Free virtual coding camp · August 3–7, 2026 · Ages 6–13 · Learn to code, build critical thinking skills, and finish with a real capstone project. No prior experience needed.
Register a Student →August 3rd – August 7th, 2026 (5 days of instruction)
5:00 – 6:00 PM your local time, daily
100% Virtual via Zoom — join from anywhere on Earth
Children ages 6–13, all skill levels welcome — no coding experience needed
Completely free, forever
A device with internet and a free Scratch account at scratch.mit.edu — that's it.
Instruction in English with translated materials — more languages coming with chapter leaders
Scratch lesson — backdrops, sprites, motion, sounds & events
Scratch lesson — complete foundations, introduce the capstone project
Students begin building their capstone project in teams
Q&A, interactive help, instructor check-ins, continued building
Finishing touches, then students present and showcase their projects
Our curriculum is built around Scratch — MIT's free visual coding platform — designed so any kid can start building on Day 1.
Create and customize scene backgrounds. Learn how backdrops trigger code and tell stories.
Add characters, paint your own, upload images, and animate with costume switching.
Move, turn, glide, and bounce sprites around the stage with motion blocks.
Add audio clips, control volume and pitch, layer sounds with code for rich experiences.
Use "when clicked" and "when key pressed" to make projects interactive and responsive.
Detect collisions, ask questions, use conditionals — the building blocks of real programming.
Students combine everything they've learned to build a unique interactive Scratch project — a game, story, or animation. They present it to the whole camp on Day 5.
Complete the form below to enroll your child in ProtoSpark's free summer program. We'll follow up with session details and Zoom links.
ProtoSpark's free virtual coding camp — August 3–7, 2026 · Ages 6–13 · 5 days of Scratch instruction & a capstone project.
Yes — 100% free for all students, forever. ProtoSpark is a student-led organization and our mission is to remove every financial barrier to CS education.
Children ages 6–13 are welcome. We group students by age so the content is developmentally appropriate — whether your child is 6 or 13, the experience is designed for them.
A device (computer, tablet, or Chromebook) with internet access and a free account at scratch.mit.edu. No downloads or paid software required.
Sessions run daily 5:00–6:00 PM your local time, August 3–7. All sessions are also recorded for asynchronous viewing, so if your child can't make a live session, they won't miss out. Chapter leaders run supplemental local sessions where needed.
No worries — all sessions are recorded and made available for viewing after each day. Your child can catch up at any time during the camp week, and chapter leaders can help answer questions they may have missed during the live session.
We're actively translating all curriculum into multiple languages. Chapter leaders in each country provide instruction in the local language — when you register, we'll connect you with the right chapter for your region.
The capstone is the highlight of the camp. After learning the fundamentals, students spend Days 3–5 building their own interactive Scratch project — a game, story, or animation entirely of their design. They present it to the whole camp on Day 5 and keep it forever.
None at all. The curriculum starts from zero and builds up. We've taught students as young as 6 with no prior tech experience and they finish camp with a working project.