Scratch Day

May 9, 2015 is something called Scratch Day. If you are unfamiliar with what Statch is, you aren't alone. Bobby was the only member of our household that knew about it. Scratch is like a kids introductory program to computer programming. Another mom told us to register for Scratch day because it was super cool and Bobby would love it. Our family is always up for a new adventure so I figured why not! I'm really glad we got to experience it together! 

We started our day by waiting in line to sign in. Bobby was not too happy that we were starting the day with a lesson in patience. Once we got all signed in we were given our class schedule and headed off to our classroom. 

Our first class was Beginning Scratch. It was great as a parent to have all of the Scratch programming options explained. Bobby was already Scratch fluent. In Bobby's school they have a class called S.T.E.M (Science Technology Engineering Mathmatics). Bobby chose to build a program with a ghoul being chased by a wizard. 

It's really cool to watch your child sit and breeze through something that has always seemed like a foreign concept! When I was in school we got all excited when we saw the giant computer on wheels because it meant we were going to play "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?". It's definitely a different world we live in. 

Daddy, on the other hand, was like a kid in a candy store. Daddy seemed so excited to sit with Bobby and help him brainstorm ways to get the programming entered to meet Bobby's expectations. 

Once we were finished with our first class it was off to the next class, Lego WeDo! This was such an awesome class and right up our alley. We are a Lego loving family. It blew my mind to learn that there is a creation that used Legos and computers to make animated Lego creations! How cool is that!?!?!

Bobby chose to make a large person that can be moved. If I ever get a chance to go on a real computer I'll upload video of the project. In the meantime feel free to watch it on my Facebook page. In the end I was totally won over and started researching into how to get our own kit. Here is the Lego education link if you are interested:

https://shop.education.lego.com/legoed/en-US/search/navSearchResults.jsp?categoryId=EDU_PRD_LINE_104&ProductLine=LEGO-Education-WeDo- 

It's wicked cool!

Once Lego WeDo class was over we ate lunch and prepared to head to our last class, Makey Makey. I thought the Lego WeDo blew my mind, I was wrong! Makey Makey was the craziest, coolest thing I've seen in a long time. It pretty much turns anything into a computer keyboard or controller. All you need is a computer, the Makey Makey kit, and your imagination! We used play dough and played classic video games that kids had created on Scratch. 

It took us a few tries to get it down but we had a blast! We played Pac-Man and classic Mario Brothers. 

Bobby also checked out a few of the music programs. He played the guitar and drums on the play dough. How crazy is that!? The Makey Makey website shows more ways this magical invention can be used. I highly recommend checking it out!

http://makeymakey.com

In the end it was a great day spent as a family. I felt very blessed to be a part of it! It does seem that I am unable to create real links for all of the websites just using the mobile app to blog. Feel free to copy and paste each link to get more information on these awesome products. If that's not your thing that's cool too.