Teenagers writing Python on laptops at LCCL

HOLIDAY CAMP · OCT 2026 · AGES 12–18

Five mornings from a blank file to a program that runs.

In-person at Orchard Road · From $570

Oct 12–16 Oct 19–23

See what they'll write ↓

2012

EST

3,000+

KIDS TAUGHT

92%

CONTINUE

YEARS

WHY PYTHON, WHY NOW

Your teen has used software every day of their life. None of it was theirs.

Somewhere around 12, block-based coding stops being enough. They want to know what the real thing looks like, and the real thing is a file of instructions they type, run, break and fix.

Python is where that starts. It's the language universities teach first and the one most data and AI work is written in. It's also readable enough that a teenager can write a working program in a single morning, which is what this week is for.

5 DAYS · AGES 12–18 · NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED

THE WEEK

What they write each day.

DAY 1

A program that runs

By the end of the first morning they have an editor open, a file saved and code running. Variables, text, numbers and output. They spend most of Day 1 typing rather than watching, because the fastest way past "I can't code" is a program that works.

DAY 2

Decisions and repetition

Conditionals and loops are the two ideas that turn a list of instructions into something that responds. They build a guessing game that keeps asking until the player gets it right, then make it harder.

DAY 3

Functions and structure

How to write code someone else can read: functions, sensible names, work split into parts. This is the difference between following a tutorial and writing your own program.

DAY 4

Their own project

They pick what to build and start building it. Lists and data to hold what the program knows, and their first real debugging, where they read the error, find the line and fix it themselves.

DAY 5

Finish it and show it

Last features in, bugs out, then they run their program for the group and explain how it works. A teenager will let a project drift for weeks. A demo in front of the room on Friday is harder to ignore.

WHAT PARENTS ASK

"My teen has never written a line of code."

Then the week is built for them. Day 1 assumes nothing: they open an editor, type their first line, and have something running before the morning is out. Arriving with no background is not a disadvantage here, and there is nothing half-learned to undo.

"They've already done Scratch, or some Python on YouTube."

Tell us when you book and we'll check where they actually are on Day 1. Students work at their own pace in the same room, so one teen can be writing their first loop while another is refactoring a project. Nobody sits through material they've already got.

"Can they really learn a language in five mornings?"

No, and we won't claim it. Fifteen hours gets them to the point where they can write a small working program, read an error message, and keep going on their own. That's the honest outcome. Fluency comes from what they do after, which is why Day 5 sends them home with something to extend.

"What do they need to bring?"

Their own laptop and earphones. We'll send setup instructions after you book so the software is ready before Day 1 and they start the morning writing code instead of installing it.

"What’s the cancellation policy?"

No cash refunds. You can reschedule to another camp week in the same holiday season, subject to seat availability. Bookings are non-transferable to another family. If your child misses a day, they can replace it during another week of the same camp. See our Terms of Sale.

They come home with code they wrote.

Working Python files they can open, run and change after the camp ends, plus the habit of reading an error instead of giving up at one. Ask them to walk you through their project.

OCT 2026 HOLIDAYS