YOUTH PROGRAMMATIC THINKING | GRADES 3–6
Scratch Coding Classes
for Kids
Students in grades 3–6 explore the fundamentals of coding through hands-on Scratch programming classes at Saint Paul College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
WHAT IS SCRATCH?
Learn to Code
by Creating.
Scratch is a visual programming language designed to help young learners understand the building blocks of coding without having to start by writing complex lines of code.
Instead, students use colorful coding blocks to create their own interactive projects, including games, animations, stories, and other digital experiences. As they build, they begin learning how programmers think: breaking ideas into steps, testing what works, solving problems, and making changes when something doesn't work the way they expected.
BUILD
Create Something of Their Own
Students create games, animations, stories, and interactive projects while learning how individual coding instructions work together.
THINK
Develop Problem-Solving Skills
Students practice logic, sequencing, computational thinking, and breaking larger ideas into smaller, manageable steps.
TEST
Experiment and Debug
Students learn through experimentation and begin figuring out why something works, why it doesn't, and what they can change to solve the problem.
GROW
Build a Coding Foundation
Scratch introduces programming concepts students can continue building on as they become ready for text-based programming languages such as Python.
WHAT STUDENTS LEARN
The Building Blocks of Programming
Students begin developing an understanding of core programming concepts while putting those concepts into practice through their own projects.
MORE THAN CODING BLOCKS
From using technology to understanding how it's built.
Scratch gives students an accessible way to begin understanding the logic behind technology. The goal is to help them move from simply using games and digital experiences to beginning to understand how those experiences are created.
MORE THAN A CODING CLASS
A First Step Toward
What's Possible.
Your child may start by building a game in Scratch. But what they're really beginning to build is an understanding of technology—and a vision for where those skills could eventually take them.
BDPA Twin Cities provides this learning opportunity at no cost to participating families because early access to technology education can change what a young person believes is possible for their future.
Learn from Technology Professionals
Students learn with experienced technology professionals who bring real-world knowledge into the classroom and help students connect what they're learning to the world beyond it.
Learn on a College Campus
Through our partnership with Saint Paul College, students learn in a college environment. That experience is intentional: we want young people to begin seeing themselves in these classrooms, pursuing higher education, and building careers in technology.
Start Building Skills Early
Scratch introduces students to logic, computational thinking, problem-solving, and programming concepts they can continue building through Python, high school technology education, college, and eventually the workforce.
WHERE CAN TECHNOLOGY TAKE THEM?
Coding is a skill. Technology is a world of possibilities.
The concepts students begin exploring today can become the foundation for careers that shape nearly every part of modern life. Technology professionals are building systems, protecting information, analyzing data, developing artificial intelligence, creating digital products, improving healthcare, supporting government, advancing businesses, and solving problems we haven't encountered yet.
WHY BDPA TWIN CITIES?
We're helping grow the next generation of technology talent right here in Minnesota.
Technology will continue changing how we work, communicate, learn, build businesses, deliver healthcare, serve communities, and solve complex problems. Young people shouldn't have to wait until college to discover that they can be part of that future.
BDPA Twin Cities gives students an opportunity to begin earlier—to experience technology, learn from people working in the field, build real skills, and start imagining themselves as the people who will create what comes next.
YOUR TECHNOLOGY JOURNEY
Your Learning Doesn't Stop Here.
Scratch is just the beginning. BDPA Twin Cities offers additional opportunities for students to build their technology skills, explore new challenges, and continue learning as they grow.
CONTINUE CODING
Explore Python Coding Classes
Ready to move beyond visual programming? Python introduces students to text-based coding, where they begin writing real code, strengthening their problem-solving skills, and learning how software works.
ADVANCE YOUR SKILLS
Discover the High School Technology Program
BDPA Twin Cities' High School Technology Program provides opportunities for students to continue developing their technical knowledge through progressive levels of technology education. Explore the program and discover where your learning can take you next.
From the classroom to the boardroom. Every new skill creates another opportunity to learn, explore, and grow with BDPA Twin Cities.