It’s back to school month here at Adafruit! New to the world of educational electronics? Have no fear, Adafruit is here! We’ve created a product guide below for Educators and students who are just getting started with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, LEDs and more! While this list is by no means finite, we think these kits are a great introduction for students and educators at the beginner and intermediate levels. The product pages contain links to step-by-step tutorials in the Adafruit Learn System and other resources made available by the manufacturers.

We’ve included some of our classic kits as well as new products added over the last year.

Please click through to each product page for more info!

ADAFRUIT ARDX – V1.3 EXPERIMENTATION KIT FOR ARDUINO (UNO R3): Interested in making neat stuff with an Arduino but not sure where to start? This kit includes all the pieces needed to complete 11 different circuits, along with a experimenter’s guide booklet & breadboard layout sheets. Basically everything you need to be playing within minutes of its arrival. No soldering required!

Includes the Thru-hole (THM) type Arduino Uno R3. The new Uno is the latest version after the Duemilanove, with an improved USB interface chip. Like the Duemilanove, it not only has an expanded shield header with a 3.3V reference and a RESET pin (which solves the problem of how to get to the RESET pin in a shield) AND a 500mA fuse to protect your computer’s USB port, but ALSO an automatic circuit to select USB or DC power without a jumper! The Uno is pin and code-compatible with the Duemilanove, Diecimilla and older Arduinos so all your shields, libraries, code will still work. The new R3 (3rd revision) of the UNO has a few minor updates, with an upgrade to the USB interface chip and additional breakouts for the i2c pins and an IORef pin. For more information about the UNO, the R3 and what the updates mean, please check our UNO FAQ! Read More!

Raspberry Pi Model B Starter Pack – Includes a Raspberry Pi: You want to get hacking with your Pi fast, right? Get everything you need to start with the Adafruit Starter Pack for Raspberry Pi. It’s the perfect accompaniment to your new Pi, everything you need to get a distro image loaded and running. We pre-assemble the Cobbler for you, no soldering required

This pack includes a single Raspberry Pi Model B 512MB RAM, two USB ports and a 10/100 Ethernet controller. Does not contain a Model B+! Read more!

FLORA GPS Starter Pack: Get started with the fabulous Adafruit Flora platform with this lovely starter kit. Included are plenty of parts to make a few different fun projects! There’s a Flora motherboard, a GPS module that can also perform location datalogging, eight ultra-bright chainable RGB pixels, a battery holder and batteries, two types of our high quality stainless steel thread, alligator clips to help you test out your parts, a USB cable for reprogramming the Flora, and some parts to make a wearable remote control (or TV-B-Gone!): NPN transistors, long range IR LEDs, and matching resistors. Over $120 worth of goodies, for under $100. Read more!

Bigshot Camera – DIY Digital Camera Kit: Build your very own digital camera with the Bigshot camera kit. It’s a no-solder clip-together kit to help anyone understand the electronic and mechanical systems required to build a digital camera.

A Camera for Education

The enormous appeal of the camera can be used to turn it into a compelling tool for learning. We believe that a camera designed for education must have three features. First, it should be designed as a kit for assembly – putting the kit together should expose the user to a wide range of science concepts. Second, it should include features that cannot be found in other cameras, allowing the user to explore new creative dimensions. Finally, it should be low-cost, making it accessible to the less privileged. Bigshot has been designed with these goals in mind. There is another important feature that sets Bigshot apart from virtually all educational kits – once you have built it, it is a fully functioning digital camera that you can use everyday! Read More!

MiniPOV 4 Kit – DIY Full-Color POV and Light Painting Kit: The latest and greatest MiniPOV kit to hit the streets – MiniPOV4! We have added full color RGB LEDs to the kit as well USB programmability to make this the easiest, most fun Persistence-of-Vision & Light Painting kit ever.

Learn to solder by building this easy kit. About 30 components are soldered onto the custom PCB using a soldering iron, solder and some basic hand tools such as diagonal cutters and wire strippers. Learn as you go, starting with the easier parts and working your way up to the more challenging ones. Takes about an hour or two to complete following our detailed tutorial, depending on your previous soldering experience.

Once finished, you’ll have a little battery-powered light painting kit! Insert three AAA batteries (not included, pick some up here or use any you have lying around the house) and wave around to create light trails. The way our eyes work, as the LEDs move we see the image as if it were floating in the air. You can also use a camera with a medium-long exposure to create a light painting as shown above.

Design your own 8-pixel tall images in any drawing program and import them into our software to upload your own custom designs. Simply plug into your computer’s USB port and run our Processing sketch – it works on any Windows or Mac computer! (We’re still testing Linux support, coming soon!)

Each order comes as a kit of parts. Some soldering and tools are required to put together but its a nice learning-to-solder kit and with patience and a couple of hours can be assembled by any beginner. Check out our very detailed tutorial with full color images and all downloads for all information. Read more!

Chibitronics Starter Kit: Make almost any surface glow, sense, or interact with Chibitronics circuit stickers!

Circuit stickers are an imaginative and easy way to make fun electronics projects without coding, soldering, or maker experience. Just stick your circuit sticker onto a surface and add a battery to get a unique project that reps your maker spirit. You can even connect stickers with conductive materials like copper tape or even conductive paint to create elaborate designs and art projects.

The stickers are super lightweight, thin, and flexible. They’re perfect for educators, artists, and novices and are a great introduction into the world of electronics. Read More!

August is Back to School Month here at Adafruit! Each day we’ll be bringing you a post for educators on the blog. Stay tuned for product guides, tutorials from the Adafruit Learning System, and inspiration from around the web! Get started by checking out Adafruit’s educational resources, such as our kits and project packs, suggested products for young engineers, and an extensive selection of books to help you learn!