**Course Title:** Introduction to Programming with Scratch **Section Title:** Loops and Conditionals **Topic:** Introduction to loops: Repeat and forever blocks. Now that you have a solid foundation in basic programming concepts, including sequencing and event-driven programming, it's time to learn about loops in Scratch. Loops are fundamental to programming, allowing you to repeat actions, reducing the need for repetitive code and making your programs more efficient. **What are loops?** In programming, a loop is a statement that repeats a block of code as many times as specified. Loops can execute the same code over and over, saving you time and effort. In Scratch, you'll work with two types of loops: Repeat and Forever blocks. **Repeat Blocks:** The Repeat block (located in the Control category) executes a sequence of blocks a specified number of times. Think of it like a "repeat" button that allows you to loop a set of instructions. Here's a step-by-step example: * Create a new Scratch project and add a sprite. Name your sprite "Dancer." * Add a Costume to your sprite (you can upload your own or use one from the library). * Go to the Scripts tab and add a Repeat block. * Set the Repeat block to repeat 5 times. * Inside the Repeat block, add a Move block and set it to 10 steps. * Add a Turn block and set it to 15 degrees. Your script should look like this: ``` when flag clicked repeat [5] times move [10] steps turn [15] degrees ``` When you run the script, your sprite will move 10 steps and turn 15 degrees, repeating this sequence 5 times. **Forever Blocks:** The Forever block (located in the Control category) executes a sequence of blocks indefinitely, until the program is stopped. Here's an example: * Create a new Scratch project and add a sprite. Name your sprite "Bubbler." * Go to the Scripts tab and add a Forever block. * Inside the Forever block, add a Change size block and set it to increase by 10%. * Add a Wait block and set it to 1 second. Your script should look like this: ``` when flag clicked forever change size by [10] wait [1] seconds ``` When you run the script, your sprite will continuously increase in size and wait 1 second before repeating the action. **Practical Takeaways:** * Loops can execute a block of code multiple times, saving you time and effort. * Repeat blocks execute a sequence of blocks a specified number of times. * Forever blocks execute a sequence of blocks indefinitely, until the program is stopped. * Use loops to create animations, simulations, and interactive stories. **Activity:** Try creating a simple animation using the Repeat block. Can you make a sprite dance across the stage? What if you used the Forever block to create a continuous dance party? **Next Topic:** Creating animations and repeating actions. **Resources:** * Scratch Documentation: Loops [https://en.scratch-wiki.info/wiki/Loops](https://en.scratch-wiki.info/wiki/Loops) * Scratch Tutorials: Loops [https://scratch.mit.edu/tutorials/loops](https://scratch.mit.edu/tutorials/loops) **Leave a comment below if you have any questions or need help with this topic.