Q: My son, Brent, got into his first-choice college and wants to attend the orientation program in late June. It conflicts with a family wedding. How important are these orientations?

A: It depends. At some colleges, orientation offers an extensive campus tour, visits with academic advisers and professors, and an introduction to the institution's culture and expectations. Some colleges offer advice to help helicopter parents detach.

At others, orientation is the time when freshmen meet their roommates, select their side of the dorm room and choose their classes. Missing class selection could cause Brent to lose his top course picks.

"Many colleges follow the airline model, offering only a limited number of spaces, especially in large required first-year courses that, when filled, are closed," says Jeremy Hyman, co-author with Lynn Jacobs of "The Secrets of College Success (Second Edition)" (Wiley, 2013). If you skip the June orientation, see if there's another one later in the summer or see if Brent can sign up online the minute enrollment opens.

Before selecting classes, dig into the college's website. "You've seen the campus videos. Now get familiar with the academic side of things," says Jacobs. "Search for college requirements, lists of majors and minors, and individual departments' home pages, where you'll probably find syllabuses for the courses offered. Look for courses scheduled (what's offered in the fall semester), which are different from the course catalogue (every course ever offered)."

How else can Brent get off to a good start at college? Hyman and Jacobs offer incoming freshmen these tips:

-- Get your hardware. "Tablets are fine for reading, but when it comes to the work of college, they often come up short," says Hyman. "They don't allow for easy use of basic programs such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and so on.

"Get something less than 4 pounds with a 6-hour battery life, a webcam, good speakers and a 92 percent (size) or a full-size keyboard."

-- Install basic software, but hold off on task-specific software. "Every student uses word processing," says Jacobs, "but don't buy the high-priced graphics program for Design 101 until the instructor tells you what you need."

-- Master the academic calendar. Note holidays, breaks and testing periods. Share this with family and friends, so your cousin doesn't schedule a family reunion during finals.

-- Reach out to your roommate; get to know each other. Who will bring the microwave? The small refrigerator? Communication will make it easier to decide "room rules" (such as when the lights go out, what the 'do not enter' signal is, and so on) once you're moved in.

-- Get what's coming to you. If you've taken Advanced Placement (AP) courses or an International Baccalaureate (IB), apply to have them credited to the degree you're working on, says Jacobs: "If your college accepts College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credits, consider taking one of the 33 CLEP exams if you're strong in one of the fields."

-- Do the summer reading. Many schools assign reading for a freshman seminar, the so-called "Common Read" or "Common Book." Arrive having completed your first assignment because you wouldn't want to start a step behind.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: Some of my daughter's fifth-grade classmates are going to computer coding camp this summer at a local university. She wants to go, too. It's two weeks for $995. Why is coding suddenly cool? Is the expense worth it?

A: The nation's focus on fostering STEM skills (science, technology, engineering and math) has pushed learning to code into the limelight.

A popular video at code.org featuring folks from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to musician will.i.am makes the case that coding is an essential skill you should master before graduating high school. With only one in 10 schools offering coding, summer camps are meeting demand.

As Edsurge editor Betsy Corcoran says on the organization's website, "Every era demands -- and rewards -- different skills." We once taught children to "forge a sword or blow delicate glass, bake bread or create a souffle." These days, we teach them about programming "not so much as an end in itself but because our world has morphed: So many of the things we once did with elements such as fire and iron, or tools such as pencil and paper, (are) now wrought in code. We are teaching coding to help our kids craft their future."

Interest is so strong that Corcoran has just published EdSurge's very first guide: "Teaching Kids To Code" (edsurge.com/guide/teaching-kids-to-code). It provides an overview of what your daughter might learn, why it can help her as she moves up in school, and how it can expand her thinking about career options.

The guide includes a readable essay by MIT Media Lab professor Mitch Resnick explaining why coding is becoming a must-acquire skill. "I see coding (computer programming) as an extension of writing," he says. "The ability to code allows you to 'write' new types of things -- interactive stories, games, animations and simulations."

Just as there are many reasons for everyone to learn to write, says Resnick, "there are powerful reasons for everyone to learn to code."

Students learn many things in the process of learning to code, Resnick adds. "In addition to learning mathematical and computational ideas (such as variables and conditionals), they are also learning strategies for solving problems, designing projects and communicating ideas. These skills are useful not just for computer scientists, but for everyone -- regardless of age, background, interests or occupation."

To see what he means, have some fun with your daughter at Resnick's MIT Media Lab project Scratch (scratch.mit.edu).

Is it worth it? The offerings on EdSurge's list of summer coding camps suggest that they average $1,000 a week, so your local option seems like a good deal. Whether it is worth it in the context of your family budget is something only you can determine.

If the camp price is too steep, make learning to program a family affair by using some of the 40 tools in the EdSurge guide.

The late Steve Jobs famously said, "I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think." As your daughter enters her teen years, that outcome alone might make the investment worthwhile.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: My kids are 6 and 9. We eat fast food too often, so this summer, I want to help them eat better. My goal is to have fewer fights over food and good lunchbox ideas for school. How can we make this a fun learning experience?

A: This is a perfect summer project, says Emily Ziedman, a Seattle-based certified nutritionist who introduces children in area schools to nutritious foods and healthy choices through a Flagship Foundation program (a nonprofit that "inspires and empowers children to make smart, healthy eating choices").

"My teaching is influenced by nutritionist Ellyn Satter's pioneering work," she says. "It emphasizes competency, rather than deficiency, providing rather than depriving, and trust rather than control."

Ziedman helps children understand that parents are in charge of the "what, where and when" of the food we eat.

"It's a parent's job to prepare food, provide regular meals and snacks, and so on," she says. "Children control 'whether' and 'how much.' The best way to educate children is to involve and empower them in family food choices."

Ziedman offers several good ways to do that.

-- One, take them food shopping. At the farmers market or produce aisle, invite them to choose fruits and vegetables they want to try.

Or, ask them to select items for you, suggests Ziedman: "'Can you find me a good tomato?' Once chosen, there's a bit of pride of ownership."

-- Two, involve them in food preparation. "Even if too young to peel or slice, they can wash and dry fruits and vegetables, shred lettuce, stir ingredients and so on," says Ziedman.

-- Three, teach them about food labels. "The longer the list of ingredients, the more processed and less healthy the food," says Ziedman. "Children can count the ingredients, even if they can't read them.

"Examine two different packages of a similar food. For example, an occasional treat might be a bag of chips. Show them how to compare a bag with 10 to 20 ingredients with one with four or five ingredients and fewer fat calories. Discuss why they may choose the one with the shorter list."

-- Four, make simple recipes together. "Vegetarian chili is a great one -- it's easy, balanced and introduces children to a range of textures and tastes," says Ziedman. "Search for versatile recipes to make on Saturday and store for the week ahead. Create a family cookbook of favorites."

Meri Raffetto, a registered dietitian and co-author of the "Mediterranean Diet Cookbook For Dummies" (Wiley 2013), tells parents to keep newly discovered foods front and center.

"Have kids make a list of fruits and vegetables they like," she says. "Keep those on hand for snacking. Kids go for fresh fruit if available, so keep a bowl with assorted fruit choices on the kitchen counter. Serve a variety of raw veggies kids enjoy -- such as sliced bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes -- as a dinner side dish."

Last, make dinnertime family time. "Sure, everyone has a million activities," says Ziedman, "but sitting down together during the week and sharing a meal nourishes children with much more than food."

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)