Makey Makey Run and Jump Game Pads

Get up off the couch and actually run and jump when you need the Sprite to move on the screen. You can use these game pads with any Scratch project in which the Sprite moves with key controls.

Learn to build a switch, learn about conductivity and the conductivity of different materials, learn to program a simple Scratch program that reacts to the switch being activated, induce physical activity when gaming.

Makey Makey Classic, Box cutter, Sheets of cardboard, Aluminum foil, Glue stick, 22 gauge wire, ideally in two different colors, Wire cutter/stripper, Masking tape or cellophane tape, Ruler

Use a box cutter to carefully cut two pieces of cardboard the same size. You can easily accomplish this by selecting a box with the flaps intact and cutting matching flaps from the box. Cut a third piece of cardboard that is the same size as the other two, or cut strips of cardboard about an inch wide. You will use the third piece or the strips shortly, so set them aside.

Educator Tip:

Note on standards
These lessons were developed with the idea that teachers all over the globe and a variety of grade levels could hack the lesson plan to meet their students' needs. Therefore, these are just some of the standards the lessons are based on, and not an all-inclusive list.

Core Music Standards - Technology Strand (http://www.nafme.org/my-classroom/standards/core-music-standards/)

MU:Cr1.1.T.Ia Generate melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic ideas for compositions or improvisations using digital tools.

MU:Cr2.1.T.Ia Select melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic ideas to develop into a larger work using digital tools and resources.

MU:Cr3.1.T.Ia Drawing on feedback from teachers and peers, develop and implement strategies to improve and refine the technical and expressive aspects of draft compositions and improvisations.

MU:Cr3.2.T.Ia Share compositions or improvisations that demonstrate a proficient level of musical and technological craftsmanship as well as the use of digital tools and resources in developing and organizing musical ideas.

Tear a piece of aluminum foil to roughly the same width and length of the piece of cardboard.

Use a glue stick to adhere the foil to the cardboard.

Use the wire strippers to remove about eight inches of insulation from the ends of two pieces of wire.

Use cellophane or masking tape to affix the wire to the edge of the cardboard. Use a small piece to affix the end of the wire to the aluminum foil.

Cover the wire with a second piece of aluminum foil. Use the glue stick to adhere it to the lower layer of foil.

Build the second half of the switch according to directions 1 ­ 6, using the second pice of cardboard.

If you have a third piece of cardboard as opposed to inch wide strips of cardboard, use the ruler and box cutter to remove cardboard from the middle of the sheet, creating a “picture frame” from the cardboard.

Glue the frame to one of the sheets of cardboard covered in aluminum foil. If you are using cardboard strips, glue them to the edge of the aluminum foil-covered cardboard.

Glue the second sheet of aluminum foil covered cardboard to the top of the cardboard frame.

Build at least one more Makey Makey game pad using steps 1­-10. If you want to have players physically jump, consider building a third game pad.

Connect the game pads to the Makey Makey with alligator clips. Connect the Makey Makey to the computer with the USB cable.

Remix this Scratch project.

It uses the left and right arrow keys and a variable to make the Sprite run across the screen. If you have a third game pad, you can connect it to the Up arrow: jumping on this pad will make the cat jump, too.

Scratch linkhttps://scratch.mit.edu/projects/86250621/

Click here to remix the project on Scratch

Check out this example.

Extensions

• Build additional game pads: you could have up to twelve connected to the Makey Makey at once! four people could play together in a Scratch project, with each game pad mapped to a different key on the Makey Makey.
• Experiment with placement of the game pads in the room. How much can you make a player move in order to control the Sprite? Can you make the player break a sweat?
• Game pads should not be confined to games. Can you build a larger than life piano keyboard that you play with your feet?