Unlocking the black box of technology for kids
While many point to coding as an useful skill for the future, it can teach kids something more powerful in the near term.
When they start to learn programming basics, kids see that the incredible (and often magical) things they use on their iPhone or iPad everyday were made by people — just like them. It’s an empowering discovery to not only see how things are made but also learn how to make them yourself.
Unlocking the black box of technology for kids is the goal of The Everything Machine. The app gives kids (and kids at heart) a simple drag-and-drop visual programming language to build anything they can imagine. Kids can use The Everything Machine to connect and control tools they use every day — their device’s camera, light, recorder, and more — in brand new ways. Kids can make something as simple as a light switch or as complicated as a spy camera.
Below you'll find some ideas for getting started from us and others who have used The Everything Machine.
Get started: The Everything Machine basics
Make a synesthesia-sizer
Make an evil villain machine
Make a machine to catch someone red-handed
Make a spy camera
Learn about logic gates
You can also make a time-lapse camera. Find inspiration and instructions for that here. Get The Everything Machine on the App Store. If you make something wonderful with it, we’d love to see it. Please send your inventions to hi@tinybop.com anytime or Tweet at us @tinybop.
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