Hopscotch Top Creators: meet DarthPumpkin

Hopscotch
Hopscotch Blog
Published in
4 min readJul 1, 2020

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Please meet DarthPumpkin, a very talented Hopscotcher and a leader on our forum. In 2017 she wrote us such a sweet letter that we have it put on the office wall here at Team Hopscotch HQ to remind us of what we’re trying to accomplish.

DarthPumpkin started using Hopscotch in 2014 and since then has created over 2823 projects! You can check some of the best below:

Easter project
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
Halloween project
Pancake maker!

Here’s what we’ve learned from DarthPumpkin:

Hopscotch: Can you tell us about your first experience with Hopscotch? How did you learn about it?

DarthPumpkin: I found Hopscotch one day on the App Store, gave it a try, and loved it.

It was certainly very challenging at first- but I soon learned how everything worked.

I’ve used Hopscotch on and off now for years-and back here coding on Hopscotch after starting nearly six years ago!

Hopscotch: What do you like best about Hopscotch?

DarthPumpkin: I like that I can create anything, no boundaries, and no limitations- apart from my own creativity! I’ve made so many different types of projects, and I feel with everyone I learn more about Hopscotch- and myself!

I also really like how when I’m coding on Hopscotch, anything stressful that’s on my mind just melts away- as I pour all my focus into the projects.

Hopscotch: What helped you the most in learning to code in Hopscotch? (Videos, other kids’ projects, something else?)

DarthPumpkin: Looking at other projects and other code!

For any project I liked playing- I could look at the code and simply figure out how it worked. I could use this method to figure out how all the blocks worked- and then create my own projects.

The more I played and created- the more and more I’d learn!

Hopscotch: Are there Hopscotch creators that inspire you?

DarthPumpkin: Of course! and the simple answer of who.. is well everyone- all hopscotch creators!

I see so many different types of projects every time I open the app- all so creative and complex. I wonder without Hopscotch, if any of these people would have discovered and embraced their creativity and talent- so that’s what I find most inspiring, how everyone can uncover these talents regardless of who they are, where they’re from or their background.

Hopscotch: What is a project you made that you are really proud of?

DarthPumpkin: I think I’d have to choose my “Practice makes Perfect” project.

Practice makes Perfect

It’s far from my most complex or creative- and it’s pretty old- but I think it perfectly encapsulates my journey on Hopscotch. I don’t think my projects have necessarily gotten better with more experience here- but they’ve certainly changed and developed- and I think this project nicely demonstrates that. Practice certainly does help!

Hopscotch: What advice would you give to kids just starting out in Hopscotch?

DarthPumpkin: Just to give it a go, it’s going to be tough in the beginning- but then absolutely everything is! You’ll learn so much with every hopscotch block you place or project you play- and you’ll be discovering your potential along the way!

Hopscotch can also help you uncover a whole range of talents- that could remain hidden otherwise!

And it can also give you quite the head start in some areas of the school- like maths! Plus it’ll help you to understand some basic foundations of coding- and become an excellent problem solver!

Thank you DarthPumplkin!

If you enjoyed this interview — come back for more next week!

Don’t have the app yet? Download Hopscotch in the App Store for your iPad and iPhone today!

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