What KIDS are saying about Scratch:
"I've found a great site called Scratch. It's about programming. You snap together blocks to create stories, games and animations. Then you can share your projects on the web!!! You can download it for free! But you have to become a member to share your projects. But membership is free as well!"
- Mick, age 10

"My 8-year-old brother and I have been active participants of the Scratch Online Community for over a year. I enjoy designing and programming games and animations with other kids, because different people have different skills, and when you work together, you can build a much better project than you can alone...
What I really like about Scratch is the way it's possible for young kids to create interesting projects, but it's also complex enough that even adults who know many other programming languages still enjoy participating. It reminds me of some trees near our library that are always full of kids -- they have thick branches close to the ground, so that even 2-year-olds can enjoy climbing in them, but it's also interesting enough or older kids to climb. The Scratch Community, like the trees, is always full of groups of people of all ages having fun."
- Diana, age 13

"I got Scratch, started playing with it, and have been unable to stop since! Scratch is one of the most fun things I have ever tried!"
- Scratch member, age 14

"When I had first seen Scratch, I had no idea what it was, so I just moved along. But then I went back to Scratch a few more times, and I found out that it was programmed by a normal person like me! When I figured out that I could make games like that, I decided to give Scratch a try... and at my first sight, I knew I had found the programmer I had been looking for!"
- Joseph, age 13

"Making games is something I've always thought would be fun, but I didn't want a really complex programming language. In the beginning, even Scratch seemed complex, but after sticking with it for a while, I've been able to make some amazing games. And the fact that you can share projects so easily makes it even better. Scratch is awesome!"
- Scratch member, age 17

 "Using a set of about 100 commands that can be snapped together visually, you can create just about anything and learn the fundamentals of more advanced languages. In addition, there's a whole community of people online who will give you feedback on our projects, and gladly help you with your questions."
- Scratch member, age 14

What PARENTS are saying about Scratch:
"My two children were immediately hooked. Scratch allows kids to program by 'stacking' commands like LEGO blocks. Instead of reactively playing video games -- now they can create them! They are learning programming and logic flows without knowing it. The boys learned about random number generators and they learned about XY axes. If I sat them down to go over these concepts, there would have been eye-rolling and moaning. But if it helps them make their game work better -- it takes a minute to explain and off they go using their newly-learned concepts."
- Lucinda, parent

"I was looking for something for my 8 year-old to start programming with and this is just perfect."
- Justin B., parent

 "As a parent, I just want to say how impressed I am by Scratch. I'm trying to redirect my 9 year old son's energies from playing games, to learning more by making them...Scratch just takes all the irrelevant clutter away so that kids have the shortest distance between their concepts and accomplishing them, with the accompanying immediate gratification they are so used to these days. This leaves little opportunity for them to become frustrated and lose interest. Simply brilliant, because it's brilliantly simple."
- Jonathan A., parent

What EDUCATORS are saying about Scratch:
"Scratch is effective as a learning tool because it incorporates several effective practices: it uses hands-on, active learning; it is visually appealing; it allows users to express their own creativity and to build on their own experiences; it gives immediate, understandable feedback; and it allows users to avoid syntax errors without focusing on minutiae, freeing them to focus on processes and concepts."
- Lecia Barker, National Center for Women & Information Technology

 "There is a buzz in the room when the kids get going on Scratch projects. Students set design goals for their projects and problem-solve to fix program bugs. They collaborate, cooperate, co-teach. They appreciate the power that Scratch gives them to create their own versions of games and animations."
- Karen R., teacher, St. Paul, MN

 "Tell a story, bounce a ball, make an interactive scrapbook, take a multimedia birthday card, draw an ever-changing picture, create a book report presentation, explain physics or explain how to tie a shoe. It's possible. It's within your grasp."
- Teacher, Houston, TX

"Although designed for a younger audience, we've deployed Scratch at the undergraduate level in introductory computer science courses at Harvard College, Harvard Summer School, and Harvard Extension School. In our view, Scratch lowers the bar to programming, empowering first-time programmers not only to master programmatic constructs before syntax but also to focus on problems of logic before syntax. At the undergraduate level, then we view Scratch as a gateway for students to languages like Java."
- David M., Computer Science Instructor, Cambridge, MA