Maine Kids Code
About
Harness your creativity and become a game designer!
Spring 2020 Courses
Design and Code Your Own Game. Harness your creativity and become a game designer! Using Scratch, a free creative coding platform from MIT, learn basic concepts of programming while building simple yet ridiculously fun computer games. Use your art skills to create backgrounds, characters, and the other sprites that comprise a game. Then, using the visual blocks language, you'll learn to build game mechanics like jumping, moving platforms, and special abilities. You'll be able to:
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Design backgrounds, sprites, and 2D game levels
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Add movement, action, and score-keeping
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Practice collaborative coding
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Test and debug your code
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Playtest and iterate on your level designs to create better gaming experiences.
This class is for students who are new to coding or would like to expand their abilities with Scratch. Previous programming experience is not required.
Take it to the next level and become an advanced game designer! Learn to program in Javascript, to make shapes, characters, game mechanics, and creative visuals. After learning the basics of text based programming drawing shapes and animations, you'll learn to program game mechanics like physics, collisions, and mouse and keyboard events. You'll be able to design your own sprites and sprite animations, and build a fully working game that you can run and play on any computer or on the web to share with your friends and family. You'll be able to:
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Design 2D game levels
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Create, import, and manipulate sprites and 2D objects
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Learn intermediate programming techniques in Javascript
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Playtest and iterate on your level designs to create the perfect gaming experience
This class is for students who are looking for a fun challenge. Previous programming experience is not required, but it is helpful.
Sign Up
Sign-ups are live! Go to the MECA Continuing Studies Website to get your spot. Full scholarships will be available to all with need, just ask. Classes are limited to 10 students each.
Both the into and advanced courses are presented by and take place at Mechanics' Hall, in the second floor classroom.
519 Congress St.
Portland, ME 04101
parents
We are looking for middle school kids who are curious about technology, interested in learning how computers work, fascinated by computer games and robots and looking for a place to pursue that interest with other like minded kids.
volunteers
We're always welcoming talented educators and professionals to join our team! If you're interested in lending a helping hand to our cause, get in touch using the contact form. We're seeking people to help raise money, teach in the classroom, or just contribute your ideas during our curriculum planning sessions!
sponsors
This program introduces kids to creative technologies, computer programming, and collaborative problem solving. It is important to us to make sure that all necessary material and hardware are available to all students regardless of background. A huge Thank You to our sponsors: Quirk Auto Group, Big Room Studios, Arkatechture, Tyler Technologies, the Bill and Joan Alfond Foundation, and the Maine Community Foundation!
If you or your company are interested in helping us our mission, please reach out using our contact form at the bottom of the page.