MaKey-MaKey folded into the Night Zookeeper project:
On Monday we were lucky enough to visit Oaklands Primary School in South London to run the Night Zookeeper project. We had visited the school last year and so were keen to keep the experience fresh and exciting for the children. Therefore we planned an extension to this project which was a little different to our previous visit…
The day had a very special twist, as we introduced our newly acquired MaKey MaKey http://www.makeymakey.com/ for the first time. This product allows you to use everyday objects such as: bananas, sunglasses, water and even human bodies as an alternative keyboard and it works with all computer programmes. We created a Night Zookeeper board game and enabled children to link their physical creations seamlessly with the digital world.
The children began the day by creating their very own Night Zoo animals. They then transferred these animals onto a special board game piece. The children designed the enclosures for their animals and pieced them all together to create a large zoo map. They even had a go at making models of the Night Zookeeper himself. (My arms are obviously a lot longer through children’s eyes!) Each child then uploaded information about their animal, including an image which they had created using our new (not yet available) mobile drawing app. We then introduced the children to the MaKey MaKey and they began to explore its capabilities…
Every Monday is Makey Makey™ Monday here at Adafruit! The MaKey MaKey – by Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, made by JoyLabz! Ever played Mario on Play-Doh or Piano on Bananas? Alligator clip the Internet to Your World. MaKey MaKey is an invention kit for the 21st century. Find out more details at makeymakey.com or watch the video at makeymakey.com. Turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It’s a simple Invention Kit for Beginners and Experts doing art, engineering, and everything in between! If you have a cool project you’ve made with your Makey Makey be sure to send it in to be featured here!