For those (like me) who can’t help but feel a little bit intimidated by a tool like the Arduino, we may have found you a way to get past those fears. The DFRobot Beginner Kit combines all the power of the Arduino software with unmatched simplicity as it perfectly teaches students in grades six and up the basics of programming. The kit even comes with plenty of in-depth experiment cards, so the chances of slipping up are almost nonexistent.


Using breadboard technology combined with the Arduino Board, the DFRobot Kit helps students explore, examine and, most importantly, simplify the complex world of microcontrollers with constant guidance. As someone who knows hardly anything about how this works, the way that the project cards break the process down is invaluable! The technological components included in the kit, like LEDs, jumper wires and resistors help break down programming and make it much more relatable for students.


Since the kit comes with detailed project guides, all I had to do was pick which one to try first. I decided to go with the SOS Beacon (Project 2), thinking it would be easy enough for a beginner like me. Before I could get started, though, I needed to grab my laptop and download the Arduino IDE (it's free and quick). Then, it was as simple as copying the diagram on the project card to construct my circuit. 



As you can see from the picture, this project does not require a lot of the kit's components to complete. In fact, I only really needed a couple of wires, an LED and a resistor. Just be sure to connect the positive side of the LED (the longer arm) to the positive row on the board and the negative arm to the negative row. Once I built the circuit, it was time to connect it to my computer with the USB cable. In the Arduino IDE, there are tons of different options for programming challenges, but, for this project, all I needed to do was light the LED to send out an SOS signal—an easy task once I got comfortable with the program!



I was only brave enough to try one of the basic projects, but, for those braver than I, the Beginner Kit comes with 15 engaging project guides for students to immerse themselves in DIY computer programming. The kit's also packed with other cool components that I didn't even get to, including a variety of resistors, a bunch of sensors, a motor, potentiometer, a micro servo, fan, buzzer and a relay—just to name a few. The DFRobot is the perfect way to get kids introduced to programming starting on the ground level, but also works great as a progressive toolbox for allowing them to work all the way up to some truly complex projects!


If you have any ideas for products you'd like to see featured on the Eduporium Experiment, let us know! Comment below or send us a message on Twitter or Facebook! To purchase the DFRobot Beginner Kit for Arduino, visit our store!