Python Projects for Kids

Jessica Ingrassellino

• Editore: Packt Publishing
• Anno: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781782175063
• Edizione: 1
• Argomento: Computer Science
• Categoria: Programming in Python

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

About This Book

• 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.

Who This Book Is For

This book is for kids (aged 10 and over). This is book is intended for absolute beginners who lack any knowledge of computing or programming languages and want to get started in the world of programming.

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

In Detail

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.

Style and approach

The book will take a light approach in guiding the little readers through the world of Python. The main idea is to teach by example and let the readers have as much exercises to do, so that they learn faster and can apply their own ideas to the existing examples. The book should get them thinking, by the end, on where they can go next with such a powerful tool at their disposal.

Python Projects for Kids

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Table of Contents

Python Projects for Kids

Credits

About the Author

About the Reviewer

www.PacktPub.com

eBooks, discount offers, and more

Why subscribe?

Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Downloading the example code

Downloading the color images of this book

Errata

Piracy

Questions

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

Setting up your computer

For Mac and Ubuntu Linux users

Python 2.7

Terminal – the command line and the Python shell

Text editor

For Windows users

Command prompt

Text editor

Write and run your first program in the command line

Make yourself a work folder

A quick task for you

Summary

2. Variables, Functions, and Users

Variables

Naming variables – conventions to follow

What can variables remember?

Strings

Integers

Floating point numbers (floats)

Combining strings, integers, and floats

Functions

Built-in functions

Parts of a function

Users interacting with your program

Using the text editor and the command line

Build your own function – name()

Set up your project file

Begin your project

Writing code

Running your program

Going the extra mile

A quick task for you

Summary

3. Calculate This!

The calculator

Basic functions

Operations on two numbers

Convert data into numbers – int() and float()

Floating point to whole number conversion

Whole number to floating point conversion

Text strings fail in int() and float()

Creating our first calculator file

New functions – subtraction, multiplication, and division

Subtraction

Multiplication

Division

Finding a remainder – modulo

Running your program

A quick task for you

Summary

4. Making Decisions – Python Control Flows

Is it equal, not equal, or something else?

Conditional statements – if, elif, else

Getting better input

if

elif

else

Loops

while

Global variables and the quit() function

Using the quit() function

Using the while loop to control the program

for

Bonus – count_to_ten() function

A quick task for you

Summary

5. Loops and Logic

Higher or Lower

Game file set up

Importing libraries

Setting and initializing global variables

What is a Boolean?

Building the easy version

Compare numbers

play_again()

Start, stop, play again

start_game()

play_again()

Play testing

Building the hard version

Comparing numbers – the hard version

Play test the whole program!

A quick task for you

Summary

6. Working with Data – Lists and Dictionaries

Lists

Parts of a list

Working with a list

Changing the list – adding and removing information

Adding items to the list

Removing items from the list

Lists and loops

Dictionaries

Key/value pairs in dictionaries

Changing the dictionary – adding and removing information

Adding items to the dictionary

Changing the value of an existing item

Removing items from the dictionary

List or dictionary

A quick task for you

Summary

7. What's in Your Backpack?

Setting up our coding environment

Planning to program your game

Skills needed to make a program

Score, play again, or quit?

Getting and storing player information

Making a players list

Player profiles

Player profiles – how do they work?

Add players to profile

Adding items to the virtual backpack

Limiting items in a virtual backpack

Testing your code so far

A game loop

Bringing back the while loop

Comparing guesses with backpack items

Keeping score

Ending the game

Testing your game

A quick task for you

Summary

8. pygame

What is pygame?

Installing pygame

Installing pygame – Windows

Installing pygame – Mac

Installing Xcode

Installing Homebrew

Installing programs with homebrew

Installing pygame – Ubuntu Linux

Installing pygame – Raspberry Pi

pygame

Initializing pygame

Setting up the game screen – size

Setting up the game screen – color

Making stationary objects

while loop – viewing the screen

Making more shapes

Rectangle

Ellipse

Experimenting with shapes

More advanced shapes

Making moving objects

Moving objects with the keyboard

A quick task for you

Summary

9. Tiny Tennis

Introduction to game programming principles

The game plan

Creating an outline of game parts

Section 1 – imports, globals, and drawings

Importing libraries

Introducing globals

Defining a color

Adjusting the screen size

Drawing the screen

Creating screen labels

Ball – the starting location

Ball – setting the speed and direction

Ball – setting the size

Paddles – starting location and size

Initializing the score

Testing section 1

Section 2 – moving the paddles

Pre-loop actions

Creating the while loop

Moving the paddles – keyboard events

Exiting the game – escape key

Paddle control – player 1

Paddle control – player 2

The increase and decrease value (-= and +=)

Tes...