Deck the Halls With Boughs of… Code?
We love reveling in classic holiday traditions like popcorn garlands and paper snowflakes, but we’re also all about embracing new technology, especially if it has a holiday spin. This year, the folks from Made With Code are not only decking out the White House Christmas, but they’re also giving you a chance to join in on the coding fun. Want to put your chops to the test and light a tree in DC or make an animated snowflake? Check out Made With Code and how they’re changing the tech-scape on holiday decorating.
Made With Code was created to foster an interest in coding and computer science among young girls so that they might pursue science and engineer fields. You don’t need to be a pro to code your own Christmas tree lighting — you don’t even need a tree. Designed for beginners, Made With Code will walk you through everything you need to design a flashy and festive tree that lights up right on the White House’s lawn.
Made With Code breaks down the lighting step by step. You start with a basic tree that you can customize depending on the light patterns and colors that you want, along with the direction you want them to move in. Once you’ve got a brilliant lighting scheme, you can pick the White House tree you want lit in your pattern (Guam at 4pm FTW!) and tune in to see your coded tree light up in real time. Now if only we could get this to work for our own trees… I’m looking at you, tangled mass of lights in the corner.
After you’ve got the tree lighting down pat and you’re ready for something a bit more complex, test your skills with snowflake making. It’s still a step-by-step process, but this time around, Made With Code teaches you how to manipulate the speed and pattern to make your very own unique snowflake.
You’re able to pick the patterns that adorn it, the shape of your snowflake, and even how fast or slow your snow spins. Once you’ve got the best flake ever, you can share with it with your friends on social media and decorate new frontiers, like the Internet.
We love the fun projects that Made With Code is dishing out, and we can’t wait to see what else they have in store. Animated Valentine cards? Coded firework displays for the 4th of July? No matter what’s next, we’re excited and hopeful that this will get more girls interested in computer science.
How are your coding skills? When will your tree light up? Share your coded projects with us on Twitter or in the comments below!
