Welcome to PLIX Scratch+micro:bit! Combine storytelling, coding, and making and bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds.
🥰 Ages 8+ 🕐 1.5–2 Hours 👩👧👦 up to 8 Participants 🍎 1–2 Facilitators 🎨 Craft Materials 📟 Micro:bit 🐱 Scratch Coding 💻 Computer
This activity is an excellent starting point for patrons to begin tinkering with hardware and software, and you can explore almost any topic using these two tools together.
Get Inspiration from the PLIX Community
by PLIX Intern Kailey Bridgeman, and PLIX Ambassador Katelyn Turner, Roswell, NM
In this co-designed workshop, multiple STEAM challenges are chained together into a giant Rube Goldberg contraption room.
by PLIX team
Fight evil with mustard! Superhero: Captain Condiment.
by PLIX team
Tapping the succulent makes the on-screen bug move!
/w=1920,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
by PLIX team
A simple cardboard instrument in action. This project uses the micro:bit pins and the Scratch “When pin connected” block. (This project has sound too!)
Explore reflections on ways to “Control the Weather” from this Scratch remix
Prompts from PLIX
PLIX Community Remixes
remix without a micro:bit: When micro:bits are in short supply, you have a few other options for connecting the physical and digital worlds!
with contributions by Melissa Sprenne (Richland Library Ballentine), Dave Fink (Michigan City Public Library), and the PLIX Team!
Check out more examples and experiences from other librarians on the PLIX Forum Scratch+micro:bit space
Scratch + micro:bit Book Connections
Materials
Supply Kit
Supplementary Resource
PLIX zines are a supplementary resource for patrons and librarians to refer to. Use our guide to cut and assemble them.
Facilitation
Playtest and Plan
Remember: There’s no one right way to prepare for a workshop. Use these steps as a loose guideline for planning to run this activity.
- Choose one of our prompts, or come up with a prompt that suits your library community. Our activity guides are for getting you started—feel free to change or create new design elements to suit your local community! All PLIX activity guides are designed for a minimum of 1–2 facilitators
- Gather materials and print out the zine.
- Make an example project. Try it out with friends and colleagues. Thoughtfully incomplete, good examples feature a variety of approaches and starting points. Use them to inspire learners to make something uniquely their own.No access →
- Try the activity with your patrons. Set a date and time. Easily promote your workshop with our ready-made graphics → COMING SOON!
- Populate your workshop space with diverse example projects. Create and play together!
- Reflect on what you’ve done and consider doing a remix!
Did you come up with new prompts? Share your ideas with your peers on the PLIX Forum. Try our Remix Share-Out template if you’d like us to feature your remix!
Learn more about the art of the example in our PLIX Guide to Making Activity Examples
Scratch Coding Cards
Scratch Coding Cards are designed to give learners a tangible way to get started creating projects with Scratch. You can download a free PDF of these cards or purchase a set. You can also learn more about using these cards in your programs.
In addition, the Scratch Team has created a new set of Micro:bit Scratch Coding Cards specifically for use with micro:bits. You can download a free PDF of these cards from the Scratch website. Be sure to check out the Scratch Team's additional learning resources for use with micro:bits → scratch.mit.edu/microbit.
If you do print your own cards, we recommend printing two cards per page horizontally (landscape). See below for sample print settings.
Facilitation Tips
This activity is designed to invite learners of all backgrounds into tinkering with coding and electronics. By combining Scratch with micro:bit, participants are encouraged to tinker both on-screen and off-screen, while inventing new ways for these two worlds to interact. When facilitating this activity, we encourage you to support this tinkering mindset! In addition, check out our general PLIX Facilitation Techniques →
What We ❤️ About This activity
🌐 Bridging the physical and digital worlds By combining Scratch with micro:bits, participants are encouraged to tinker both on-screen and off-screen, while inventing new ways for these two worlds to interact.
⚡ Offers a playful approach to learning about electronics With workshop prompts that encourage storytelling and invention, this activity is designed to invite learners of all backgrounds into tinkering with coding and electronics.
👨👧👦 Collaborative opportunities This activity works great for small groups of 2–3 participants working together to make a project!
♾️ Endless possibilities The materials for this activity can be used over and over again to support creative workshops that explore storytelling, enchanted objects, motion, sensing, and more!
into creative learning facilitation with our Self-Guided Mini Course. It’ll also help you get started running your first PLIX workshop.
About PLIX Scratch+micro:bit
The PLIX Scratch+micro:bit activity was inspired by the work of one of our PLIX residency exchange teams. In 2018, Media Lab graduate student Kreg Hanning worked with Jordan Morris and Cecil Decker—two librarians from Richland Library in Columbia, South Carolina—to create activities that introduced physical electronics as a medium for creative expression.
Other ways to engage with PLIX Scratch+micro:bit
- Read more about how the PLIX team thinks about designing creative learning activities ✨
- Share your experience running this activity on Twitter or Instagram and tag us @heyplix