Piper is one of the most exciting tech toys we have had the pleasure to experience. It combines everything my kids love about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Best of all, it also incorporates MINECRAFT!! As you know, my son loves this video game. It has spurred his interest in computer science and programming.
I gifted the kids with Piper for Christmas last year and highly recommend it for youth interested in gaming, electronics, and programming. My kiddos collaborated together through the entire process of building and coding. It has been a joy to watch.
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The Piper Computer Kit teaches kids engineering and programming through Minecraft gameplay and physical building. Piper’s mission is to empower the inventors of tomorrow by giving them the tools to build creatively today.
What I love most about Piper is that the kids are involved in the construction at every level. The computer components are NOT assembled and thus the kit includes a large poster-size blue print outlining the step-by-step process by which to put the wooden box and hardware together.
My daughter loves to build things so the kids eagerly divided the tasks. She built the box and plugged in all the component pieces. My son got to do the coding.
Now, Piper has developed a Stanford endorsed curriculum which you can use to help your child fully understand the basics of electronics, programming, and computing. It is available as a free download.
Best of all, the Piper Computer Kit comes with a Raspberry Pi, a credit card-sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. This capable little computer can be used in electronics projects, and for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word processing, browsing the internet, and playing games.
It also plays high-definition video. Thus, after your kids have moved away from Minecraft, the hardware can be repurposed for more elaborate projects. The designers want to see it being used by kids all over the world to learn programming. With Piper and Minecraft – this is only the beginning.
Piper Computer Kit
There are several purchasing options available. A single Piper Computer Kit is just $299, perfect for a homeschool setting (1-3 students) or as a station in your STEM workshop.
Alternatively, you can Rent-to-Own or try it out for just $49 per Piper, per month. It’s a low risk way of trying Piper because 100% of your rental cost may be applied to purchase.
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One comment
Crystal Parker
November 9, 2016 at 6:03 pm
Sounds awesome! Maybe when my girls are older.
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