Kids Code & Computer Science

Find kid-friendly projects online to keep you and your kids busy having fun and learning.

Depending upon your interests, there are hundreds probably thousands of website communities with great ideas for project for kids you can try out. Here are three sites with a few links to explore even further. While you can search online for types of projects, for example, electronic projects, these three sites make it easy to find different kinds of projects in one location.

Raspberry Pi

While there are tons of websites about RaspberryPi, the computer board designed for lots of fun projects, including the RaspberryPi foundation site, there’s also a Google+ community with a regular amount of projects for kids and news about this device. This week, for example, there’s a post on a SketchUp 3D model of the latest version of the computer board, project descriptions for media players, and an article about Dave Akerman who sends his Pis up into high atmosphere balloons over Europe.

Make Magazine

The founders and sponsors of Maker Faires everywhere (it seems), their online magazine site includes lots of projects to browse. Plus both the online and print magazine versions includes lots of useful background materials to help with 3D printing, solar projects, and electronics. This week there’s a project that detects whether or not you have washed your hands, with a big light board that flashes when you have not, as well as a few paper circuit projects.

Instructables

The idea for Instructables grew out of projects several friends did while at the MIT Media Lab, as a blog to document their hand-sewn kites and other projects. Spun off as a standalone website in 2006, the site lets anyone carefully document their projects, from technology to cooking to yarn to whatever gets people excited. While they have quite a few technology projects for kids, it’s a great place to branch out into other media. Contests and member ratings help sort out the best projects. This week, their projects include how to salvage those slippery bits of leftover soap from the shower, a cosmonaut glove, how to make seaweed salt, a $2 bill pad, and clap on lights.

Learn More

Raspberry Pi

Where to Buy a Pi

http://www.raspberrypi.org/buy/
https://www.adafruit.com/search?q=raspberry+pi

How to Install Raspberry Pi

http://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/
http://www.raspberrypi.org/help/noobs-setup/

Minecraft on Raspberry Pi

http://pi.minecraft.net/
http://www.raspberrypi.org/tag/minecraft/

How To Setup Minecraft On The Raspberry Pi

Includes screen shots, how to create a desktop icon on your Pi, and comments include solutions to save your Minecraft world. Be sure to read the comments to find issues and workarounds.
http://www.raspberrypi-spy.co.uk/2013/10/how-to-setup-minecraft-on-the-raspberry-pi/
http://picraftbukkit.webs.com/pi-minecraft-server-how-to

How to Setup a Minecraft Server

http://www.instructables.com/id/Raspberry-Pi-Minecraft-Server/?ALLSTEPS

Programming Minecraft

https://arghbox.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/programming-minecraft-pi-with-python-early-draft/
http://arghbox.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/minecraftbook.pdf
http://www.raspberrypi.org/learning-python-using-codecademy-and-raspberry-pi-minecraft-a-resource-of-great-note/
http://arghbox.wordpress.com/
http://www.stuffaboutcode.com/
http://www.scarabcoder.com/
http://blog.whaleygeek.co.uk/category/raspberry-pi/
http://mcpipy.wordpress.com/

How To Capture Minecraft Screenshots On The Raspberry Pi

http://www.raspberrypi-spy.co.uk/2014/05/how-to-capture-minecraft-screenshots-on-the-raspberry-pi/

Remote Control Your Pi (Look, No Monitor for Pi)

http://trevorappleton.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/remotely-connect-to-raspberry-pi-desktop.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Setting-up-a-VNC-Server-on-your-Raspberry-Pi/?ALLSTEPS
http://elinux.org/RPi_VNC_Server
http://www.tightvnc.com/download.php

Connect to Your Raspberry Pi with SSH

http://trevorappleton.blogspot.com/2013/03/ssh-into-raspberry-pi.html

The One-Button Audio Book Player

Doesn’t require advanced skills. Do read the comments, however, for links and tips.
http://blogs.fsfe.org/clemens/2012/10/30/the-one-button-audiobook-player/

Coffee Table Pi

http://www.instructables.com/id/Coffee-Table-Pi/?ALLSTEPS
http://www.ikeahackers.net/2013/01/lack-arcade-coffee-table.html

Wolfram Language for Kids

http://www.calfuntech.cl/pdf/wolfram_language_for_kids.pdf

Make Your Garage Door Email, Tweet, or SMS

http://www.richlynch.com/2013/07/27/pi_garage_alert_1/
http://www.richlynch.com/2013/08/04/pi_garage_alert_2/

How to Rename Your Pi

www.raspberrypi-spy.co.uk/2012/11/how-to-rename-your-raspberry-pi/

Build a Raspberry Pi Case with Legos

http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/1354
http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/1515
http://tdb.brickowl.com/store/the-daily-brick-case-for-raspberry-pi-set

More and More and More Raspberry Pi Projects

https://plus.google.com/+raspberrypi/posts
http://www.raspberrypi.org/resources/
http://readwrite.com/2014/01/21/raspberry-pi-great-projects
http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/?sort=none&q=Raspberry+Pi
http://trevorappleton.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.daveakerman.com/
http://raspi.tv/

Where to Get Help with Raspberry Pi

http://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/
http://www.element14.com/community/community/raspberry-pi
http://elinux.org/RPi_Hub
http://elinux.org/RPi_VerifiedPeripherals

Make Magazine

http://makezine.com/
http://www.makershed.com/
http://makezine.com/projects/

Instructables

http://www.instructables.com