Interactive Story Telling With Makey Makey

Integrate art, science and language arts through

Supplies

Poster board, markers, pencil, conductive materials such as foil, brads, paperclips, copper tape, velcro (if desired), LED light

Step 1: Planning

Choose your Story & Plan your actions. Gather conductive materials such as brass brads, foil, copper tape, a pencil, paper clips etc. LED light if desired.

Step 2: Draw/Create Your Visual Elements

draw or paste images on a large poster board. Make sure you plan for your conductive elements (How will you connect the alligator clips from behind the posterboard)

Educator Tip:
Using brass brads are an easy way to add conductive elements. They push through poster board nicely and alligator clips clip easily onto the backs.

Step 3: Set Up Your Scratch Controls

Once in Scratch, Follow the directions from the images below to add recordings that will correspond to your visual elements. Keep in mind that the Makey Makey has 5 keyboard controls. If you need more than 5 recordings or sounds, you will need to utilize the back panel and complete the remap process (see Makey Makey's website for step-by-step directions on remap)

Step 4: Label the Back of Your Story

This will help you hook up the Makey Makey easily. Label which control is to go with each conductive element.

Step 5: Hook Up Your Makey Makey

Using your labels from the previous step, attach the alligator clips to the Makey Makey and your conductive elements. Test along the way. If you have a recording that isn't working properly, check to make sure that your conductive elements aren't touching each other in the back.

Educator Tip:

I found it easy to use an exact-o knife to cut a small slit into the poster board to slip the alligator clip through. This can be used to connect foil or graphite from a pencil.

Step 6: Bonus- LED Light

You will stick the LED light into the back panel, paying attention to the short and long legs of the LED (see photo). The light can be controlled using the 'click' function on the Makey Makey.

Educator Tip:

Make sure the metal legs of the LED are attached to a conductive material. I used copper tape attached to a brass brad running to the legs of the LED.

Step 7: Test All of Your Steps!

Do a run-through to make sure everything works the way you planned!