A child in Koblenz grows up where the Mosel flows into the Rhine, and can still reach the age of twelve without a single compulsory computing lesson, because Rhineland-Palatinate only makes Informatik a subject for everyone from 2028/29. This page is for parents of children from 6 to 12: what local schools offer and when, how a live coding class in English works for a young child, a free contest this month, and a project on the Rhine gauge where a child learns that counting readings and counting events are different things.
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In short
Coding classes for kids in Koblenz with Modern Age Coders are live video lessons in English for children of 6 to 12. Younger children build games with Scratch blocks; from about 9 they type Python and try small projects with real data. A regular mentor in India keeps to each child's pace and accent, in a class of fifteen to twenty or one to one, after school or on weekend mornings. Rhineland-Palatinate schools have no compulsory Informatik for all until 2028/29.
Where Koblenz children start
Three courses for children aged 6 to 12
A long course that grows with a child, a short one to see whether coding clicks, and one that goes straight to typed code for older children.
What do Koblenz schools teach about computing, and when?
Rhineland-Palatinate is in a period of change. For now, computing is optional for most pupils; from the 2028/29 school year it becomes a subject at every school.
Today: optional for most pupils
In its Informatik-Monitor 2026/27 the Gesellschaft für Informatik places Rhineland-Palatinate in a group of six Länder where no Informatik lesson is binding on every pupil. A Koblenz child spends grades 1 to 4 at Grundschule, as in most of Germany, and there is no fixed computing lesson in those years.
Since 2021/22, a group of 21 Informatik-Profil-Schulen across the Land has taught compulsory Informatik in grade 5. Whether a child attends one of them depends on the school, not on the city.
From 2028/29: a subject for all
The same monitor reports the plan: from the 2028/29 school year Informatik becomes a compulsory subject at all schools in Rhineland-Palatinate, with four weekly hours in total across the years it is taught.
A child who is 6 now will meet it in secondary school. A child who is 11 now may finish lower secondary just as it arrives. Either way, the years from 6 to 12 are open, and they are the years when puzzles and games make thinking in steps feel like play.
Computing for a Koblenz child, by school stage
Stage
Grades
Computing on the timetable
Grundschule
1 to 4
No compulsory computing lesson; no leaving exam
Secondary school, today
5
Compulsory Informatik only at the 21 profile schools
Secondary school, today
6 to 10
Informatik if a school offers it as an option
Every school, from 2028/29
Secondary
Informatik compulsory, four weekly hours in total
Sources: KMK, Primarbereich and school-type overview (Realschule plus is the Rhineland-Palatinate school with two tracks); Gesellschaft für Informatik, Informatik-Monitor 2026/27, national summary and Rhineland-Palatinate page. Read on 2 November 2026. Most Gymnasien in the Land run the nine-year route; some offer eight years.
Our classes run beside school and do not replace anything a school teaches. What they add for a Koblenz child of primary age is early practice in the habits Informatik will later ask for: breaking a task into steps, testing an idea, and finding out why a program did something unexpected. The Rhineland-Palatinate page covers the Land in more depth.
Live and in English
How does a live class in English work for a young child?
Short, friendly and hands-on. The child does the clicking and typing; the mentor watches, encourages and asks questions.
Only English, explained simply
We teach in English and nothing else, and we say so before any trial. Mentors use short sentences, show rather than tell, and repeat in easier words. A Koblenz child who knows only a few English words still follows, because most of the class happens on the screen.
The same face every week
Each child has one mentor, based in India, who learns how that child thinks: who races ahead, who goes quiet before an answer, who would rather tinker with a finished game than start from an empty screen. Younger children relax quickly when the person on the screen stays the same.
Blocks first, then words
Children of 6 to 8 snap Scratch blocks together and make sprites move and talk. From about 9, children type Python. The code words, repeat, if, print, are English, so lessons and code reinforce each other.
A class lasts an hour, twice a week. For six and seven year olds the mentor splits the hour into short tasks with a small win every ten minutes. Parents receive a short note on what was built and what comes next. Our online coding for kids page explains the format in more detail.
A Koblenz project
How often did the Rhine at Koblenz drop below its zero mark?
The federal waterways administration measures the Rhine at Koblenz every fifteen minutes and anyone may reuse what it publishes. Children of ten to twelve take one month of those numbers to learn a question programmers ask all the time: am I counting readings, or am I counting events?
The data
PEGELONLINE is the federal service that publishes water levels on German waterways under the Datenlizenz Deutschland Zero 2.0. On 3 November 2026 we downloaded the last 31 days for the Rhine gauge called KOBLENZ, at Rhine kilometre 591.49: 2,976 readings in centimetres, one every quarter of an hour, from the evening of 3 October 2026 to the evening of 3 November 2026.
They are raw readings, published as they arrive and not yet checked. We saved them as rhein_koblenz.csv with two columns: the time and the level.
A strange number
Children are surprised that the level sometimes reads below zero. The river has not disappeared. A gauge measures from its own fixed mark, called the gauge zero, which at Koblenz sits 57.692 metres above sea level; at low water the surface can dip below that mark.
So the question is: in this month, how often did the Rhine go below zero? A first program says one thing, a second program says something very different, and both are correct about different questions.
Version 1: count the readingsPython
import csv
with open("rhein_koblenz.csv") as f:
readings = [(row["time"], int(row["cm"])) for row in csv.DictReader(f)]
print("Readings:", len(readings))
print("Lowest:", min(cm for t, cm in readings), "cm Highest:", max(cm for t, cm in readings), "cm")
below = [t for t, cm in readings if cm < 0]
print("Readings below the zero mark:", len(below))
It prints Readings: 2976, Lowest: -4 cm Highest: 101 cm and Readings below the zero mark: 157.
A child might say "the Rhine went below zero 157 times". But a reading every fifteen minutes means one long dip produces many readings. Picture a light that stays on for an hour: if you look every fifteen minutes you see it on four times, yet it was switched on once. To count switch-ons, you look for the moment it changes from off to on.
Version 2: count the moments it crossed the linePython
dips = []
was_below = False
for t, cm in readings:
now_below = cm < 0
if now_below and not was_below: # it has just crossed the line
dips.append(t)
was_below = now_below
print("Times the river went below the zero mark:", len(dips))
for t in dips:
print(" ", t[:16])
It prints Times the river went below the zero mark: 5, then 2026-10-06T02:00, 2026-10-06T11:45, 2026-10-06T14:30, 2026-10-06T21:00 and 2026-10-07T15:30.
The Rhine at Koblenz, 3 October to 3 November 2026: readings and events (our count)
Question
Answer
Readings in the month
2,976
Readings below the zero mark
157
Dips below the zero mark (events)
5, all on 6 and 7 October 2026
Lowest and highest reading
-4 cm and 101 cm
First reading at 50 cm or more
25 October 2026, 12:00
Back below 50 cm
30 October 2026, 14:45
Data: Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes, PEGELONLINE, gauge KOBLENZ (Rhine) and gauge KOBLENZ OP (Mosel), raw water levels, Datenlizenz Deutschland Zero 2.0, downloaded 3 November 2026. The counts are ours.
All five dips happened on 6 and 7 October 2026, when the river hovered just around its zero mark and wobbled across it again and again. Later in the month the level rose: it reached 50 centimetres at midday on 25 October 2026 and stayed above that until the afternoon of 30 October. That was one rise, one event, even though it lasted for hundreds of readings. On 25 October the file even holds 100 readings instead of 96, because German clocks went back an hour that night and the day had 25 hours.
There is a second river in the data. The Mosel gauge KOBLENZ OP, about two kilometres up the Mosel from where it joins the Rhine, read between 196 and 209 centimetres all month. That does not mean the Mosel is two metres deeper than the Rhine: each gauge has its own zero mark, and the Mosel's is at 63.075 metres above sea level. Comparing the two raw numbers would be like comparing two children's heights measured from different steps.
Ages 6 to 8, no screen. Switch a lamp on and off a few times while a friend looks every ten seconds and draws a tick when it is on. How many ticks? How many times was it switched on?
Ages 8 to 10, Scratch. Store a list of numbers, some below zero. Make a sprite say "dip!" only when a number is below zero and the one before it was not.
Ages 10 to 12, Python. Run both versions, then change Version 2 to count the times the Rhine rose above 50 centimetres. You should find one.
Going further. Work out how long each dip lasted, in minutes, by counting its readings and multiplying by 15.
A free contest
Can a Koblenz child take part in the Informatik-Biber?
Usually yes, if the school signs up. It is a half-hour quiz of logic puzzles on screen, no programming required, and the 2026 round starts within days.
The basics
Bundesweite Informatikwettbewerbe organises the Informatik-Biber. Entry costs nothing, pupils from grade 3 to grade 13 may take part, and nobody needs to know anything in advance. A primary class gets nine puzzles and half an hour, working alone or two together. This year's Biber weeks are 9 to 20 November 2026.
Entry is through the school, which books its classes and runs the quiz during lesson time. A short question to the class teacher tells you whether a Koblenz school is joining.
And in spring
For children who like number puzzles, the Känguru der Mathematik follows in 2027, unusually in April, on 8 April 2027, because the usual March date falls just before the Easter holidays in almost every Land.
Our Biber practice page and Känguru practice page have original puzzles in English. We never copy the organisers' tasks, and we are not connected with either contest.
Class times
When are classes in Koblenz time?
After school on weekdays and in the morning at weekends suit most Koblenz children. The mentor's clock in India is several hours ahead, so a Koblenz afternoon is an Indian evening.
Koblenz times and the same moment in India
Koblenz
India until 27 March 2027
India from 28 March 2027
14:45
19:15
18:15
16:45
21:15
20:15
Saturday 09:00
13:30
12:30
Sunday 10:30
15:00
14:00
Koblenz follows German legal time from the Einheitenzeitgesetz: MEZ, an hour ahead of UTC, from the last Sunday of October (25 October 2026), and MESZ, two hours ahead, from 28 March 2027. Indian time never shifts from UTC+5:30. The four rows are examples, not fixed slots.
Rhineland-Palatinate school holidays, 2026/27
Holiday
Dates
Autumn
5 to 16 October 2026
Christmas
23 December 2026 to 8 January 2027
Easter
22 March to 2 April 2027
Summer
28 June to 6 August 2027
Source: Kultusministerkonferenz, Ferienregelung 2026/27, Rhineland-Palatinate row (FER2026_27.pdf, dated 9 October 2025). Classes continue in the holidays for families who want them.
Children join from every part of Koblenz and from nearby Lahnstein, Vallendar, Bendorf, Neuwied and Andernach. The class is online, so the only journey is to the family computer.
Milestones
What a Koblenz child learns, stage by stage
Our own milestones for children, used to choose the right group and to tell parents what has changed.
Children's coding milestones (ours)
Stage
Usual age
The child can
1. Steps in order
6 to 7
Give a sprite a few steps and predict where it ends up
2. Repeat and react
7 to 9
Use a loop and make something happen on a click or key
3. Remember things
8 to 10
Keep a score and store a list of values
4. Typed code
9 to 11
Type a Python program of ten lines that repeats and chooses
5. Real data
10 to 12
Open a data file, then tell readings apart from events
For parents
Stage 5 is the river project. A child who can tell readings from events will ask the same question about step counters, game scores and school statistics.
You hear what your child made and explained, never just how long they sat at the screen.
For children
If a number appears many times in a row, ask whether it is one long thing or many short things.
A zero on a ruler is just where the ruler starts. Always ask where the zero is.
More for children
Nine more courses for Koblenz children
All taught live in English by a regular mentor, in a class or one to one.
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Fees
Fees for Koblenz families
A monthly fee pays for eight live classes. We display it in euro, using the European Central Bank reference rate, and take the payment in US dollars; your bank exchanges the amount, which is why the euro figure on your statement can be slightly different.
Reviews from parents and students on Google, as they posted them.
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"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."
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Student
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Parent of Dhairya
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"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."
Sonu Goyal
Parent
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"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."
Ritu Kedia
Parent
Koblenz parents ask
Coding classes for kids in Koblenz: common questions
Are the classes in German?
No. Every lesson is in English, live. Because mentors speak in short sentences, demonstrate on screen and adjust to how fast your child works and how they speak, even a Koblenz child with a little school English keeps up.
How young can my child start?
From 6. Six to eight year olds use Scratch blocks, which need no typing. Most children move on to typed Python at around 9.
Is coding taught at Koblenz schools?
Not yet for everyone. Rhineland-Palatinate has no Informatik that all pupils must take, apart from grade 5 at 21 Informatik-Profil-Schulen. From the 2028/29 school year Informatik becomes compulsory at all schools, four weekly hours in total.
What does a class look like for a six year old?
An hour split into short tasks: make a cat walk, make it talk, make it jump when a key is pressed. The mentor praises each small step and keeps the pace gentle.
When are classes in Koblenz time?
Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. Most children come between about 14:30 and 17:30 on weekdays, or on a weekend morning.
Can my child enter the Informatik-Biber?
If the school registers, yes. The contest is free for grades 3 to 13 and involves puzzles, not programming. The 2026 window is 9 to 20 November, and primary children get nine puzzles to do in half an hour.
Where are the mentors?
In India, teaching live online. India is four and a half hours ahead of Koblenz in winter, so a 15:00 class in Koblenz is 19:30 for the mentor.
How big are the groups?
Group classes have fifteen to twenty children of similar age. For a mentor all to themselves, choose one to one, two private classes a week.
How are fees paid?
Once a month. You see the fee in euro, calculated from the ECB reference rate; the charge itself is in US dollars and your bank changes it into euro, so a few cents' difference is normal. There is no charge for the first class.
What is the river project?
Children aged about 10 to 12 use a month of real Rhine levels from the Koblenz gauge. They find 157 readings below the gauge's zero mark but only five moments when the river crossed it, and learn why those are different questions.
During the free hour your child cracks a small puzzle and makes something move in Scratch. Meanwhile the mentor notices how your child approaches a problem and how much English feels easy, then recommends a course and a group.
Live online classes, taught in English only by mentors in India. WhatsApp is the fastest way to ask a question, in English.
Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo
A priority demo is a full class of about 45 to 60 minutes. After the class the mentor sends a written skill report and a personal learning roadmap on WhatsApp. If you enrol, the demo fee is adjusted against your first month's fee. Share your demo Order ID with us on WhatsApp and we take it off.
