Category: young engineers

Going #BackToSchool isn’t all about shopping, it’s also about lesson planning, making plans, plans to make, and all that good stuff. What are you and your students going to get up to this year? We’ve added a ton of new guides this year to our Learn System – browse below for a few of our favorite classroom projects.

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CIRCUIT PLAYGROUND PROJECTS

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Circuit Playground Lesson #0 – The first step on your electronics journey

Gone are the days where you need thousands of dollars of equipment and lots physics/math background. Nowadays, if you want to learn to work with electronics, you can jump right in for $20 or less, and any sort of computer. And we’re talking about learning a lot of electronics – from the basics of analog to the complexities of firmware. With a good pack of parts, you can build a base of knowledge that will take you from your first blinking LED to someone who can start prototyping and inventing custom products.

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Sound Activated Shark Mask – Shark mask that starts chomping in response to your voice!

A little cardboard goes a long way. This DIY cardboard shark mask turns the wearer into a fearsome creature from the deep. Using the small microphone on the Circuit Playground Express board, this mask is able to detect loud sounds and start chomping its mouth in response.

Easy project for people who are new to coding and electronics, or anyone who loves cardboard construction.

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Interactive Map with Circuit Playground Express – Create a map that plays audio clips when different areas of the map are touched

This project shows how to make a talking map, allowing the history contained within a map to be tangible and interactive.

Using conductive paint, a Circuit Playground Express can be connected to different points on a map and provided with short audio clips to play when those areas on the map are touched.

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MAKECODE GUIDES

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MakeCode Course for Circuit Playground Express – Make and learn with this course on MakeCode and Circuit Playground Express

This is a project based course on Making with the Circuit Playground Express and Microsoft MakeCode. This course introduces the Making process and has guided maker projects which combine creative activities with coding.

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Circuit Playground Express Spinner Game in MakeCode – Create a fun game of chance with MakeCode and Circuit Playground Express

Create a fun spinner game with Circuit Playground Express and MakeCode. Press a button on the Circuit Playground to make animated lights and sounds that help you choose between options.

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Wind Blowing Emoji Prop – Blow on this Circuit Playground Express-powered puffy cloud to light it up!

Ever wanted to cosplay as the Wind Blowing emoji but didn’t feel like you could pull it off without an interactive, light up cloud prop? Then this is the project for you! No more excuses, go out and build that costume, and add this simple prop!!

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BASIC (BUT IN A GOOD WAY)

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Raspberry Pi Zero Stand – Simple Stand for Pi Zero

Display your Pi Zero on your desk with this simple yet useful stand. 3D prints in one piece and doesn’t require any supports. It features mounting holes for securing a Pi Zero. A hole in the stand allows for wires to pass through for USB power and peripherals.

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Stop Motion Animation – How to get started making your own animated stop motion films!

Stop motion animation is lots of fun to watch, and maybe even more fun to make! Using a tablet or smartphone with inexpensive or even free software, it’s very easy to make your own stop motion films.

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