Children today are growing up in a much more tech-oriented world than past generations. Broadly, this will mean that people will become technologically literate from a much younger age, which could pave the way for continuing waves of digital innovations. Of course, a big part of engaging kids in tech (instead of them just becoming addicted to it) will come from learning how digital technologies work and, crucially, how to code.
Helena Ingram, a recent high school graduate, recognized this and, inspired by her own love of coding, decided to help promote interest in coding and STEM from a young age. Ingram has written a children’s book called “Lanie Learns to Code” which is meant to get kids excited about learning to code.
To launch the book, Ingram has taken to Kickstarter, where she is hoping to raise $5,000 to cover the production costs for the first round of printing the book.
The story follows a young girl Lanie and her friend Charlie, who successfully use their coding skills to find Lanie’s lost dog. The story is meant to inspire kids to see how learning coding can be fun and productive.
“This book was inspired by my time volunteering at Mount Auburn Elementary School,” Ingram writes on the Kickstarter. “It was here that I realized that I wanted to find a way to help show kids how they can bring coding into their everyday lives, and what they’re passionate about. Whether it’s a sport a kid loves or a problem they see that needs to be fixed in their local community, coding can help with that and that’s what I really wanted to show through this book.”
Learning the basics of coding at a young age is not just a way to start preparing kids for an increasingly digitalized workforce. Coding can help improve children’s logical and creative thinking skills as well as show them how to engage with tech in an interactive way.
With six days of the Kickstarter campaign left, Ingram has raised $4,549. Backers have a range of reward options, including a paperback copy of the book for $20 or $500 to name a character in Ingram’s next book in addition to a copy of “Lanie Learns to Code.”
