Overall, I though Swift Playgrounds’s Learn to Code program was a great way to learn the basics of swift coding. Compared to Scratch, Swift feels much more real, and I understand some of the key concepts much better after completing Learn to Code 1. 

I enjoyed learning about For Loops, because I found that the challenges were quite colorful and it was something about the combination of having multiple tools that real coders use finally in my belt, and the fact that I could make something happen for a long period of time without having to write forever was a great feeling.

Around the Logical Operators stage the code became difficult, and by Algorithms I was really having to work much harder on the code. Going into Learn to Code I never expected it to be easy, but it had been, and all of a sudden it was hard. That was the hardest thing about Learn to Code 1 for me. All of a sudden things became complicated, and I wasn’t ready.

Don’t let Swift Playgrounds’s  game-like atmosphere and cute characters fool you. They are teaching real coding concepts, and the fact that it feels like an fun game is definitely a bonus. Even in Learn to Code 1 there are difficult challenges that set you up for Learn to Code 2, other activities and beyond. I would rate Learn to Code 1  four and a half stars, because I felt that it was not only a great way to get your feet wet, but to also wade out into the shallows of coding.