Choose from an engaging array of colors and body types. Once you get your creature home, open its instruction book (full of fun tips for creature care) and get an access code to download and install your creature. Its purchase code unlocks its unique world, which will be available for multiple platforms.

No need to worry... the Creature Teacher learning tool comes with varying levels of scaffolding built right into the system, so that you can grow and program more complicated sequences as you gain skills. Ready to begin? Let's go!

Your creature is pretty much a blank slate. Immediately, the Creature Teacher Tutorial Wizard begins walking you through programming characteristics into your creature (Shy? Bouncy? Happy? Your choice!). The language is based on existing Cyclops framework. Based on your learning level, established in step 1, the instructions will range from very simple, with few variables, to complex, with many. Upon completing your first programming task, your creature springs to life! Once this happens, it's time to name your creature! Let's call her Pi.

Pi comes with a habitat that goes with her specific creature type. Initially, her habitat will be basic, with one toy (a bouncing ball). There is a glowing question mark over the ball. Click on it, and prompts will lead you through the process of assigning an action to that ball.

Eventually, many actions can be be assigned to each object, with variables. Through credits and purchases, additional objects and upgrades can be added, including additional habitat space (a little like a hamster cage).

Take Pi out for storytime fun! Story books can be either watched, or actively interacted with. Learn Mode: Pi is the main character of this story. As she goes through the story, she will pass by action items (such as a pond, or a log). You will see a bubble show up over the item, reading off what is programmed there. Learn by reading!

When you are ready, switch to Play Mode: Now YOU run the story, and when Pi comes to an action item, you decide how she’s going to interact with it. Learn by doing!

You can choose from the stories that come with Pi, or you have the option to purchase additional stories.

Downloading the mobile app unlocks even more fun games with Pi! Here are some fun Game ideas to get you started (Remember to check for updates, as additional play modes are added):

Invite some of your friends over to play Smart Phone Hide & Seek. It's easy... just place Pi in a real spot in your house and turn her into a geocaching adventure! Where is she hiding? Using the app, your friends will have a great time racing to find her.

Pi can live on your phone, but if your real life friends have the app, they can see her too. Invite your creatures into each other's habitats and even trade them! Host a Creature Playdate, with your friends' creatures all playing in one shared space (Just be sure to bring creature snacks). You could just sit back to see what they do, or create a Creature Obstacle Course to challenge your friend's coding skills. Is Pi behaving badly with her friends? Don't forget to program polite behavior, so when she meets, she gives smiles and hugs to make her a great friend!

To keep our kids competitive in a technology-driven world, we need to encourage active, rather than passive engagement in technology. STEM programs are sought after in the world of education, especially those that can benefit underrepresented populations, like girls and minority students. Creature Teacher uses literacy-based learning, constructive experiences, and opportunities for social learning to widen the appeal of--and break down common barriers to--learning to code.

This is a world run by the child. Actively constructing her experience means stronger/multiple synapses & cross-contextual points of understanding. Seeing immediate results from applying a new line of code boosts intrinsic motivation, which then encourages more exploration of the concept. The opportunity to then share her world with friends increases understanding even further.

Using literacy-based and interactive experiences, computer science comes to life in an accessible, personal and friendly package. Engaging the child in learning on her terms makes it even better. Real experiences create a personal context for the child to build a powerful model of understanding from. Sharing new ideas with imaginary, and real-life friends builds better understanding. Teaching makes for better learning… so Teach Your Creature!

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