Apple’s retail stores will launch free workshops next month to help kids aged 8-12 learn how to code and program robots in the recently updated Swift Playground app, as well as draw, edit video and more. The sessions will be available from July as part of the company’s “Today at Apple” classes which recently launched across Apple Stores globally.
Apple Camp, as it’s called, will kick off on July 10 and run through July 28.
The three-day program was designed to help kids broaden their creative horizons by making movies with iMovie, creating interactive books and more using Apple products.
Macworld notes “Today at Apple” offers additional sessions for children, called “Kids Hour”.
This year’s summer camps cover the following topics:
- Creating characters and composing music—Kids ages 8-12 will create their own stories through drawings and sounds. Campers will start their session by sketching characters and scenes with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, then they’ll explore the basics for composing a track using GarageBand. They’ll bring their story to life by adding vocals and finishing touches.
- Stories in motion with iMovie—Future filmmakers ages 8-12 will explore the creative process of turning their ideas into real movies. In this three-day session, Campers will learn how to brainstorm and storyboard. Then they’ll get hands-on with movie-making techniques like learning camera angles and editing with iMovie. On the final day, they’ll present their masterpieces.
- Coding games and programming robots—In this three-day session for kids ages 8-12, we’ll introduce programming through interactive play. Kids will learn visual-based coding by solving puzzles with Tynker. Then they’ll learn how to program Sphero robots, and even create fun stories starring Sphero as the main character.
Each workshop offers three 90-minute classes.
To sign up for the upcoming workshops, visit Apple’s website.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and other technology leaders met with Donald Trump earlier today, with Cook pushing the US President to make coding a requirement in schools.
Cook has long been a proponent for helping the youngsters learn coding.
“We believe coding should be a required language in all schools,” said Apple’s chief executive when his company debuted the Swift Playgrounds app last year.