Not everything has to be educational. Sometimes a project is allowed to just be fun. One particularly whimsical item that kids can make is their very own Raspberry Pi-powered Whoopi cushion. This project was actually developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and the instructions for how to make it are available for free on the organization’s website.
This project easily has one of the most DIY feels to it since it is primarily made with objects readily found around the home. It requires a Raspberry Pi, SD card, two crocodile clip cables, two pin-to-socket jumper leads, a speaker, paper plates, cardboard, aluminum foil, glue, scissors, a sponge, paper clips, and tape. There will be Python coding involved in the setup, but the instructions are available through the Raspberry Pi Foundation site. The process is easy to understand and does an excellent job of walking you through it.
It essentially works by attaching foil squares onto the cardboard as contacts to complete a circuit and then using the leads to signal the Raspberry Pi to play pre-downloaded sounds to the speaker. One of the great things about this is that you aren’t limited to the flatulent sounds of gastric distress made by a traditional Whoopi cushion. You can program virtually any sound you want!
