BBC micro:bit projects & update

It’s been some time since since we first announced our partnership with the BBC micro:bit. We’re now really pleased to share with you the launch of six projects we’ve created for this device, as children in schools all over the country receive them from today (22nd March).

All our micro:bit projects are available to view on the Code Club projects page. Each project takes about an hour to complete and are all suitable for children from KS2 onwards. The project pages link to an emulator, so even if you don’t have a micro:bit, you can still have a go at trying out the projects online.

There are projects to make an interactive badge, a reaction game and a compatibility tester to “rate your mates”! These step by step guides are easy for children to follow, and introduce the basics of physical computing using the micro:bit in an engaging way.

More about the projects:

Interactive badge – Create an interactive badge that will show your mood to your friends. Press a button on your micro:bit to change what’s displayed. This project introduces the idea of attaching sequences of code to events.

Frustration – The aim of the game is to guide a wand along a course without making contact. Making contact will add one to the player’s score – the player with the lowest score wins. In this project children will learn how to use variables in making a wire-loop game.

Fortune Teller – Ask your micro:bit a question and press a button (or shake it) to get an answer. In this project children will learn how to use selection and random numbers.

Against the Clock – Make a timer to challenge your friends! This project introduces the concept of repetition.

Rate Your Mates – Make a compatibility program where 2 users press a button on the micro:bit, which will then tell them their compatibility percentage. This project makes use of variables, selection and repetition.

Reaction – An image will be displayed on the micro:bit after a random amount of time – the first person to press their button is the winner. This project introduces the AND and NOT boolean operators.

All our micro:bit projects use Code Kingdoms’ JavaScript editor. You can find an introductory guide to using this editor on the Code Club projects site.

The BBC will be providing us with 20,000 micro:bits so that all our active Code Clubs can get a chance to use them.

Though we don’t have the micro:bits in our hands just yet, we can say that in the next few weeks we will have further information for all our active clubs about how they can apply for micro:bits – so stay tuned!

To check out Code Club’s micro:bit projects, visit jumpto.cc/microbit. You can also find out more general information about using the micro:bit here.