"Today our girl scout troop enjoyed 1½ hour coding session in the children’s library meeting room. The librarians were super helpful—Mrs. Kathy and Miss Michelle were knowledgeable and engaging. We earned an important badge and look forward to coming back soon! Thank you for having us!"
–Susan, Lake Forest Library patron.
STEAM, which includes skills in science, technology, engineering, art, and math, is increasingly valuable and necessary in society. Libraries are uniquely positioned to provide STEAM learning opportunities because librarians can go beyond the standard school curriculum, library classes can often be smaller and cater to the needs of the participants, and the less pressured nature of after-school programs means that learning can often be more accessible and enjoyable. Recognizing the growing importance of technology literacy, Catherine Lemmer, the Library Director, made coding classes and STEAM programs a priority for the Youth Services department beginning in the fall of 2017.
The Children’s Library surveyed the community and confirmed that there was interest in providing Lake Forest youth with opportunities to learn coding at the Library. Librarians launched the acclaimed Girls Who Code program in the spring of 2018 with more than 20 participants. Girls Who Code seeks to close the gender gap in technology and create a “pipeline of future female engineers.” Participants in the Library program learned about women in computer science and completed coding projects centered around issues of social justice and activism.
The success of Girls Who Code for grades 3–8 (as well as a special Girl Scouts Who Code session for a local troop) encouraged the Librarians to expand coding classes, and they have offered a variety of experiences including:
- Writing and animating stories during Coding Club Junior for Grades 3–5 and Coding Club for Grades 5–8
- Multi-day Teen Coding Club for Grades 5–12 where teens built racing and platform jumping video games coded their way out of disaster scenarios, and mixed songs and animated music videos
- Turning basic Raspberry Pi computers into retro video game consoles during Retro Raspberry Pi for Ages 13+
- Virtual challenges during the pandemic stay-at-home orders including Code @ Home for Grades 5–12 (weekly challenges with small-group check-ins over Zoom) and Hour of Code for Grades 5–12 (an international initiative to demystify code and show that anyone can learn the basics)
- Languages including Scratch, JavaScript, Swift, Python, and HTML/CSS; curricula/software including Girls Who Code, Google’s CS First, and Kodable; devices including laptops, Raspberry Pis, and Amazon Fire tablets
Parents and caregivers recognize that learning these 21st-century skills prepares their children for success in grades 3–5, middle school, and beyond. Our Librarians agree that even toddlers can benefit from learning the most basic concepts of coding, such as sequencing steps. In March 2020 (delayed until March 2021 due to the pandemic), the Library expanded to our youngest coding patrons with Beginner Coders for grades K–2 using offline activities and kid-friendly Amazon Fire tablets with Kodable software.
Kodable features cute little fuzzball characters that students can build and then send through various worlds and challenges by solving puzzles and mazes.
Elementary Coders for grades 3–5 is also currently offered, and sometimes siblings are learning to code in two different classes at the Library in the same season!
Exploration Kits with activities and books on STEAM and coding are also available for families to borrow and use at home. Kits include Code & Go Robot Mouse, Bee-Bot Programmable Robot, Coding Critters, Learn to Code File Folders, Let’s Go Code, Robot Turtles, and more, and all are a great hands-on way to learn how to code without additional screen time. The circulating Exploration Kits are located near the elevator in the Children’s Library in easy-to-travel backpacks and are searchable in the library catalog.
The hallmark of a successful Library program is when a patron is inspired to take their experience to the next level. Multiple caregivers have shared with our librarians: “My child loved the coding class at the Library so much that they are now doing advanced coding classes on their own.” Library programs are a launchpad for patrons to discover new interests and skills.