Piper Toolbox Archives - Eva Varga


November 4, 20161

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.

PIPER: The Best STEM Kit Available @EvaVarga.net

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more information. 

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.

PIPER: The Best STEM Kit Available @EvaVarga.net

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.

Connect with Piper

Facebook
Twitter 
YouTube 

 



February 28, 2015

I was provided an opportunity to preview this product in advance to give an honest review of these products and services. All opinions expressed are true and completely our own. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

piper4

I can not express how excited I am to discover Piper! It is an amazing little hacker toolbox based on a Raspberry Pi that shows you how to build electronics by playing Minecraft.

I have been wanting to purchase a Raspberry Pi for a long time but just haven’t found the right way to grasp my kids’ attention. Until now!

My kids LOVE Minecraft!! Especially my son who, if permitted, will spend his entire day building elaborate cities and mini-games for his own server.

Over the past few years, I have shared with him a variety of tutorials and computer programming programs to encourage him to take his love for the game farther. Nothing has really stuck until we tried Piper earlier this week.

piper3Learn With Piper

The creators behind Piper have created a system that will empower children to build electronics, gadgets and sensors – including a responsive flashlight, an ambient light detector and a sound and light keyboard – all by playing Minecraft.

Play Minecraft. Build Electronics. 

They have been able to modify Minecraft on the Raspberry Pi to detect whether circuits are built correctly, and have structured the software to guide students through the basics until they reach more complex levels. Kids will enjoy playing Minecraft in a new way and parents will love the simplicity!

To see Piper in action, watch this tutorial on Vimeo.

“We created Piper to bring back the tinkering and building that inspired so many generations of inventors and creators throughout history. We want to give kids a way to start their journey into making and engineering, and we want it to be fun.” ~ Mark Pavlyukovskyy

piper2

My kids and I had so much fun playing with Piper that we didn’t want to leave. The Minecraft interface captivated their attention – allowing them the freedom to be creative – all the while teaching them how to add different electrical components.

Both of the kids wanted to tinker with the gadgets and they each remarked on the cool lazer cut “hacker toolbox” that houses the Raspberry Pi and other components. Lazer etchings were subtle and the box can be personalized to further express a child’s creativity.

As we walked out the door, my son exclaimed, “That was awesome! Piper is so fun!”

Piper is planning to launch its hacker toolbox early next week. Sign up today to find out how you can get Piper at a discounted rate of $149!

You can also enter to win your own personalized Piper kit. As a special perk your name will be printed on the front of the box!

Stay in touch with the team on TwitterFacebook and Tumblr.