The Orthogonal Bet Linda Liukas on Teaching Kids to Code Through Play
10 snips
Oct 8, 2025 
Linda Liukas, an author and educator known for her Hello Ruby series, dives into the joy of teaching kids coding through play. She shares insights from her unique playground design in Helsinki that incorporates computer science concepts. Liukas discusses the importance of nurturing curiosity in children versus adults and the role of generative AI in cultivating questioning skills. She emphasizes storytelling, historical connections to computing, and how play and curiosity are intertwined, ultimately advocating for a deeper understanding of learning through exploration.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
How Ruby Began
- Linda first drew a doodle character, Ruby, to explain programming concepts to herself and posted it on Tumblr.
- A Kickstarter unexpectedly turned those sketches into a children's book career about computing for kids.
Punched Paper Turned Into An Internet Lesson
- In a library workshop a boy poked through his internet drawing and Linda turned it into a fiber-optic metaphor by holding the paper to light.
- The idea caught on and led to a spontaneous lesson about virality and networks.
Train Questioning Skills For Better AI Use
- Teach kids how to ask many questions to get the most from generative AI tools.
- Guide their prompts and push beyond the bland median answer the model first offers.
