Each Year during Computer Science Education Week, students all around the world participate in the Hour of Code. We at the Central Islip Public Library have proudly been participating in Hour of Code for the past three years, and can gladly say we’ve completed another successful go at it!

Hour of Code began as a one-hour coding challenge, allowing students the opportunity to explore computer science, and has since become a global learning and celebration event. Computer science is changing every industry on the planet, and we believe every student should have the opportunity to build their technological skills.

This year, our Hour of Code took place on December 12, 2023. Each student who attended coded their own 3D T-Rex video game. This activity introduced children to the concept of block coding, which focuses on teaching coding using visual methods. With this style of coding, kids simply click the different blocks of code and drag them together. This visual representation of programming is a powerful learning tool to show how different elements of coding work together, and is great for beginners. Upon completion of this year’s Hour of Code, all the children who participated were able to successfully code using the block coding method!

We at the Central Islip Public Library are huge supporters of STEM education and encourage all of our patrons to explore coding by checking out code.org. Code.org is not only the sponsor of Hour of Code, but is also a non-profit organization and educational website that offers free coding lessons for both learners and educators. Creating an account is 100% free, and is the first step to building your skillset. Explore hundreds of activities, or click the link below to build your own 3D T-Rex Game like we did at our Hour of Code this year.

Create Your Own 3D T-Rex Game: https://hourofcode.com/hatchxrtrex

To sign up for other STEM programs at the library, check out our Calendar of Events.