Online Scratch class
for kids in Boston.
A one-month online Scratch class for Boston kids ages 8 to 10. Real computer science, arriving while your child tries to make a shark chase a diver.
$99 one time. No subscription, learn from home.
How it works
One call, then they are off.
There is no class to attend and nothing to install. Scratch runs in any browser, so your child in Boston works on their own schedule.
Start with a meet and greet
Your $99 month begins with a meet and greet with Matt. He helps set up your Hackingtons and Scratch accounts and gives your child their first assignment. If your child is not excited after the meeting, you have 48 hours to ask for a full refund, no questions asked.
Lessons that fit your child
Matt sends your child personalized lessons throughout the month, tailored to their age and ability level.
Personalized video reviews
Matt plays each finished game, then sends your child a personalized video review: what worked, and what to try next. Yes, he really plays it.
A weekly email for you
Every week you get a summary of the lessons Matt sent, the games your child built, and the feedback he gave. You stay in the loop without having to sit next to them.
Why Boston parents look online
The case for doing this from home.
Boston has a dense academic culture and no shortage of enrichment aimed at children, much of it fairly serious in tone. The reason to start a young child in Scratch is close to the opposite of serious: the first month should be about the moment a game works and a kid laughs. The computer science underneath is real, but it arrives while they are trying to make a shark chase a diver.
| Ages | 8 to 10, no prior coding experience needed |
|---|---|
| Price | $99 USD, charged once. No subscription. |
| Length | One month from the meet and greet |
| Format | Self-paced at home, plus one live meet and greet |
| Serving | Boston, MA and the surrounding area, online |
| Instructor | Matt Highland, licensed California elementary school teacher, author of Coding for Kids: Scratch |
| Software | Scratch, free and browser-based. Nothing to install. |
| What you need | A computer with a web browser and an internet connection |
| Refund | Full refund for 48 hours after the meet and greet |
The 1 month curriculum
Four games they can actually play.
Each one is a real, playable program, not an exercise. Your child in Boston can send the link to a grandparent anywhere and it works in their browser.
Butterfly Clicker
Click the butterflies and score as many points as you can.
Shark Escape
A diver, a shark, and the first game you can lose.
Maze Escape
Draw a maze, fill it with enemies, find the way out.
Flappy Bird
The one they have played a hundred times, built from nothing.
If your child is more advanced, they can work on more challenging games. More about the curriculum.
A note from Matt
“Wow, I built that.”
I started Hackingtons in 2014 in the Bay Area, and we have taught thousands of kids to code since. The part I care about most is still the first month, the moment a kid sits back and says wow, I built that.
I play every finished game myself and record a video about it, for your child in Boston the same as for a kid in our own classroom. Not an assistant, and not generated. That is the part a video tutorial cannot do.
Matt Highland
Co-founder, Hackingtons
- Licensed California public elementary school teacher
- Author of Coding for Kids: Scratch
- Teaching kids to code since 2014
Questions from Boston
The practical answers
Eight more answers, including what you need and what happens after the month, are on the main class page. Questions before booking? Email [email protected].
Ready to meet Matt, Boston?
Book the meet and greet, meet Matt, and let your child spend a month finding out that the serious stuff is also the fun stuff. The refund window runs 48 hours past that call.
Book the meet and greet, $99Full refund for 48 hours after the meet and greet, no questions asked.
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