“But Mom,” the most common response to “Put that game down and do something.”
Enter the GrowaGen Labs path way of Kick “But” Coding, a chance to learn to code by creating meaningful programs that transform your community and make a difference in the world.
Help your favorite young person become a creator of games, not just a consumer. Begin today on the path to earn the Scratch Animator Black Belt. Invite your learners to make animations that celebrate family, national and world history, then partner with a local historical society or museum and create a digital artifact celebrating an object that brings history to life. Meaningful projects steer them through earning a virtual black belt in Scratch Animation. They will learn at each step of the way one or two more concepts in Scratch Programming, 3D animation, and mathematics. Online tutorials, encouraging online coaches, help videos, and sample projects are provided. Certificates and an online portfolio are awarded to those who succeed in this quest. 
Kids as young as 2nd grade have enjoyed learning this drag and drop programming language and these innovative kid-narrated tutorials. You can register as a home lab and invite siblings and friends to learn with your child, or as a community or classroom lab.
Begin training with all resources to earn a white belt for only $10.
Access to the internet is needed. Scratch is a free download.
Open Door to Register
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a GrowaGen Lab?
You become a designated GrowaGen Lab when you enroll your home, classroom, or afterschool club in any of the lab programs. You put your community of learners on the map as a 21st century skill building lab. Challenge your group of learners to meaningful projects in Game Design, Robotics, Engineering, and Leadership. Receive from the Grow a Generation community online tutorials, resources and support! Read more…
Is there a GrowaGen Lab near me?
We are developing a Wiki community, but for now access to other Labs is limited to invitation. Fell free to email [email protected] and I’ll can reach out to neighboring labs to see if they wish to connect.
What is a Scratch Programming?
DOWNLOAD SCRATCH 1.4 TO YOUR COMPUTER OR PLAY WITH SCRATCH 2.0 ONLINE
Scratch is a programming language and an online community where children can program and share interactive media such as stories, games, and animation with people from all over the world. As children create with Scratch, they learn to think creatively, work collaboratively, and reason systematically. Scratch is designed and maintained by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab.
While Scratch is primarily designed for 8 to 16 year olds, it is also used by people of all ages, including younger children with their parents. The Scratch Animator White Belt uses Scratch 1.4. Scratch 2.0 is introduced with the Brown Belt.
Who can attend?
Kids as young as eight and as old as seventy-eight. By enrolling your lab, you receive access to the tutorials and on call help. These tutorials can be used by an individual child, a small group collaborating in your home, or larger groups operating out of a classroom or after school game design club. In The Home Labs can earn an online portfolio to display your creations and badges earned. Grow a Generation will offer support to classroom teachers and after school clubs to generate similar portfolios for all of your students.
What is a Virtual White Belt?
In the home labs will receive the option to print out certificates and receive online portfolios for up to three students with Grow a Generation badges. Classroom teachers and after school coaches will also receive the certificates they can print for each student, templates to create an online spreadsheet to track student progression and award Grow a Generation badges, and templates and instructions to create OBI Badges.
White Belt Rubrics
The Scratch 1.4 animated card clearly celebrates a holiday. |
The card includes a background from the Scratch Library |
The card includes two sprites from the Scratch Libraries. |
The card includes a custom made text sprite with correct spelling. |
The Green Flag resets the sprites to their correct positions before starting the animation. |
The glide motion stack block is correctly used. |
Scripts are all working, well designed, logical, efficient, cleaned up and commented on. |
The animated card uploaded correctly and was sent to Grow a Generation for review. |
What if I already know how to program in Scratch?
Send [email protected] a link to your most complex Scratch creation, and we will place you in the appropriate belt level.
How Much?
Only $10 gives you access to the online tutorials to earn the Scratch Animation White Belt, up to one hour of free consultation with an online coach, and virtual badges to celebrate your achievement. Additional belts can be accessed through future labs.
How many students are allowed to access the resources?
There is no maximum. One registration enables you, the parent, the coach, or the classroom teacher, to use the tutorials as you see fit.
Who are the teachers?
Dr. Ellen Cavanaugh is the CEO of Grow a Generation, LLC, the Director of the Baden Academy Media Lab and Beaver County STEM with experience coaching and teaching robotics and game design with thirty years’ experience challenging youth to make a difference in the world. StormC is an extraordinary gifted tween with a passion for Scratch Programming and Game Design. He has been part of the Scratch community for four years and contributes to the Scratch Wiki.
Open Door to Register
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