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Python Projects for Kids

Chapter 1. Welcome! Let's Get Started

If you've picked up this book, then you are taking your first step toward building amazing projects using code. Some of you might want to make games, while others might want to learn more about how all of your favorite websites and apps actually work. If you follow the exercises in this book, you'll be able to do the following:

Create fun games to play with your family and friends
Learn about the inner workings of your apps
Learn how to take charge of your computer

Python projects for you

In this book, you will learn Python code. Specifically, you will learn how to design a computer program from the very beginning. It doesn't matter if you have never coded before because each exercise in this book is designed to get you ready to code. If you have coded before, you will find that this book has some really helpful exercises that can help make your code even better. Additionally, there are some more advanced projects toward the end of the book, which you should definitely take a look at!

What can you do with Python?

If you take a look at the Web and search for Python jobs, you will find that many of the highest paying jobs are in Python. Why?

Python is a very flexible and powerful language in the following ways:

It can be used in order to go through millions of lines of data
Python can search for information on a website without having to go to the website itself
It is even used to host and design websites

So, what will it take to learn Python? If you have never programmed, you will probably want to follow each lesson in order so that you can build the skills you need to make a game or another kind of computer program. The final project in this book will be a game. If you have some other programming experience, such as making modifications to your computer games, using programs such as Scratch or Logo or trying some of the free programming classes on the Internet, then you might decide to skim this book first to see what you already know. It is still recommended that you follow the contents of this book in the order they are presented, as each project builds on the projects that were explained in the previous chapter.

Why you should learn Python

Python teaches all of the basics of an object-oriented programming language, and it is still very powerful. In fact, many Internet companies, most notably Mozilla Firefox and Google, use Python in part or all of their products! Python has also been used to build Django, a free framework to make websites.

It has also been used to build many small video games by people learning about it as well as more advanced programmers. Finally, Python can be used to quickly read and analyze millions of lines of data very quickly! By learning Python, you will be prepared to build a variety of interesting projects, and you will gain the skills necessary to learn other programming languages if you choose to do so.

The prerequisites of Python

Before you get started, you need the following basic materials:

A computer that can run Windows 7 or higher, Mac OS X 10.6 or higher, or Ubuntu 12.4 or higher. You may also use a Raspberry Pi as it comes preinstalled with Python, pygame, and the other software needed to complete the projects in this book.
An Internet connection is necessary as some of the software you need to install on your computer might not be installed already. For example, Windows operating systems do not come with Python preinstalled, so an Internet connection will be needed; pygame is also not preinstalled on Windows, Mac, or Linux systems.
Along with an Internet connection, you will also need a web browser, such as Firefox, Safari, Chrome, or Internet Explorer, which will allow you to visit the Python documentation pages.

Note

All of the code samples in this book are available for download on the Packt Publishing website.

Setting up your computer

There are many different computer operating systems, but the most common operating systems are Macintosh (Mac), Windows, and Linux. You should follow the installation steps that go with your operating system. There are some subtle but important differences between the systems.

For the projects in this book, we will be using Python 2.7. While there are higher versions than this (3.x), these versions do not work dependably with pygame on Windows, Mac, or Ubuntu Linux as yet. However, this book will be written to use conventions that work in both versions of Python so that projects are easily completed on Raspberry Pi (which uses Python 3.x that's been specially configured with pygame) with just a few modifications. These modifications will be duly noted.

For Mac and Ubuntu Linux users

Mac and Linux systems share enough similarities that people who use either Mac or Linux can follow the same set of instructions. These instructions will make note of any differences between Mac and Ubuntu Linux.

Python 2.7

At the time of writing, Mac OS X El Capitan comes with Python 2.7 preinstalled, so nothing extra needs to be done at this point.

Ubuntu Linux 15.10 has Python 2.7.10 installed by default, so users of this latest (as of writing this) version of Linux also need to do nothing extra at this point.

Terminal – the command line and the Python shell

Mac and Ubuntu Linux users have Python by default, but finding Python is tricky if you don't know where to look. There is a program called Terminal on both Mac and Linux operating systems. This program allows you to exercise a lot of control over your computer in these ways:

On a Mac, go to Finder | Applications | Utilities and click on Terminal. The terminal application will open up, and you should see a small, white window on your screen.
Ubuntu users can search for terminal on their desktops, and the program will show up in their Start menu. When you click on the terminal, you will see a small, black window on your screen.
The terminal also functions as a Python shell when a command is given to run Python. We will learn about this later.

Terminal – the command line and the Python shell

Text editor

A text editor is a helpful tool for writing and editing Python programs. The terminal is a nice place to test snippets of Python code, but when we want to edit and save the code in order to use it over again, we will need a text editor. Although both Mac and Linux systems come with a text editor, there are some very nice, free editors that have good features. jEdit is one of these editors.

Note

For Mac and Linux, go to http://www.jedit.org/ and download jEdit. Follow the installation instructions.

To successfully complete all of the exercises in this book, you will often need to keep both the terminal and text editor open at the same time on your screen.

This is what the text editor application, jEdit, looks like in Mac and Linux:

For Windows users

Windows users, this setup might require help from your parents. Since Python is not installed by default on Windows, some system adjustments need to be made to successfully run Python on your computer. If you are feeling uncertain about performing these system changes yourself, make sure to ask for help:

First, you will need to download version 2.7.11 of Python.
Note
Use the official Python website for the latest releases for Windows at https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-2711/.
With Windows, you need to figure out if you are running 32-bit or 64-bit so that you can download the correct version of Python. To help you to determine which one is correct, visit
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/32-bit-and-64-bit-windows#1TC=windows-7.
Download x86only if your computer is running 32-bit Windows. Most users will download the x86-64 version of Python.
Choose the executable installer, and you will see the download progress.
When the download is complete, you will see a prompt to run Python. Click on Run.
An install prompt will come up, and when it does, look at the bottom of the window and click on the box next to Add Python 2.x to Path. Then, select Install Now.
Follow the installation instructions. Each step may take a few minutes. Once the installation is done, you will have an icon for Python 2.7.11, which you can find by searching for Python in the Windows search bar. This will open a special Python shell from where you can run and test the Python code.

Command prompt

In Windows 10, you will see a terminal called the command prompt. The command prompt is significantly different in Windows than it is on Mac or Linux.

To find the command prompt in Windows 10, perform these steps:

Go to the search bar at the bottom of the screen and search for cmd or command.
When you do, you will see the command prompt desktop app appear. Click on this app to open the command prompt, which looks like this:

Text editor

In Windows, Notepad is the default text editor. However, Notepad++ is a much better substitute.

To get Notepad++, perform these steps:

Go to https://notepad-plus-plus.org/and download the latest version.
Once the program has been downloaded, click on Run.

Notepad++ looks like this:

Write and run your first program in the command line

Now that you are set up, it is time to write your first line of code in Python! This line of code is almost a tradition for people who are programming for the first time, and it allows us to use one of the most basic, but most useful, functions in the Python language.

First, you need to start running a Python shell. On Mac or Linux, open your terminal and type this:

python

In the Mac or Ubuntu terminal, your resulting Python shell will look like this:

>>>

In Windows, type Python in the search bar at the bottom of the page. Then, select Python 2.7.11 from your apps. You will also have a Python shell open:

>>>

Once you see this symbol, your computer is now ready to work with the Python code. In your terminal or IDLE, type the following:

>>>print("Hello, world!")

Once you have typed this, double-check to make sure that all of the spaces are exactly as they've been written. In Python, every space actually matters. Every punctuation mark matters. Once you have checked your code, hit Enter.

What is your result or the output of your code? If the output looks like the following image, then great! You typed all of your code properly so the computer will understand what you want it to do. The expected output will be similar to what is shown here:

Write and run your first program in the command line

For Windows users, the output window will look like this:

So, if your output does not look like the preceding code, you need to figure out what's wrong with it. Here are some of the reasons for this:

Did you make a typing error?
Did you forget to use parenthesis or round brackets () for the words 'Hello, world!'?
Did you forget to use the ''single quotation marks for Hello, world!?

If you still have a problem, compare your code to the sample input code and fix any mistakes. Then, try to run the code again.

Note

Python is what is called a case-sensitive language. Python cares about uppercase, lowercase, and whitespace. You need to watch what you type. You might get some strange messages from your computer if you make a typing mistake or a syntax error.

Key benefits

Learn to start using Python for some simple programming tasks such as doing easy mathematical calculations.

Use logic and control loops to build a nice interesting game.

Get to grips with working with data and, once you're comfortable with that, you'll be introduced to Pygame, which will help you wrap up the book with a cool game.

Description

Kids are always the most fast-paced and enthusiastic learners, and are naturally willing to build stuff that looks like magic at the end (when it works!). Programming can be one such magic. Being able to write a program that works helps them feel they've really achieved something. Kids today are very tech-savvy and cannot wait to enter the fast-paced digital world. Because Python is one of the most popular languages and has a syntax that is quite simple to understand, even kids are eager to use it as a stepping stone to learning programming languages. This book will cover projects that are simple and fun, and teach kids how to write Python code that works. The book will teach the basics of Python programming, installation, and so on and then will move on to projects. A total of three projects, with each and every step explained carefully, without any assumption of previous experience.

What you will learn

Start fiddling with Python s variables, build functions and interact with users

Build your own calculator using the Math Library

Train Python to make logical decisions

Work with moving 2D objects on-screen

Understand the Pygame Library and build your very own game!

Write a cool program to manage inventories in your backpack

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Frequently bought together

Raspberry Pi Projects for Kids (Second Edition)

€20.99

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Total € 71.97

Angie Jones Nov 30, 2016

Great starter book for learning Python! I love the fun exercises and also the summary questions throughout. Nicely written and easy to follow.

Amazon Verified review

Amazon Customer Jul 17, 2016

This book is for kids 10 and up who have no programming experience, and I feel this would not be a good book to give the average kid if they have never programmed before, because this probably will not make them want to learn or be interested (because it is very verbose and the tone resembles a textbook 99% of the time). I think it would may be perfect for someone who is already interested, and wants to learn another programming language, because they can skim through it rather quickly and pick up the key parts to the language, since many languages share a lot of similar things (like if statements and while loops, etc.)Also take a look at raspberry pi books/tutorials.The activities included are a build a terminal based calculator, make a terminal based number guessing game, create a two player terminal game by guessing what's in each other's backpack (this is where I stopped), a pygame activity (graphical) that looks a lot like the game pong.I am a college student who wanted to learn a new language an I had access to this book through my library, so I said why not? I have been programming in Java, and thought I would go through this book to learn the basic syntax of the Python language. It was perfect for what I needed it for.

Mike Driscoll Jun 24, 2016

To be completely transparent, Packt Publishing sent me a review copy of this book.First off, I didn't actually read every single word in this book. I call this the skimming review method. Personally I prefer to read a book at my own pace and review it accordingly, however I have been asked repeatedly by Packt to finish this review so this is what you get. My first impression was that this book would teach youngsters how to program in Python by creating mini-games. However we don't really get into games until chapter 5. We don't learn anything about pygame until chapter 8. Let's go over each chapter and see what they're about before I really dig in thoughChapter one is your basic intro to what Python is and how to install it. The author chose to use Python 2.7 for this book over Python 3. The rest of the chapter is about creating a "Hello World" application and a work folder.Chapter two is about variables and functions. This chapter is pretty brief, but I thought it covered the topics well enough. The biggest thing it does is explaining to the reader how to create a function and save it to a file.For chapter three, we actually get to create a calculator of sorts. It's text-based only and doesn't really do anything to handle bad inputs from the user. In fact, one big knock against this book is that it doesn't talk about exception handling at all. I also have a couple of problems with this chapter. I believe that page 34 is showing the wrong screenshot as the accompanying text is talking about casting from one type to another while the screenshot doesn't show any kind of casting whatsoever. The other issue is that on page 41, the text states that you can run the script as written in the book. However I don't see anything in the code that actually calls any of the functions, so if you run this code, you will get nothing outputted to the terminal.Chapter four is all about conditional statements and loops. The purpose of this chapter is to enhance the calculator application you wrote in the previous chapter such that it keeps running until the user asks it to quit.In chapter five, we learn how to create easy and hard levels for our game. The game is the "Higher or Lower" game. You will learn about what a Boolean is, how to import a library, and global variables.Chapter six dives into some of Python's more interesting data types, the list and dictionary. The premise of this chapter is to teach the reader how to store data. While I agree that lists and dictionaries are a good format, I wonder if learning about pickle, json or yaml might have been good to learn about here too. Admittedly, I don't think this book talks about File I/O, so those topics are probably considered to be out of scope.For chapter seven, the reader learns how to create a two player game that the author dubs "What's in Your Backpack?" This chapter helps the reader layout a game that can keep score, restart the game or stop the game. You will also learn how to create a player profile, which is formatted as a dict. This seems like a good place to use a class to me, especially if we're going to be using pygame in the next chapter, but I realize the target audience is supposed to be kids. Anyway, you will also get to add items to a virtual backpack, which is kind of fun to learn the author's implementation.We finally reach pygame in chapter eight where you learn how to install pygame. You will also learn how to set up the screen size and color as well as create stationary and moving objects.Chapter nine builds on chapter eight by teaching the reader how to create a tennis game (i.e. pong). It introduces the reader to the concepts of game programming and how to outline your project before coding it. This chapter is actually split into four sections after this point. The first section basically creates all the pieces of the game that you will need. Section two will teach you how to move the paddles and section three will teach you how to move the ball. Section four is about how to run the game and keep score.The final chapter encourages the readers to keep coding! The text tells its readers where to go from here. For example, it talks about how they will need to learn about classes and objects to promote code reuse. It also mentions that you can add music and graphics with pygame. Then it talks about redesigning your game or trying to create your own versions of classic games. Finally it talks about other uses and libraries for Python, such as SciPy, iPython, and MatPlotLib.When I first heard about this book, I immediately thought of Jason Briggs' book, <a href="http://amzn.to/293Q6Ye" target="_blank">Python for Kids</a> and the Sande's book, <a href="http://amzn.to/291PDHo" target="_blank">Hello World!: Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners</a>. Both of these books are longer and contain a lot more information than "Python Projects for Kids" does. I personally think that of the three, I would choose the Sande book as the easiest for kids to get into. Briggs covers a lot more interesting topics, but he may go just a tad too fast depending on the child. As for "Python Projects for Kids", I feel like there are too many items that aren't covered (classes, exceptions, many Python data constructs, etc). It also feels like pygame itself isn't really covered. There seemed to be a big build up to get to pygame and then there just wasn't much content when we finally got there.If I were to lay out a strategy for learning Python for children, I would start with Sande and then if the child wanted to learn about games, I would move on to Sweigart's books on creating games with Python (<a href="http://amzn.to/28RS7pa" target="_blank">Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python</a> and <a href="http://amzn.to/293SL46" target="_blank">Making Games with Python & Pygame</a>. Then I might move onto something else, like some of the Python for Minecraft books.As for this book, I just don't know where it would fit. I believe it was written well but needed some additional polish to push to the top of the heap.

Amazon Customer Oct 24, 2016

I am currently using this book to teach middle and high school students to program in Python. I love the organization and flow of the book, but will not use it for my class next school year, as it is riddled with errors. Also, the programming assignment in Chapter 7, What's in Your Backpack?, is totally inappropriate for beginning Python students.

Simon May 27, 2017

There are plenty of better books, With this one you will need to download: Xcode (which needs additional files); Quartz, and homebrew, if you wish to use pygame. I did download them and the terminal no longer works properly leaving me in a further stew. Personally I have never found a Packt book any good, and hope you will fair better as I am sure some people probably do. I for one will have to count the cost of buy from them more than once! I asked Packt for some help and after a week and a half I finally told them where to go. God help the children learning Python!

Python Projects for Kids: Unleash Python and take your small readers on an adventurous ride through the world of programming

What do you get with Print?

Python Projects for Kids

Chapter 1. Welcome! Let's Get Started

Python projects for you

What can you do with Python?

Why you should learn Python

The prerequisites of Python

Note

Setting up your computer

For Mac and Ubuntu Linux users

Python 2.7

Terminal – the command line and the Python shell

Text editor

Note

For Windows users

Note

Command prompt

Text editor

Write and run your first program in the command line

Note

Make yourself a work folder

A quick task for you

Note

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Python Projects for Kids: Unleash Python and take your small readers on an adventurous ride through the world of programming

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What can you do with Python?

Why you should learn Python

For Mac and Ubuntu Linux users

Python 2.7

Terminal – the command line and the Python shell

Text editor

Note

For Windows users

Note

Command prompt

Text editor

Key benefits

Description

Who is this book for?

What you will learn

Product Details

What do you get with Print?

Contact Details

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