Introduction: Modelling and Coding With Makey Makey and Scratch
This instruction describes the simple and cost-effective production of conductive dough. I used this dough in a German grammar school with 14 year old students. They kneaded to given topics, connected the objects to the computer with the help of Makey Makeys and programmed stories with the programming language Scratch.
Supplies
The following ingredients are required for the production of conductive dough:
175 g flour 116 ml water 60 g table salt 50 g tartar powder 3 tsp vegetable oil food colouring
Step 1: Production of Conductive Dough
The following ingredients are required for the production of conductive dough:
175 g flour
116 ml water
60 g table salt
50 g tartar powder
3 tsp vegetable oil
Preparation:
First, flour, table salt and tartaric acid powder are mixed. Water and oil are added while stirring. I first mixed the ingredients with a food processor and later kneaded the dough until it had a pleasant consistency.
Step 2: Colouring the Dough
As soon as the dough is pleasant to knead, it can be mixed with food colouring.
If you want to make several colours, first divide the dough into the desired number of portions.
Add enough food colouring to achieve the desired colour.
Now knead well again until an even colour is achieved. Packed in transparent foil and/or airtight cans, the dough will last for several weeks.
Step 3: Kneading and Tinkering
Now the desired shapes and figures are kneaded, also mixed with other materials and things.
It is important that a piece of dough remains open so that you can touch it later.
Step 4: Connecting With the Makey Makey
In the next step the dough is connected with the Makey Makey. Attention: Do not forget the connection for the earth. Now the Makey Makey is connected to the computer.
Step 5: Programming With Scratch
Now the program can be written in Scratch. I have chosen for my example the global goal "clean water and sanitation" and have written a little story about it.