New Maker Course for the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express!

We are so excited to partner with Rob Morrill on this new curriculum for the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express. Rob is an amazing Maker Educator who really embodies the philosophy of Constructivism in the Classroom and has helped his students see themselves as Creators, Problem-seekers and solvers. And I love Rob’s down-to-earth approach to Making – “you don’t have to be a whiz with soldering irons or laser cutters to do any of these projects. If I can do it, then anyone can!”

What’s in the course?

Well, the course is divided into 2 parts…

General Reference

This section includes helpful Maker Tools and Techniques, like what’s the difference between 180-degree and continuous servo motors? and where can you buy them? Or what’s the best way to cut cardboard, or sew conductive thread?

There’s also a section on Coding Tips, like when should I use Play Sound versus the Play Tone block? Or how should I use Variables in my project? Or which blocks should I use to code a NeoPixel strip or servo motor?

Lastly, there’s some information about how to download, share and manage your MakeCode project files.

Projects

This is a project-based curriculum that includes 12 different projects scaffolded from easiest to more difficult and aligned to academic subject areas. Each project includes information on the time required, materials required, academic subject tie-in ideas, and the full step-by-step Making and Coding instructions. The projects include building a Balance Board, a Marble Run, a storytelling Light Box, and a Gondola that can travel across the classroom!

The course is packed with how-to videos and lots of images that make it easy to follow along with the instructions. I guarantee your students will have a blast creating these projects – I know we did!

Hope you have fun Making and Coding with this curriculum!

The MakeCode Team