Electronic Kits

Kidovate is a program that lets middle, and high school students run their own businesses for a day at The Bay Centre. I was in grade 4 when I first participated. Even though I was not in middle school yet, I got special permission to get a stand there before the “allowed” age.

I made micro:bit kits that included: All parts (except for the fruits), and step by step instructions that I wrote, for the following 7 different fun microbit games, and tools: Musical Fruits, Step Counter, Inchworm, Tug-of-LED, Rock Paper Scissors, Heads Guess, Reaction Time Game (Refer to instruction booklet that I included in each kit).

Challenges I faced

During this process, I problem-solved by figuring out how to run and write the code, and how to build smooth running hardware. I also had to learn how to use spreadsheets, to price my kits, to track all the costs of the materials, my income, and eventually calculate my profit. I had to go through many extremely frustrating challenges of the code not working. Every time this happened (it happened a lot!) I had to go back to the drawing board again and again until all 7 projects ran smoothly without any bugs. I also had to order the materials and then test them.

End result

At the end of the day of Kidovate, they announced the prizes of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. I didn’t get one of those prizes, but I did win a prize for most creative. I got a 50$ gift card to The Bay Centre as a prize for that. That was the cherry on top.

Takeaway

The thing that I’m most proud about is not that I won a prize, or got a gift card, not that I made money (even though those are perks), it’s that I really learned so many things, and overcame so many obstacles.