In addition to the below challenges, check out the design and build pages of the PBS Kids’ Design Squad website.
Challenge 1: Simple Circuits
- MakeyMakey How-To (video)
- Playdoh Key Pad (video)
- Vintage Super Mario Bros. game (online game)
- Virtual Piano
- Make a Piano + Template (PDF)
Challenge 2: Programming
- Tickle App Tutorial (video)
- Ollie 101 – Tricks (video)
Challenge 3: Pinwheel Design
Challenge 4: Homopolar Motor
Challenge 5: ArtBot
Challenge 6: Flower Design
- Instructions (Drive)
- Video Instructions
Challenge 7: Hydraulics
Challenge 8: Making Machines
Challenge 9: Claymation/Animation (3D and 2D)
Challenge 10: Bridge Building
Challenge 11: Catapults
Challenge 12: Digital Art
Challenge 13: Game Design
Challenge 14: Lemon Battery
Challenge 15: Binary Bracelets
Challenge 16: Paper Circuits
Challenge 17: Robotics Obstacle Challenges (Lego Mindstorm)
Challenge 18: Straw Rockets
Challenge 19: Chariot Racers with Spheros
Challenge 20: Coming soon…
Challenge 21: Cranky Contraptions
- How-To: Thanks to Ryoko Matsumoto @ryokomatsumoto
Challenge 22: e-Textile Creations
STEAM choice boards give the student the choice in what they want to discover about a given theme in Science and Technology. The below choice boards are directly connected to the MEEQ curriculum.
Elementary Cycle 2 & 3 – States of Matter
Secondary Cycle 1 – Forces & Motion
Secondary Cycle 1 – Transforming Energy
Secondary Cycle 1 & 2 – Separation of Mixtures
Introduction to e-Textiles by Judy Boyd
Introduction to e-Textiles by Judy BoydSee many more How-To videos on making e-Textiles on Julie Boyd Youtube channel
E-Textile project ideas:
- Bookmark book-light project (1-2 hours) – easy
- Sparkling Bracelet project (3-5 hours) – easy
- LED Flower Power Hair Accessory (1-2 hours) – easy
- Add 3 Standard LEDs to a Bag (2-4 hours) – easy
- Style up your Skirt with Lazy Daisy LEDs (2-4 hours) – intermediate
- Make a Stylish E-Textiles BagLight (4-6 hours) – intermediate
Web:
- Sew Electric
- Trouble Shooting Guides for e-Textiles
- E-Textiles and Wearables Tutorials & Resources
- Towards a Curriculum for Electronic Textiles in the High School Classroom (PDF)
- Cupcake Cushions, Scooby Doo Shirts, and Soft Boomboxes: E-Textiles in High School to Promote Computational Concepts, Practices, and Perceptions
Print:
- Sew Electric – available at http://sewelectric.org
- Textile Messages: Dispatches From the World of E-Textiles and Education
- Soft Circuits: Crafting e-Fashion with DIY Electronics
- Make: Wearable Electronics: Design, prototype, and wear
- your own interactive garments
Cardboard Engineering Projects
- Make gears
- 31 things you can make out of a cardboard box
- Cardboard hats
- Cardboard Automata
- Instructables : building with cardboard
Building with Other Household Materials
Basic Programming
- Hello World! Learn your basics! Open the program and its possibilities!
- Learning to Program with Python – Several foundation activities (Basic, 10-20 min)
- Python Quick Reaction Game (Basic, 30 min)
- Python 3 Cheatsheet
- Python and Science Lessons
- Your first game EVER (Basic, 3 hrs)
Media Creation on RPi
SonicPi is an exciting program that enables you to produce music with your Raspberry Pi! There are simple tutorials below to help get you started!
Playing with Sensors on RPi
We can interact with our environment by connecting our Raspberry Pi to some basic sensors. Start small and build from there!
- Simple Recipes for RPi Sensors – (Beginner, 20 min. to 3 hours)
- GPIO Music Box
- Using Inputs with GPIO (Beginner, 30 minutes)
- Physical Computing with Scratch (Beginner, 1 to 2 hours)
- Sensor Cheatsheet (only available in French)
- GPIO Sensor Cheat Sheet for Raspberry Pi
- GPIO Sensor Cheat Sheet for Raspberry Pi B+
Additional challenges:
- Hide and Seek (Beginner, 1 to 2 hours)
- Create “Whack-a-Block” game in Minecraft Pi (Intermediate, 1 to 2 hours)
- Explore the Projects Home
- The Official Raspberry Pi Projects book (PDF) – (2-3 hours) intermediate/advanced
- Getting Started with Minecraft Pi
- flotilla Cookbook
- Gallery of different WeDo projects (1-2 hours) – easy
- WeDo and Scratch projects (1-2 hours) – easy
- WeDo building instructions (1-2 hours) – easy
- Getting started with Scratch / Guide (PDF) (30 mins) – easy
- CodeClubProjects for Scratch – easy / intermediate / expert
- Explore Scratch Projects
- Scratch Tutorials