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Girls Who Code is a non-profit organization with a mission to close the gender gap in technology. They have programs around the country designed to get more girls interested in technology and build a strong community that helps the girls succeed. Girls Who Code also has a great social media presence. They’re always posting engaging and encouraging content. I highly recommend checking out the Girls Who Code website to learn more about the great programs and opportunities for girls and women. You can volunteer to be a part of their mission too!
I have been a fan of Girls Who Code for many years (in fact following them on social media has made me interested in learning more coding myself). I recently found out about the Girls Who Code book series in an email from a children’s book editor at Penguin Random House. They have published Girls Who Code books for all ages: babies, through middle school, plus a journal and activity book. You can learn more about the books from the publisher’s website, and you may order them on Amazon by clicking here.
There are 4 books in the Baby Code series: Baby Code!, Baby Code! Music, Baby Code! Art, and Baby Code! Play, all by Sandra Horning with art by Melissa Crowton. They have adorable illustrations and are all similar in basic content and style (baby’s everyday activities can be done digitally with code). The Baby Code! book is about everyday items in a baby’s life. The Music, Art, and Play books are focused specifically on each of those topics applied in the baby’s everyday life.
At almost two years old, my daughter is the perfect age for the Baby Code! books. She has the patience to sit though books that are short, colorful, and with cute pictures. Also, anything that uses the word “baby” (one of her favorite words) is a hit. These books have “baby” on every page, so they were an instant winner for her.
My favorite thing about the Baby Code! books is how they explain that code makes our everyday digital electronics-filled lives possible in a very simple way. Things we take for granted, like printing something off your computer screen, or taking a photo on your smartphone, all is done with code. The books explain that concept and each page includes actual code. Even though my kids don’t understand the code yet, I’m glad it’s included in the book – selfishly because I want to learn more code, but also because I believe it’s great to expose my kids to code as young as possible.
When I do the STEM for Kids activities, I know that my kids don’t really understand the science behind the activity we are doing, but I explain it anyway. I know that little by little it is sinking in and these big science words and concepts won’t seem as intimidating to them when they begin to learn about them in school. I know it is the same with code. When they hear and see code in books we are reading from a young age, the language of code will seem natural to them because they’ve known it their whole lives.
My son is four years old, so he’s a little old for the Baby Code! books. He prefers books with more words and less “baby”. But I was surprised that he sat with my daughter and I as I read all the Baby Code! books to them. He seemed to be mesmerized and interested in the books because he found the topic new and intriguing.
There is also a Girls Who Code middle grade series about a group of girlfriends in a coding club at school. While my son was a little too old for the Baby Code! books, he is still a little too young for the middle grade Girls Who Code Series. I will save these books and give them to my kids to start when they are in elementary school. Even though the books are about a group of girls, I will still give them to my son to read because I think it’s a topic he would enjoy learning about.
In the mean time, I’m planning to reading all the Girls Who Code Series books myself. Because I’m interested in learning to code and they seem cute! Also, I want to know the content and be able to answer questions when my children are ready to read the books. 🙂
Have you read any of the Girls Who Code or Baby Code books with your kids yet? Do you plan on getting any of the books to read with your children?
