciated most about Python crash course is at the end of each chapter he gives you multiple ideas for simple programs so you can start coding from memory right away! this is the most important thing a book can teach you, i think!

Python is what i wish i had started in as its sooo much less typing, but you still learn everything all of the other languages will use just with different names.
switching to java or C# would only take a few days but i suggest you finish at least one book in one language before branching out!

Python crash course is a great source and very highly rated on amazon

This book is absolutely the most incredible thing I've come across so far. I started out using Code academy but honestly I kept getting bored with how linear it was (In my opinion) and honestly I personally learn better when I can take the bite sized pieces and do what I want with them which is what this book does.

It defines the function simply, gives examples of how it's used and then a visible representation of the function in action, and after that it'll give you exercises (that I like to customize) that you can try yourself. I'm only on chapter four which introduces loops but this book goes everywhere with me along with a journal to physically write down code and then test it when I'm near a computer.

There are other books in this series but I refuse to overwhelm myself with too many books at once.

I'm aware not everyone retains information the same way but if you'd like I can post pictures of the layout of the book so you can get a feel for it. I'm fairly new to Python and it is my first language (although I did look into Javascript, CSS and HTML first but didn't actually retain it as well. I intend to go back to those after I 'master' python.)

Sorry for the book of a comment! I got excited...

Machine Design textbooks cover some of this — the mechanisms and mechanical end of your question. Manufacturing textbooks cover some of this, too.

A simple-ish system like a coffee maker comes down to a couple of systems — the part that makes the hot water, and the part that siphons it up and over the grounds. The heating element for the base of the carafe is probably the same one that heats the water, due to the design of the water reservoir, simplifying the design.

The rest of the design of a coffee maker is packaging — fitting the necessary systems into a container that holds the carafe and the filter basket.

Even “complicated” coffee makers are mostly just controls that allow slight adjustments within the simple system — the water has to be a certain temperature to make coffee, so on a adjustable-temperature system, the low temp setting is the lowest at which it will be hot enough to siphon, and the highest would be just below boiling. Timers are easy to add, for scheduling and turning on and off.

Books like “The Way Things Work Now are good for getting the very-basics of how stuff is assembled (some of it is a little simplistic for an Applied physicist, maybe), and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (www.sme.org) has a lot of manufacturing-related stuff, albeit SME sells a lot of highly academic books.

I thoroughly enjoy watching “How it’s Made” on the Science channel. Getting a good idea of how various items are made over time has helped me in my job as a manufacturing engineer, even.

Jose Portilla on Udemy has some good python based courses (and also frequents this subreddit). There's regularly sales or some sort of coupon code available to get any of the courses for $10-$15, so it's very reasonable.

For books:

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Data-Analysis-Wrangling-IPython/dp/1491957662/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 ... it's not out yet, but due any day. You can also get preview access on sites like Safari Online (which would also have all the books below).

https://www.amazon.com/Data-Science-Scratch-Principles-Python/dp/149190142X/ref=sr_1_1

For general python:

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036/ref=sr_1_1

https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994/ref=sr_1_1

No Starch Press, OReilly, APress and Manning generally have pretty good quality publications. I'd usually skip anything from Packt, unless it's specifically received good reviews.

Here are a few books you might enjoy! Check your local libraries and book stores. These are geared towards beginners. I know you don't qualify as a "kid" but these books will give you an easier introduction than most.

• Coding Games in Scratch
  
• Learn to Program with Scratch: A Visual Introduction to Programming with Games, Art, Science, and Math
  
• Teach Your Kids to Code: A Parent-Friendly Guide to Python Programming
  
• Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming
  
• JavaScript for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming
  

To piggy-back on this, my son started using Scratch at 8 and loves it. I got him 2 fairly inexpensive books for his 9th birthday off of Amazon with lessons and ideas on games to make and different challenges. It's an amazing beginner tool. He loves working through them.

Here are the books:

Coding in Scratch: Games Workbook

Coding Games in Scratch

edit: formatting

I bought this book for my 12 year old and I to do together, because I too would like to learn Python and I thought it would be an enjoyable shared experience.

So far he has shown no interest, but I think it will come eventually. :-)

As a result, I have also not gone through the book in detail, but flipping through it, it looks like just what I hoped it would be.

I had no "real" experience with programming before working through this, but I feel like I am picking up all the concepts in the book pretty easily. Was the class just weekly work, or is there an overarching project with milestones like most of the other IT classes?

I'll agree with this answer the most, though ooooo5's reply was the one that made me spit-take with coffee.

Cunning is right; there are vast amounts of information available online for beginners. One of the best places to start is gamedev.net.

There are also several books that I would suggest, such as the following (don't be discouraged if you are not a "teen", it just means that it's written for beginners). Visual C# Game Programming for Teens

Look for similar books (your library might have some), and those will give you lots of great information to get started.

You can start with Code Studio. Do all 4 courses. About 3-5 exercises per day is about right, and should only take them a few minutes per day to do. The older one may be ready for the Accelerated Course. The kids can pretty much do it on their own, without your help.

You can then progress to Scratch with this book.

Or you can start right with Scratch.

After that, the older one may be ready to move on to Python, Swift/iOS, C, C++, Java/Android, etc., depending on interests.

Raspberry pi 3 official kit price is 98.33£ Ex taxes. (http://www.thepilocator.com/Product/Info/official-raspberry-pi-foundation-starter-kit-pi-3-mmp) The price is stable since July 2017 and never changed during this period.

In the next following lines i wrote components of the kit and the price Excluding Taxes:

Raspberry Pi 3 B Computer Board - 26.66£ ( http://www.thepilocator.com/Product/Info/raspberry-pi-3---model-b-mmp )

8GB Micro-SD card with operating system - New Out Of Box Software (NOOBS) - Estimating 7.50£ (But this may depend, atm, with this price you can easily get 16GB MicroSdCard http://www.thepilocator.com/Product/Info/noobs-preinstalled-micro-sd-card-tph )

Official Raspberry Pi Red & White Case - 4.99£ ( http://www.thepilocator.com/Product/Info/official-raspberry-pi-3-case---whitered-tph )

Official Raspberry Pi USB Keyboard - Not available singularly in the market, Estimating 10£ using another keyboard available on the market

Official Raspberry Pi USB Mouse - Not available singularly in the market, Estimating 5£ using another mouse available on the market

Official Raspberry Pi HDMI Cable - 4.17£ ( http://www.thepilocator.com/Product/Info/official-raspberry-pi-hdmi-to-hdmi-cable-1m-black-mmp )

Official Raspberry Pi USB Power Supply - 5.83£ (http://www.thepilocator.com/Product/Info/official-raspberry-pi-3-universal-power-supply-tph)

Adventures in Raspberry Pi book by Carrie-Anne Philbin - 2.10£ (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Raspberry-Carrie-Anne-Philbin/dp/1118751256)

Total: 66.25£ Ex Tax.

So, if you buy things singularly you'll be able to save 32.08£ .

Note:

1. If you buy from multiple stores you'll have to pay multiple shippings.
   
   
2. Mouse and keyboards are not the "Official" one, this means that probably you'll have to add some more money if you would like to have the same result.
   

Definitely Python. My friend actually did this and his son is doing really well. He is now 12 years old and is already way ahead of the curve in comparison with his peers, though his parents do not compare him with others as such. Also, teach one or two non-native languages. Need not be French/German/Spanish, Indian languages are a lot useful. Pick any language of the neighbouring state, that should do it.

edit: http://www.amazon.in/Python-Kids-Playful-Introduction-Programming/dp/1593274076

Parenting done right, my friend. Looks like your kiddo is a little young for it, but my 8 year-old daughter and I are going through [Carrie Ann Philbin's excellent book] (http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Raspberry-Carrie-Anne-Philbin/dp/1118751256)

The book is very approachable for the young ones and has a lot of solid hardware explanations. 10/10 would buy again.

If you really want to learn about Python:

This

If you want to get up and running and have a good book to do some practice exercises and build some fun stuff:

This
if you buy the digital version makes sure you email the publisher to get an updated format so the code doesn't show up weird

Python Crash Course seems to be cool for getting started with Python. Once you know some basics, start trying to solve problems on sites like hackerrank or codingame and see where you might need to fill in the blanks. Think of things you want to program, or make clones of existing applications. Once you get started and work on some projects, the learning will happen naturally because you'll constantly be looking things up to help you solve your problems. Just stay away from copy/paste of other people's code. At the very least, type any code you need to borrow out yourself and comment it to show yourself you understand what it is doing. Best of luck.

I can vouch Python Crash Course. It touches on everything per chapter and has some pretty awesome projects at the end. Definitely worth checking out.

Python for Kids

Edit: Turtle Logo is good too. Key things to remember short lessons that finish on something neat and fun. Update this post if/when you start and let us know what you used and how it went.

This thread title reminds me of this book that was originally on baby registry, until I came across this review, and removed it from the list:

> My husband and I are both web designers, so we were ordered this book as a Christmas gift for our daughter. Sadly we then discovered that some pages contain code that is not valid - tags being closed without opening, opening without later being closed, etc. After mentioning this to the author on their Facebook Page, they confirmed that was not a mistake, and that due to layout issues they were not always able to fit all the proper tags onto a page/spread. For a book that is supposed to introduce babies/children to the basics of HTML, we find that very disappointing, and therefore decided to return the book. Others may think this harsh, but would you want to introduce your child to a foreign language or math or geometry, or any other subject for that matter, using a book that has errors/omissions on the most basic level?

>We commend the author for their idea, but there must be some way to fit valid code into the layout!

It's really hard to tell people how to learn, especially since everyone learns differently - so if this doesn't work for you don't get discouraged! A large portion of programming is pushing through these barriers (seriously every few weeks I hit another new thing, feel similar, eventually push through, repeat).

That said, I've given the book Python for Kids to quite a few people (all adults) and they seemed to really engage with it. I read it myself (though this was long after I had been programming) and enjoyed how it built on the concepts in a clear way after both introducing new concepts and applying them.

This is a great book to read with your child if they show an intrist in the working of things around them. Its not about autisum but it may get him engaged. It helped me quite a bit growing up.
The Way Things Work https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544824385/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_V7kqDbP53DJJ7

This gets me excited.

I've been looking for excuses to learn more programming.

I have found this post to be incredibly helpful, particularly with the recommendation to begin learning Python with Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming.

if you have 30-50 dollars to spare I highly recommend this book

ive been using it taking notes on my computer and doing the exercises it has that you follow along with and I love it!

Sure. But stay away from Code Academy, dude. It's buggy, slow and doesn't teach you how to code and run programs on your machine. You should be coding on your actual environment, not on some shitty server. Automate the Boring Stuff with Python is much better - and free. It also has an Udemy course. Python Crash Course is another good option.

I agree with mostly not focusing on the kid, although if you want to do something fun/goofy and geeky in with a gift I'd suggest either of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Safe-Baby-Pregnancy-Tips-David/dp/0762428430

http://www.amazon.com/HTML-Babies-Volume-Web-Design/dp/0615487661

)

I had great luck with my 5th grader using [PYTHON FOR KIDS] (https://www.amazon.com/Python-Kids-Playful-Introduction-Programming/dp/1593274076/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=python+for+kids&qid=1566683490&s=gateway&sr=8-3). He was in a programming class but it didn't suit his learning style. We worked our way through the book and then I got a teacher subscription to CodeCombat through Homeschool Buyers Coop. He was programming subroutines and writing mini-programs to earn privileges by the summer.

Python Crash Course is a great resource. It starts from the basics and slowly works its way up with little mini-projects along the way to show you what you're actually doing.

Most programming books feel like this. But this one feels like this.

If you have some experience already, it may feel a bit slow at first, but just stick with it and do the little silly projects. "Yeah, yeah... I know how to print("things")..." Just do it anyway and move on.

For each mini projects try 'screwing with it'. Change the conditions/variables and see how the output changes. If it is asking you to pick the 5th letter in a string, try picking the 2nd letter too. Try picking the 6th character in a 4 letter word.

I would almost guarantee that halfway through you'll start to get some little ideas for combining past chapters with new ones - I strongly encourage you to waste some time doing that. Did you just learn about strings? Now loops? Combine them! If the string is longer than 5 characters, find the 6th character. Else find the 2nd character.

Eventually it moves onto some more complex projects, teaching you the basics along the way. The idea is that the book teaches you the basics, from the basics, with examples for each that you get to try.

Also on the topics of books related to this topic...I absolutely love this book. It's basically Alice in Wonderland (written by a mathematician) but with Computer Science encounters. There are tons and tons of nerdy references in here, but it's just written as a fun kids story.

https://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Ipsum-Computer-Science-Improbable-ebook/dp/B00QL616IC

The book "Python Crash Course" is amazing for beginners. I recommend typing all the examples in yourself to really cement it in your brain. It's not just the best beginner python book, it's the best beginner coding book I've ever read.

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506520137&sr=8-1&keywords=python

I agree with this guy. I played with a lot of the online tutorials before I just got a book and worked through it. Then I bought a second book that focused on a different area, etc ad nauseam.

I'd recommend starting here:
https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-iphone-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1593276036

i really like the book project based learning python, it was really fun to follow.

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036

Good error messages and bulletproof tool experience will be a priority for teaching unless you wanna be the on-call guy. I've tutored 1:1 for kids and you want them to feel in control right away, making something real that they can show mom ("I made this HTML file with cats in it!") and stay motivated. Something like this <https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Program-Minecraft-Transform-Python/dp/1593276702/> where I can get them set up and then they can teleport their avatar around immediately (nb I haven't used this book before)

I picked up a copy of Lauren Ipsum in a Humble Book bundle way back when, and I enjoyed it immensely.

The preface explicitly states that there are no computers or programming in the book - rather, it's a simple story using metaphors for common algorithms and patterns.

It's pretty simple, but you should be able to breeze through it in a day or two, and it may help you visualise some common algorithms.

Even if it doesn't, it's not a bad story!

The Django Girls Tutorial is good.

I learned with Python Crash Course which is especially good if your still starting out with Python as the book is mostly about just Python and the Django project is one of the end projects. Not sure if it's been updated for 2.0 though.

Also the Django Docs are very good.

I just read through this in about 2.5 days: https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036

The first half teaches the basics and the second half has three projects to work. I found it pretty useful.

I've read so many of those Reilly books and they are all super dull and sometimes hard to follow. Best python book I came across is this Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593276036/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_OByyCbMTJD8GC

Im currently working through Python Crash Course . Im finding it to be great beginner material, and I have no experience whatsoever in programming. Also, go to the Python website. They seriously have a tremendous amount of free resources available. Hope this helps.

LO's daddy is a developer, so I'm pretty sure she needs this series: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0615487661/ref=mp_s_a_1_2

And this one since I'm an artist: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/081185518X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1

Also I just think the BabyLit books are adorable. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1423624777/ref=pd_aw_sim_b_7

(hopefully the links work, I'm on mobile.)

Just a guess, but maybe Time Twister?

Edit: Only You Can Save Mankind?

Work through Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming if you like project-based learning & having relevant context-based examples, or read through Python Essential Reference if you're comfortable with learning raw concepts & want a solid overhead view of what's available to you.
 
Automate the Boring Stuff with Python is another good project-based option:

• Book
  
  
• Online

Thank you, would it be better for me to do Python Principles over a book like 'Python Crash Course'?

Here's a link to the book I recommended. I had the title wrong. It's "Learn to Program With Minecraft"

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1593276702/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473618415&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=learn+to+program+with+minecraft

It's a really cool concept and should capture your son's attention and build in him a love for programming.

Hi, There are so many resources out there I don't know where to start! I would work through some kind of beginner python book (recommendation below). Then maybe try Andrew Ng's Machine Learning Coursera course to get a taste of Machine Learning. Once you have completed both of those I would reassess what you would like to focus on. I will include some other books I would recommend below.

Beginner Python - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=python+books&qid=1565035502&s=books&sr=1-3

Machine Learning Coursera - https://www.coursera.org/learn/machine-learning

Python Machine Learning - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hands-Machine-Learning-Scikit-Learn-TensorFlow/dp/1491962291/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2QF98N9Q9GCJ9&keywords=hands+on+data+science&qid=1565035593&s=books&sprefix=hands+on+data+sc%2Cstripbooks%2C183&sr=1-7

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Data-Science-Scratch-Joel-Grus/dp/1492041130/ref=sr_1_1?crid=PJEJNNUBNQ8N&keywords=data+science+from+scratch&qid=1565035617&s=books&sprefix=data+science+from+s%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-1

Statistics (intro) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Naked-Statistics-Stripping-Dread-Data/dp/039334777X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=naked+statistics&qid=1565035650&s=books&sr=1-1

More stats (I haven't read this but gets recommended) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Stats-Allen-B-Downey/dp/1491907339/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=think+stats&qid=1565035674&s=books&sr=1-1

Only You Can Save Mankind?

Lauren Ipsum by Carlos Bueno was also a fun read.

this looks cute!

There are a lot of books with this plot.
Some others are: Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett, and a series of books by Gillian Rubinstein: Space Demons and its two sequels (Skymaze and Shinkei).

Gillian Rubinstein also wrote another book about games becoming real (she uses this plot a lot) called Beyond The Labyrinth that features a cliff prominently on the cover.

Lauren Ipsum is a cs theory book masquerading as a children's book and it's quite funny.

I really liked this book

I highly recommend Hello World!: Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners. I started my son at 6 years old with it and he was off and running within 2 days.

Arduino, breadboard, two dc motors, motor controller, jumper wires, a hot glue gun, and some random arts and crafts supplies like popsicle sticks, cardboard, etc.

Maybe a book of project ideas, these look good:
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Learning-Through-Discovery/dp/1680450263/
https://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Project-Handbook-Practical-Projects/dp/1593276907

Consider teaching Python. Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593274076/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CmesDbYGQY3RZ

Coincidentally, there's a book called Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming

this is a pretty useful self paced python book... I know a pre-frosh that was in a similar position who found this helpful

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036

From my understanding, there are tons of great resources, but the biggest hurdle is just getting started. So go choose a resource and just start going!

I'm currently in the same boat as you and after looking around a bit I'm going to go to the library and pick up this book on the weekend: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1593276036?pf_rd_p=46535598-d2e0-4bc4-8392-182d8c1e93fc&pf_rd_r=EB7B57WGWNRRQ0MR63TR

I’d start with learning SQL. Download the adventure works database and the free version of Microsoft sql server on your computer. I took this super cheap course on Udemy to study some advanced SQL writing.

https://www.udemy.com/course/microsoft-sql-from-a-to-z/learn/lecture/6454508?start=0#content

After SQL, use Python. I’d recommend reading Python Crash Course by Eric Matthes

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036

The learning curve for Python is much harder then SQL; however this is what sets you apart from the men and the boys (or the girls and the ladies) in moving and dealing with ugly data (Pandas, matplotlib, ODBC, etc.). After you get this down, start doing some research about how to use Python and SQL together (connecting to a database, writing queries and executing with Python, creating them into data frames, visualizing then for insightful information).

Just to clarify, and I’m sure this may have been covered in your seminar. There are two distinct differences between working in data and then handling big data. You can get really far just using SQL but it all kinda matters how deep you want to train yourself. Piece of advice, learn one programming language/skill at a time, it does not help to juggle multiple languages to achieve writing hello world 50 times.

there's a book called Help Your Kids With Computer Coding - http://www.amazon.com/Help-Your-Kids-Computer-Coding/dp/146541956X/

It teaches Scratch and Python, what everyone here is recommending.

I recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Hello-World-Computer-Programming-Beginners/dp/1617290920

Though Codeacademy might be enough depending on how complex the addon is.

You'll also have to learn some Kodi addon specific stuff: http://kodi.wiki/view/Add-on_development

Javascript for kids. It has been written for kids after 10 yo. I'm nearly 30 yo and I'm learning so many things. It starts from 0, you will learn the basics and how to make games like snakes. https://www.amazon.fr/JavaScript-Kids-Playful-Introduction-Programming/dp/1593274084

There's a book that uses MC to teach kids Python:
Learn to Program with Minecraft https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1593276702/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yi8wzb5EWA3N4

Just felt like throwing that in here

This is the book we got for scratch and the kids seem to like it:
Coding Games in Scratch
And this is the Python book we have:
Learn to Program w Mincraft

[](Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593276036/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_j4nKybJRD4G8T)

This is by far one of the best books I've seen out there not only because it explains python really well but because it has 3 practice projects in the second half of the book.

One of the most popular python books (actually also one of the most popular programming books altogether) is Python crash course

Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593276036/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_wm7VBbC089FTF

Automate the boring stuff with python also has good reviews.

There's an updated version as well: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544824385/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_8fxzCbN154WTB. I haven't read it yet.

I can't see that link on mobile but here is the Amazon link from the one I got

look up Learn Python the Smarter Way:
https://www.amazon.com/Smarter-Way-Learn-Python-Remember/dp/1974431479

this looks cool but haven't done this author's books before:
https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X0TMMWNENSB7X29SZ5ZD

Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming | Complete Python Bootcamp: Go from zero to hero in Python 3 all u need to learn python(i highly advice you to start with the book first)

I am a beginner in Python, and I have been learning through a book called Python Crash Course, by Eric Matthes. I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn python, but also learn how to write effective programs, and understand how to interpret programming problems. Eric Matthes takes a project-based-learning approach, and provides lots of coding exercises throughout the book, and you can find the answers for all of these on the book's website. Here is the link to the book on amazon.

amazon has it for [24.88$ + (almost)free shipping used](https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1593276036/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used or 27$ new

I've been using this with my 9 yr old: http://www.amazon.com/Python-Kids-Playful-Introduction-Programming/dp/1593274076

It's been a solid start...

My friend go into VR using Unity. For learning Python, here's a couple of resources:

teamtreehouse.com

codeacademy.com

https://learncodethehardway.org/python/

Python Crash Course
https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500067504&sr=8-1&keywords=python+crash+course

Someone else on this sub recommended Python crash course which I just recently got and I have found that it is thorough and helpful so far. That would be my recommendation.

Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets has a lot of python in it.

For reals though, I liked Python Crash Course.

Python for kids

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Python+crash+course&qid=1562178878&s=books&sr=1-1

Do you own these books?

• https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593276907/
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593278187/
  
  If you need specific low-cost electronic components:
  
  
• https://www.taydaelectronics.com/
  
  
• https://www.facebook.com/TaydaElectronics/ (15% discount coupons)
  
  
• $5 minimum order
  
  
• Ships to USA in about 8 days (very consistent over past 5 years)
  

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Kids-Playful-Introduction-Programming/dp/1593274076

https://www.amazon.com/Invent-Your-Computer-Games-Python/dp/1593277954/

Passando pra dar uma dica de Python tb... terminei esse semana a primeira parte do https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036 e gostei muito, a primeira parte foca na sintaxe. A segunda parte tem 3 projetos, um game(space invaders), um de análise de dados e um web, amanhã começo um dos projetos.

I thought you were kidding.

I started learning Python a few months ago, this book here helped me a lot. Gave you some "projects" to work on to learn each new function, method, etc.

Edit: formatting

Do you have The Way Things Work?

GET PYTHON FOR KIDS

There is a learn Python with Minecraft book that you can use with a very affordable Raspberry Pi computer.

Between the book and the Pi, you would be down ~$50 maybe...

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Program-Minecraft-Transform-Python/dp/1593276702

I'm currently reading and learning off of, "Python for Kids" (Book). The section of code that is listed above is what I was guiding myself with so I may better grasp on how importing different modules worked.

My dad has used this to teach Scratch, but it's a book.

Maybe check out https://www.amazon.com/dp/1617290920/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_qg7aBbT33WTDJ

Este libro sobre máquinas también lo vendía selecciones. 12/10.

I also recommend a book Python crash.
http://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Project-Based-Introduction/dp/1593276036

En tout cas pour les très jeunes y'a toujours http://www.amazon.com/HTML-Babies-Web-Design/dp/0615487661

I got automate the boring stuff but haven't started it yet. Is this the crash course you mentioned?

I'm reading Python Crash Course online(safaribooks) and just bought a copy of it too.

It's teaching you programming concepts(teaches you how to use them by examples) + python at same time. It takes you through the syntax of the language and then through 3 projects. I haven't read half of it yet, but I'm already blown away by it.

Sometimes I give to my students A Human Resource Machine ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Resource_Machine ), it contains nice set of programming problems. Sadly it becomes hard fast. But it's nice to start. Other game I could advice is Lightbot ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lightbot.lightbot ) - tested on 8yo girl, it had good reception. About programming itself there are books - Learn Program in Minecraft ( https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Program-Minecraft-Transform-Python/dp/1593276702# ) or Build Computer Games in Python ( https://books.google.pl/books/about/Invent_Your_Own_Computer_Games_with_Pyth.html?id=ZPneDQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y ).

Sorry for bad formatting, I'll correct that as soon I'll go home.

Python Crash Course

Start learning a programming language to eventually do some contract work from UpWork or something:
Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction.

Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593276036/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_9QAPAbGPMVEHR

1. Python Crash Course: https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492562521&sr=8-1&keywords=python+crash+course
   
   
2. Foundations for Analytics with Python: https://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Analytics-Python-Non-Programmer-Hacker/dp/1491922532/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492562532&sr=8-1&keywords=foundations+for+analytics+with+python

I would try Python Crash Course by Eric Matthes:

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1527200577&sr=8-3&keywords=python+crash+course

The Core Java Series

Python Crash Course

Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science

For beginners you might want to check out:

• automate the boring stuff
  -python principles
  -python crash course

This is just a python script, so you would have a file (script.py) and execute it with "python script.py". This would be from your computer/server, not the router. But I suggest learning the basics of python before attempting to do any of this, just so you know what you are getting yourself into. =)

If you would like recommendations on how to get started, I personally suggest the crash course book but my coworker swears by a different book so I'll link to both here:

• Python Crash Course
  
• Automate The Boring Stuff