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I’ve always loved using Scratch to teach programming. It’s such a fantastic tool, quick to get up and running, with a low barrier to entry, and it allows students to create engaging programs in no time.

However, one challenge I’ve often noticed is that students can feel overwhelmed when presented with a ‘blank page’. They may have the creativity and interest but don’t always know where to start.

A little bit of downtime over the holidays, and a new 3D printer that I got late last year meant that a new project was in order. I've been dabbling with some Jade Bonsai for the last 12 months, learning a lot from YouTube along the way. These Jade grew really quickly (compared to other bonsai) which means I can make plenty of mistakes and it doesn't take too long to recover :) Bonsai pots aren't particularly cheap, and there really isn't much range at the budget level, so I decided to design and print one myself!

For this year's EduTech booth, I brought along a selection of MicroBit projects that demonstrated what could be done with the devices.  I love my MicroBits and am always amazed at what you can teach with them, in such a small and compact form factor.   In these resources, I've documented a variety of different ways to use the MicroBit, from just the 'bare-bones' of the device itself, to some more elaborate setups that use some extra MicroBit compatible hardware.

I've compiled each of the projects in action into a short video, with more detailed explanations and code samples below.  These are just starter ideas, and I'd love to see where your students might take them!

Over this holiday period, we've been playing a lot of boardgames at home.  Catan is a favourite at the moment and while all the components used to be kept in bags, I decided to model up a custom insert to hold everything.  I know you can purchase these inserts already, but I do enjoy designing and 3D printing my own things :)

I'm often asked by Teacher about what more they can do with Arduino's beyond just flashing LED's.  I've put together a few simple projects that could serve as starting points for students wishing to build on their existing knowledge of Arduinos.  Watch the video below, and then see Project description / Code / Wiring diagrams below.

This is my simple SPIKE Prime Building Instructions.  It is very quick to build and uses very few pieces.  This makes it useful in a classroom setting as it means that teachers can spend less time building, and more time programming.