A couple of years ago, I shared an amazing new tech toy – Piper – which provided kids the opportunity to build their own computer from scratch all by playing Minecraft. What we love most about Piper is that the kids are involved in the construction at every level.
The Piper Computer Kit teaches kids engineering and computer programming through gameplay as well as the physical process of building a computer with hardware.
Piper’s mission is to empower the inventors of tomorrow by giving them the tools to build creatively today.
Piper Grows With Your Child
We have had such fun with Piper these past couple of years and are always impressed with how the company responds to our email queries as well as continually improves their product so that it can grow with the child.
Recently, they announced the biggest update in the company’s history … Programming! Yes – computer programming code the kids write themselves! How cool is that?!
Kids can now learn to program and control electronics from their own Piper computer starting today! Each project contains step by step instructions to get kids engaged immediately in making awesome creations from the start. For example,
- Make an LED blink at the touch of a button
- Design a game to see who can set off a buzzer the fastest
- Create a light show set to musicPiper allows you to be creative with coding from the very start. All experience levels are welcome.
Unfamiliar with Coding Yourself?
Piper has us parents covered, too. They provide a multitude of lesson plans to ensure teaching PiperCode is simple and rewarding for students in grade third and above. Even if you don’t know how to code yourself, you will have fun learning alongside your kids.
Check out the additional resources for educators at Piper to learn more, including how to disassemble Piper and reuse the components with new students.
Already Own Piper?
Existing Piper customers should follow these simple steps to download PiperCode:
- Turn on your Piper Computer
- Connect to the internet
- A message will appear alerting you there is an update
- Click on the UPDATE button
- Say goodbye to Piper Classic and welcome to the new Piper!