Featured Coding Cup Winner: Silas likes Horseback Riding

Meet our newest Featured Maker and Coding Cup winner, 14-year-old Silas from Atlanta! Silas likes origami, soccer, and horseback riding. Neat! Silas recently spoke with us about his experience coding with Tynker. 

So did you like Coding Cup?

Yeah, I loved it.

What was your favorite thing about Coding Cup?

How challenging it was. You have to try and figure out what works best, and if it doesn’t work, then try again until you get it right.

What did your team look like?

They all had black jerseys, shorts, and shoes. And then I put a big S and W in yellow letters for Star Wars, like the beginning of it.

What was your team name?

The Star Strikers.

How long did it take for your team to get on the leaderboard?

Probably just a day or two. I had been at the bottom, but then I looked at what the top people were doing and kind of copied that. And then I was on the leaderboard within like a few hours of that.

What was your favorite code block that you used?

Probably If. It was used a lot in all of the code.

How did you learn how to use Tynker when you were first starting out? What were some of your favorite Tynker courses or tutorials?

The one I did most was probably the Crystal Clash one, where you make and upgrade a crystal character or multiple of them to fight other people with.

So how did you feel when you found out that you were a featured maker?

I was really excited. I’ve never been on a blog or anything like that before, so it was really exciting.

What is your favorite project you’ve made so far, and what do you like about it?

Probably one I made for one of the Summer Code Jams where you’re riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, and then randomly a cone, mud, or pothole will appear, and you have to avoid it.

Why do you like to code?

Because I like creating stuff, and it’s fun and sometimes challenging.

What do you do with a project when you’re done with it? Do you debug it, show it to someone, publish it?

I usually check it over and then publish it or show it to some of my family members. But most of the time I publish it.

How do you think learning to code has prepared you for the future?

It’s prepared me a lot. Because I want to be a game maker, so it’s going to help a lot with understanding how stuff works like that.

Do you think other kids should try coding?

Yeah, definitely. Because it’s a really useful skill and it’s really fun.

What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker?

Start out with simple stuff first and then do more challenging things after. And just try and get better and better?

What’s a fun fact about you?

Most of the stuff in my room is Star Wars.

We spoke with Silas’s mom about Silas learning to code. 

So how do you feel about Silas learning to code? How does it feel to see the coding projects that he is making?

I just love and feel so honored that I get to witness the wheels turning and the aha moment when something that he’s been working on finally clicks, and the pride that I see on his face when he shows new projects to us.

What benefits do you think coding has for your child? What skills besides the skills of learning to code does it help him learn?

I feel like it has just­­ there’s so many. It helps them think outside the box, be problem solvers, look at things from a different perspective, not to give up, to keep trying. And then with the different challenges that you guys put up, it gives them a little bit of a chance to interact with others, and to realize that failure’s okay, and just get up and keep trying again.

Do you feel like your child is better prepared for the future?

I do. I think we’ve been a part of Tynker for about four years now, and they’ve loved it. And you guys have updated along the way, and it’s just gotten better and better. And my kids have gotten more and more engaged with it and they’ve become more excited, and that’s the skill they’ll take with them, I feel like probably into almost any field and for the rest of their lives.

How do you support your child in their coding endeavors?

Well, I’m really lucky. We decided to homeschool right out of the box when they were little. So my husband,­­ he’s a coder, so that’s why we knew from the beginning that it was really important. So the kids are inspired by their dad and all the things that he makes and shares with them. And I knew that as the one who wanted to be directing their education and following their interests and their pursuits, I knew that coding would be important. And as I introduced them to it, they just took to it right away. So anything that they’re interested in, they’re passionate about, I try to give them the time they need for it or the materials they need or the technology they need to get it done.

Thank you. He’s so brilliant and he’s such a wonderful young man. And being a part of Tynker has been really fun for all the kids, but Silas has really, really blossomed with it, and I appreciate everything that you guys have done to give him this opportunity.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker. We can’t wait to see what Silas creates next – HAPPY CODING!

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