Parents Jonathan and Claudia share their take on Hatch, engaged learning and the importance of recognizing the less obvious skills that after-school programs, camps and weekend programs can bring to children. With three kids, two of whom have joined us at Hatch, these parents can teach us a lot!

As busy parents of three children, we want the best for our kids when it comes to after-school activities. It’s important to us that they participate in activities that engage their interests.

Our kids are from the internet generation, but we’re not! We have both learned a lot about technology and coding since Liam and Jocelyn started with Hatch Canada. What gets us really excited is the opportunity that the team at Hatch brings - we’ve not only seen their coding skills improve, but also their creativity and problem solving skills!

Hatch for Liam
Our oldest, Liam, started teaching himself computer programming using YouTube videos and online tutorials when he was eleven. We thought this would be an appropriate interest for him to pursue if given the right instruction. Although we didn’t know much about coding, we started looking at what programs are available.

Liam was active in helping find a program that fit his interests. After showing him a few options, he thought Hatch Canada was the most interesting. In his words, most of the other programs looked like they taught skills he already had . The logic of programming really appealed to him and, as parents, we were thrilled to see him get excited.

As Liam continues to gain more skills, he is asking for bigger challenges. We are seeing him make connections and take on things that are often done by young adults several years older than himself. Hatch is helping to meet Liam’s needs by adapting their program for him with Hatch Alpha. With a week turn-around, Peter and Mina made sure he had something challenging to do so he could participate in the Google Canada Coding All-Stars event.

Jocelyn at Hatch
Our daughter, Jocelyn, started at Hatch last September. She has a different take on things. For her, it’s less about coding and problem-solving (even though she’s doing these things too) and more about the end result and what she can create. The gratification of having an idea and see her creativity come to life in front of her is what keeps Jocelyn engaged!

Beyond furthering their computer programming skills, we are proud to see both of our kids develop other skills that will help them achieve success no matter where their talents lead them. We engage our kids in other programs too, like karate. Both karate and coding give our children more than just the skill itself, both teach focus and determination and how to deal with challenges and succeed .

Project and time management skills
This is part of what made us love the program. As parents, we can see their progress through the reports that Hatch provides. We can see what projects they’ve completed and how they’re managing their time to accomplish different goals. The process and organization behind coding is remarkable and to see our kids follow that and understand that logic is part of what makes us come back.

Problem solving skills
We can see how our children’s approach to problem solving has improved.  For example, Liam thrives on a challenge in a way that many others would not. He won’t stop until he’s figured it out. He has written programs for his teachers through which he expresses his understanding of the curriculum through code.

Teamwork skills
Liam and Jocelyn are  also developing their teamwork skills by participating in the coding all-stars programs. The kids work with others to complete challenging projects at the coding all-stars. It’s great to see them collaborating with others from various backgrounds and with different skill sets.

Creativity
The creative possibilities are endless! As we mentioned, for Jocelyn, it’s all about the creative output and the finished product. Even though she approaches coding differently than her brother, she loves coding for the creative spark! Liam also envisions the challenge and the finished product. Imagining what is possible gives him fuel to learn.

The question we always ask ourselves as parents is: is there more opportunity for my children?
Technological innovation moves so quickly these days it’s hard to keep up. You would never have known 10 years ago what today would bring. We know that it’s important that our kids are computer literate.

When you consider what our kids get out of Hatch, the programs are a great value as well! Our kids are actually excited to get to their 9 a.m. class on Saturday. They’re ready and out the door at 8:30 a.m.! We’re happy to spend the money on that type of quality instruction. There’s no telling what kind of opportunities this will open up for our children!

Thanks for sharing these insights, Claudia and Jonathan!

What skills and tools do you want to see your children get out of their after-school or camp programs? Do you think coding will make a difference? We’d love to hear from you.

Hatch offers more than just teaching code. At Hatch, your children will see a new world opened to them, and learn about different opportunities for their future. Learn more about camps, weekly classes and after-school programs, and sign-up today!