This Interaactive Color Wheel palette is super simple to create and can serve a number of different functions. When the circuit playground express switch is on the left students, pre-k-5, will be able to engage in a color identifying and matching game. When the switch is on the right students can begin to play a color matching hot potato game. Both of these games help students to not only identify colors within the color wheel but they are able to interact and play with one another while learning.

Supplies

This project was made out of felt, fiber fill, and basic embroidery thread.

In order to recreate this project you will need:
Seven different colors of felt (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and brown)
One package of Fiber Fill
An embroidery needle
Embroidery thread (I chose brown to match the palette)
Scissors
Circuit Playground Express
Computer

*Very basic sewing skills are required

Step 1: Step 1: Setting Up Your Material

Make sure you have all of your material ready so that you can begin making your Interactive Color Wheel. It is also advised that you have your circuit playground express handy so that you can make sure your paint splotches are evenly spaced. It is also advised to have your circuit playground express battery pack nearby so that you can measure where the wires will need to be placed when connecting the circuit to the battery pack.

Cut two circles, roughly the size of a plate, out of the brown felt.

Create six individual paint splotches from your other felt colors. You can just sketch or draw this in any shape you'd like.

Step 2: Step 2: Sew Your Interactive Color Wheel Together

Step 1: Sew your paint splotches on the first brown felt circle. A single stitch will do just fine

Step 2: Sew a small pocket on the second brown felt circle. This pocket will be used to store your battery pack

Step 3: Figure out where you will be putting the chord from the battery pack and connecting it to the circuit playground express. Create a hole on each brown felt circle and place the chord through it.

Step 4: Sew your two circles together. Make sure you don't sew it all the way since you will need to add the fiber fill.

Step 5: Once the fiber fill has been added then finish sewing the two circles together.

Step 6: When you have finished your circuit playground express code and downloaded it onto your circuit either use small stitches to hold the circuit in place or use a set of safety pins.

Step 3: Step 3: MakeCode for Battery Start-Up

This image shows the code used to instruct the circuit playground express to create a power up sound as well as a rainbow animation when the battery has been turned on.

Step 4: Step 4: MakeCode for the Shake Color Command

This code instructs the circuit playground express to change colors and make sounds when shaken. Therefore, when the Interactive Color Wheel is shaken, by a student, the circuit playground express will light up, make a sound, and then land on a color.

Step 5: Step 5: MakeCode for Ambient Color Matching

This code was taken from the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express instructional guide on how to hold color up to the circuit and have the circuit match that color. I added the sound for a fun, interactive, affect.

Step 6: Step 6: MakeCode for the Colorful Potato Game

This is a portion of the code used to create the colorful hot potato game. This game is activated when the switch is shifted to the right. I used a pre-existing MakeCode to help create this game but included a color changing code to make it a bit more interactive.

Step 7: How to Play

Game One | Interactive Color Wheel

Step 1: Students will shake the color wheel to activate the color motion. The circuit playground express will land on a random color. (Example Blue)

Step 2: The student will then have to find an object within the classroom that is the color blue.

Step 3: The student will hold that blue object up to the circuit playground express and press on the B button. The circuit will then, in theory, match the its color to the blue object being held against it.

Step 4: The student will press A to clear the color and pass the wheel to another student for them to play.

Game Two | Colorful Hot Potato

Step 1: Students will move the switch to the right.

Step 2: Each student will be wearing a specific color from the color wheel. This can be a necklace, wrist band, or simply standing on a colorful piece of paper.

Step 3: Students will toss the wheel to the student whose color is on the circuit playground express.

Step 4: Once the waawaawaa sound goes off the game is over and whosoever left holding the wheel loses.