Episode 41: Pythonic Parenting With The Shaw Family

Python for Parents or so you want your child to code? Sometimes it just takes a few creative ideas and a short amount of time to make some fun little projects. Sean and Kelly, with the help of Anthony Shaw and his lovely daughters, ‘ Zebra’ and ‘Jaguar’ have a little fun with this topic! The Shaws’ help us to dive into the topic of #pythonicparenting. Together we discuss things that a parent can do to help your child have the same passion for coding as you do. Or at least some interest!

Whether you are an experienced coder or just a beginner, you can still find some projects that you can build with your kids at home. We encourage you to have a little fun, enjoy a lot of giggles and make loads of memories with your kids, while learning Python,.

Special Guest: Anthony Shaw.

Support Teaching Python

Links:

• Webinar Recording: “Security Checks for Python Code” with Anthony Shaw | PyCharm Blog — Last week we had a webinar on Python security with Anthony Shaw. He covered a number of places where Python code, including popular frameworks, run into security vulnerabilities. He also showed his PyCharm plugin for showing and fixing known vulnerabilities. The webinar recording is now available
• LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Set — The LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Set is the go-to STEAM learning tool for grade 6-8 students. Combining colorful LEGO building elements, easy-to-use hardware, and an intuitive drag-and-drop coding language based on Scratch, SPIKE Prime continuously engages students through playful learning activities to think critically and solve complex problems, regardless of their learning level.
• Amazon.com: ThinkFun Robot Turtles STEM Toy and Coding Board Game for Preschoolers - Made Famous on Kickstarter, Teaches Programming Principles to Preschoolers: Toys & Games — Robot Turtles is one of ThinkFun's best games for kids ages 4 and up. It was designed by programming expert Dan Shapiro and was the most-backed board game in Kickstarter history when first released. For 2-5 players, includes What you get cardboard and cardstock components.
• Robot Kit For Kids and Adults | The Fun Way To Learn AI! | Zumi — Meet Zumi She’s the car that learns as you learn, here to make AI approachable for everyone
• Amazon.com: micro:bit Single Board Computer, BBC go, Pocket Sized, Fun and Easy to Use: Computers & Accessories — A 5x5 LED matrix with 25 red LEDs to light up and can display animated patterns, scrolling text and alphanumeric characters On-board motion detector or 3-AXIS digital accelerometer that can detect movement e.g. shake, tilt or free-fall and use it to control motion activated games Two programmable buttons. Use them as a games controller, or control music on a smart phone A built-in compass, 3D magnetometer to sense which direction you're facing and your movement in degrees and detect the presence of certain metals and magnets
• Amazon.com: Adeept BBC Micro:bit Sensor Starter Kit | Microbit Programmable Starter Kit for Micro:bit with 35 Projects PDF Tutorial Book | Micro:bit and Expansion Board Included: Toys & Games — BBC Micro:bit Development Board is included. A wide variety of Sensor Modules - The best choice for learning electronics, programming and IoT. Excellent PDF Manual - 124 pages, 35 projects with detailed guidance. MakeCode and Python code are provided. Powerful technical support - Official forum, Videos and E-mail.
• Overview | Prop-Maker Lightsaber | Adafruit Learning System — Use your maker skills and become the Jedi you were meant to be! Construct your own lightsaber using 3D printed parts and electronics from Adafruit. This advanced prop uses an accelerometer to detect swings and hits to trigger super bright NeoPixels with full sound FX!
• Overview | Cardboard Circuit Playground Express Inchworm Robot | Adafruit Learning System — Looking for a way to get kids designing and building their own simple robots? With just a Circuit Playground Express (CPX), a servo motor, and a few household materials, anyone can create a Cardboard Inchworm that meets the "sense-think-act" definition of a robot!
• Overview | Trash-Built Robotic Fish | Adafruit Learning System — Trash Fish is a fun and inventive use of scrap materials, brought to life by Circuit Playground Express! This glowing mechanical creature is programmed using MakeCode, making it accessible for beginners and easy to adapt. Aside from the electronics, this fish can be created using household materials and requires no soldering.
• Using a servo with the micro:bit : Support — It's easy to connect up a servo to the micro:bit either using crocodile/alligator leads or a breadboard. A micro-servo such as the SG90 or Tower hobby servo (either 180 degree rotation or 360 degree) can be connected from Pin0, 3V and GND and controlled by sending the signal on Pin0. Usually the wiring colouring is Orange = Signal, Red = 3V, Brown = Ground(GND)