PBS KIDS ScratchJr Code-to-Learn Camps are a five-day sequence of activities to introduce children to creative coding by giving them the opportunity to create their own stories, games, and collages with the PBS KIDS ScratchJr tablet app.

ScratchJr engages young children in building foundational knowledge structures that apply to most academic domains, and are particularly important for developing both early literacy and early mathematics. Most specifically, there is a focus on sequencing, causality, classification, composition, symbols, patterns, estimation and prediction. ScratchJr’s computational platform also introduces more advanced concepts such as variables and randomness in mathematics, and the emphasis on narrative structure in literacy.

In the process of designing and programming interactive multimedia projects with ScratchJr, children engage in a set of problem-solving skills: 1) identification of a goal; 2) formulation of a plan; 3) development of an initial attempt at meeting the goal; 4) testing, evaluating, and sharing outcomes; 5) debugging, editing, and revising the initial attempt based on feedback. These skills involve the development of capacities that apply to most academic domains and are facilitated by the computational nature and designed- based approach supported by ScratchJr.