Introduction

Makey Makey is an invention kit for the 21st century. Turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It’s a simple invention kit for beginners and experts doing art, engineering, and everything in between.

With the Makey Makey, students can make any conductive material act as the input device for a computer. Because it comes preprogrammed, students with no coding experience can use it and learn to experiment with it as they start to learn coding.

Makey Makey believes that the Maker Movement is more than just robots, 3D printing, or STEM, or even building things. It allows students to become hardware engineers and solve real-world design challenges by providing a landscape that fosters curiosity and creates vibrant learners.

Let's begin!

1. Say hello to your Makey Makey.

• Open up your Makey Makey box and look at all the components. NOTE: If you borrowed a Makey Makey from the "Educator's Kit" then you won't have items 4 and 5.

2. The Makey Makey has a "front" and "back". We'll be working on the front initially. Here's what the front looks like:

3. Open the BONGOS game. https://apps.makeymakey.com/bongos/

• Turn up your speakers.

• Play the bongos with your computer's spacebar and left arrow keys.

4. Plug in your Makey Makey to your computer.

• Small side of USB cable plugs into Makey Makey, big side plugs into computer.

Your computer simply thinks you've plugged in an external keyboard.

• Your computer may ask you to install drivers or do other setup. You can click cancel or close the window

5. Using your fingers, control the bongos with your Makey Makey instead of the computer keyboard.

• • Using your left hand, pinch the "Earth" bar at the bottom of the Makey Makey then use your right index finger and touch "Space" and "left arrow" on the Makey Makey. See video below.

    • HEY! If you were able to get the bongos sound to play then you created a complete circuit!

    • NOTE: When you touch the Earth and an arrow you'll see a little green LED (Light Emitting Diode) light appear next to that arrow. When the green light appears that tells you the Makey Makey is working.

6. Connect one end of an alligator clip to “Earth” on the bottom of the front side of Makey Makey

Hold the metal part of the other end of the alligator clip between your fingers. You are now “grounded”. While you’re still grounded, touch the round “Space” pad on the Makey Makey with your other hand, you should see a green light go on.

You created a CIRCUIT (loop)!