Makey Makey with Brandy Brandy (formerly known as Mr. Brandon)
Have you ever stopped to think: “Jeeze, I wish I could combine my love of science with my love of fruit”? No, neither have I…but still wouldn’t it be cool if our fruit could make music? Well thanks to the lovely folks at Makey-Makey, you can now make that happen, along with a wide variety of other awesome activities! You can even play 2D platformers similar the style of a classic Mario game with your kit! If something requires a few simple controls, Makey Makey can probably make it work, pun intended! For the kiddos out there reading this, please make sure you receive permission from your parents before playing, creating music or performing mad science with your food.
So what is a Makey Makey?
What it is, is a small circuit board that can turn some of your household objects, such as an apple or banana, into buttons for your computer! It works by creating electrical circuits which you play a part in making! Your computer first provides the initial power source which then flows into the item such as a banana. We need to complete the circuit though, so a person must be holding the ground wire which works as the return route for the electricity!
Do I have Superpowers?
So why is it that the electricity can flow through you as well? Why are you conductive? Are you a child of Odin? Well no, but the answer is quite ionic…I am sorry. Really though, your body is full of ions! Flow of charged energy and ions creates an electrical current and you currently play host to sodium ion, potassium ion and so much more! Thankfully though, your epidermis (surface of your skin) keeps you from becoming a human lightning rod. Your skin helps provide resistance to becoming too conductive and keeps potential electrical flows at a very minimum level. This is a reason why the low energy that flows into a Makey Makey kit is completely safe for you. In fact, if your hands are too dry, you might have some difficulty completing the connection so please keep that in mind. Alright, you got the details and now it is time for some fun! If you want to see Makey Makey in action, you can check out Mr. Brandon’s video below or you can pick up one for home from makeymakey.com. You also have the option of reaching out to us on this blog and we will get back with you to help guide you on your way.
Thank you so much for taking your time to learn with us at Aurora Public Libraries and we hope you are doing well!
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