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For teachers

32 free lessons you can teach without coding

Your students watch live readings on a screen and make lights, motors and buzzers react, with no code to write.

See the 32 lessonsOpen Lesson 1
  • Each lesson45–60 minutes
  • Kits1 per 2–3 students
  • Ages10 and up
A teacher preparing a MakerBuddy lesson, with the MakerBuddy dashboard open on a laptop

What you need to start

You do not need to know coding or electronics. Your class uses a web page called the dashboard. Students click buttons, move sliders and build if-then rules from menus.

No coding

All 32 lessons use the dashboard, so nobody writes code. Coding is an optional extra for keen students, beyond the lessons.

No breadboard

Six parts are built into the board. Lessons 4 to 8 use only these. Later parts plug into labelled sockets. For the distance sensor and the text screen, students match each wire to its label.

One kit per 2–3 students

Sharing keeps everyone hands-on in a 45–60 minute lesson. A class of 30 needs 10 to 15 kits, plus a spare.

A device for each kit

A computer with Chrome, Edge or Firefox and the free MakerBuddy extension. Or Safari on a Mac, iPhone or iPad. Android phones do not work yet.

2.4 GHz Wi-Fi

The network must ask only for a name and a password. A sign-in page or a username will not work. A phone hotspot works. Check your Wi-Fi.

USB power

Each board runs on 5 V through its micro-USB port. Plug it into a computer or a USB charger.

The 32 free lessons

The course runs for 32 weeks, in four terms. It starts with lights and buttons. Then come sensors, motors and a text screen. It ends with if-then rules, a final project and a class expo. Every lesson is free to read online, with or without a kit.

32 free lessons45–60 minutes eachno coding needed

  1. Term 1Weeks 1–8 · 8 lessons

    First steps

    Get the board on Wi-Fi, control its lights, read a button and a light sensor, then build a traffic light.

    Some of the lessons

    Start at lesson 1

  2. Term 2Weeks 9–16 · 8 lessons

    Sensing the world

    Read temperature, distance and movement, turn a small motor, and switch a low-voltage fan or lamp with the relay.

    Some of the lessons

    Start at lesson 9

  3. Term 3Weeks 17–24 · 8 lessons

    Warnings, screens and rules

    Sense gas and soil moisture, write messages on the screen, plan with flowcharts and make your first no-code rules.

    Some of the lessons

    Start at lesson 17

  4. Term 4Weeks 25–32 · 8 lessons

    Smart automation

    Make rules that react to sensors and timers, build an automatic parking gate, then design and show your own project.

    Some of the lessons

    Start at lesson 25

See all 32 lessons in order

What every lesson gives you

  • Theory, Activity and Challenge parts, so you know what to explain and what students do.
  • A "Try it" demo in the browser that works with no kit.
  • A Learning Support box with tips for you as the teacher.
  • A safety reminder whenever a part needs care.
  • Three "Did you get it?" questions to end the lesson.

Most lessons also have a "For Teachers" box with ideas for running it in class.

Short on time? Teach one project on its own

One project idea can fill a science investigation, a computing lesson, a club session or a design challenge. Each idea lists its parts and the lessons that teach them. These three fit a science class.

  • Insulation Tester

    No code

    Put the waterproof temperature probe in a cup of warm water, and note the temperature every few minutes. Wrap the cup in different materials to find which one keeps the water warm longest.

    • Use warm water, not hot water.
    • Waterproof temperature probe

    Lesson 11

  • Wet or Dry Lab

    No code

    Push the soil sensor's blade into sand, soil and sawdust with different amounts of water. Compare the moisture numbers, and put the materials in order from driest to wettest.

    • Push the blade in only up to the line printed on it.
    • Soil moisture sensor

    Lesson 18

  • Dew Point Calculator

    No code

    Read the temperature and humidity, then work out the dew point by hand with a simple formula. Explain each step, and check your answer with an online calculator.

    • Temperature & humidity sensor

    Lesson 10

See all 50 project ideas

Your first 15 minutes

Start with a question, not with wires. Students watch a reading change, make something react and say what caused it.

Show it live

Put the dashboard on the class screen. The readings update about every 2 seconds.

Ask for a guess

Cover the light sensor, or breathe gently on the temperature and humidity sensor. Ask the class: what will the number do?

Make it react

Click to turn on a light or sound the buzzer. It reacts straight away, so cause and effect is easy to see.

Then hand it over

After your demo on the class screen, pairs or small teams try it on their own kit.

The MakerBuddy dashboard: a live reading for each sensor at the top, and controls for the lights and the relay below

What your class sees on the screen

  1. Sensors: every reading, live. The numbers update about every 2 seconds.
  2. Controls: switch on a light or the buzzer, turn the small motor, switch the relay or send text to the screen.
  3. Rule Engine tab: build if-then rules from menus. The lessons start rules in Lesson 21.
Open the full-size picture(opens in a new tab)

A lesson in seven steps

You can use the same seven steps in any lesson. The brackets show where each step fits in a MakerBuddy lesson.

  1. 1

    Hook (Theory)

    Start with a real problem. For example, a light left on in an empty room, or a plant that is too dry.

  2. 2

    Predict (Theory)

    Ask what the sensor will show, and what could change the reading.

  3. 3

    Observe (Activity)

    Watch the live readings. Pick the one that helps solve the problem.

  4. 4

    Control (Activity)

    Make something happen: a light, the buzzer, the small motor (servo), a small fan or lamp (relay) or text on the screen.

  5. 5

    Automate (Activity)

    From Lesson 21, students let the board act on its own with an if-then rule. For example: if the light level drops below 20, turn on the blue light.

  6. 6

    Challenge (Challenge)

    Change one number, or add a second sensor to the rule (Lesson 27).

  7. 7

    Reflect ("Did you get it?")

    Students explain what their system senses, decides and does.

The Rule Engine in the dashboard: a rule set to Condition, which runs while the temperature is above 25

Step 5 on screen: an if-then rule

  1. When it runs: Condition runs while the sensor test is true. The other choices are Timer, Forever and No loop.
  2. The test: pick a sensor, a comparison and a number. Here, temperature above 25.
  3. Go further: tick Add a second sensor to join two sensors with AND or OR (Lesson 27).
  4. Saved on the board: each board keeps up to 10 rules, even after the power goes off.
Open the full-size picture(opens in a new tab)

Plan one lesson

Pick a lesson to see what it asks of you and your class. Each part is matched to the seven steps. You can print its three questions as an exit ticket, with the answers on a second page.

One kit, three levels

Set the same activity at three levels, and choose the level for each team. These levels are our advice. Each lesson has one Activity and one Challenge for everyone.

Highlight a level

Support

Suits
Students who are new or need more help
You give them
A working example, such as a sensor that turns on a light, the number to use and a checklist
They do
Get the example working, then change one thing
Next step
Change a second thing on their own

Core

Suits
Most of the class
You give them
A real problem and a short list of what a finished project must do
They do
Choose the rule, test it and write down what happened
Next step
Compare their results with another team

Stretch

Suits
Confident students who finish early
You give them
A harder problem and time to explore
They do
Use two sensors in one rule, joined with AND or OR (Lesson 27), and test very high and very low readings
Next step
Watch the board's messages (Lesson 3), build a control page with its web API or change its open Arduino code

Stretch students who want code can start with the documentation and the technical details.

Questions that show real understanding

Do not just check that the project works. Ask why students chose a number, what went wrong in a test and what they changed because of it. Copying a finished project is not enough.

  • What does your system sense, decide and do?
  • Why did you choose this number or this timing?
  • Which test failed, and what did it teach you?
  • What happens when the reading is very high or very low?
  • How would you make your project safer or more reliable?
  • Which information should stay on the classroom network, and why?

Before class

Check these things a day or two before your first lesson. Your ticks are saved in this browser only.

0 of 9 done

Safety rules to teach

Each lesson repeats the rules for the parts it uses. Teach these from the first lesson.

Kits, price and help

Type your class size to see how many kits you need, and the price in Pakistan.

In Pakistan

Order on the Buy now page and pay by bank transfer. Orders of 10 kits or more get a discount.

Outside Pakistan

Ask for a quote on the Buy now page. We send a written quote with delivery for your kits.

Free either way

The lessons, project ideas and documentation stay free, whether or not you buy a kit from us.

Ready for your first lesson

Plan your first class, then get the kits.

All 32 lessons are free to read, with or without a kit. When you are ready, order kits or ask for a quote.

Get the kitOpen Lesson 1