Google's in-house start-up incubator Area 120 has released an app called Grasshopper that teaches the basics of how to code JavaScript through a series of mini-games. The app is designed to tutor people who have never coded before and make programming fun and approachable to beginners. It believes that coding is increasingly becoming a necessary skill and should be known to everyone.

Details The app contains simple challenges, quizzes and puzzles

Log in with your Google account and walk through some definitions of coding. To get the hang of basic JavaScript, students solve simple challenges, quizzes, and puzzles that keep getting more difficult as you progress. You can take a couple of lessons every day at your own time and pace and set practice reminders so that you keep in touch with the new skill.

Procedure The app has three sets of lessons

The app starts with "The Fundamentals" that includes functions, variables, strings for loops, arrays, conditionals, operators, and objects. Later, the lessons involve complex functions, animations, and drawing shapes using the well-known D3 library. At the end, the app recommends Coursera classes you can take to learn more about coding and also offers an online playground where you can make your own interactive animations.

Information Track you progress and achievements on the app

It also features reward-based achievements, progress indicators, and coding streaks where you can track how many JavaScript keys you've used so far and how many concepts you have unlocked. The app is named after programming pioneer Grace Hopper.

Do you know? What is Area 120?