Piper

By Bayle Emlein

The company name doesn’t offer much of a clue, but I’ve found
the present I’d like to receive at your next gift-giving oppurtunity.
(I believe I have mentioned in this blog that my birthday is
coming up, in case Facebook forgets to remind you.)

Piper is a build-it-yourself Raspberry Pi computer kit, with
instructions so clear I wish IKEA would copy the look-and-feel.
While the “intended audience” is 8 to 12 year-olds, at home
or in a classroom, anyone old enough to be trusted with small
parts who wants to go on under the technology hood will enjoy
building a Piper and the enhanced pleasure of playing games
on a computer they’ve built themselves or as part of a team.
Especially when

Did you know that there’s a Raspberry Pi version of Minecraft?
If you’re into either Minecraft or Raspberry Pi you probably already
did. The PlayPiper and BuildPiper connect all the dots with
discussions of STEM, STEAM, Common Core and next
generation science standards (NGSS) aligned online curriculum,
and professional development tools for educators.

Especially in a classroom or activity group setting, putting
together and using a Piper promotes all-important soft skills
such as problem-solving and critical thinking. For us older kids,
a Piper kit could be a unique party or ice-breaker activity.