micro:bit Environment Exploration

1. Introduce the activity
   • Brainstorm the following questions related to the micro:bit:
     1. What if we could turn a micro:bit into a science tool?
     2. How could we measure things like sound, light, or temperature around us? (without a micro:bit and with a micro:bit)
2. Introduce micro:bit as  a scientific tool
   • The micro:bit has built-in sensors that can measure the world around it.
   • Explain:
     1. Temperature sensor → measures heat
     2. Light sensor → measures brightness
     3. Microphone → measures sound levels 
   • Optional: watch the BBC provided sensor videos
   • Tell students – They’ll program the micro:bit using code to decide what data to collect and when. 
3. Program the micro:bit 
   • Create code to using a button to trigger a different sensor reading
   • Model in MakeCode:
     1. Button A → show temperature
     2. Button B → show sound level
     3. Buttons A+B → show light level
        • 
4. Collect Data
   • Pass out the data recording sheet
   • Students can use the BBC data recording sheet for recording your measurements or you can create your own
   • Top tip: gathering as much data as you can is good scientific practice, so you might want to take several readings in each location and calculate an average.
   • Temperature
     1. Use the micro:bit as a thermometer to measure differences in temperature in different places. Press button A to show the temperature in degrees Celsius on the display. It’s a good idea to leave the micro:bit in a new location for a couple of minutes to ensure you get an accurate reading.
   • Sound
     1. To use the micro:bit as sound level meter, press button B to show the sound level on a scale from 0 (quietest) to 255 (loudest).
     2. There’s a short delay before it takes the sound reading to make sure the sound of pressing the button isn’t recorded.
   • Light
     1. To use the micro:bit as a light meter, press buttons A and B together. It shows light level readings, on a scale from 0 (darkest) to 255 (lightest).
5. Analyze Data
   • Let’s look for patterns in your data.
   • Ask:
     1. Where was the warmest? Coolest?
     2. Where was the loudest? Quietest?
     3. Where was the brightest? Darkest?
6. Discuss Findings
   • What surprised you?
   • What patterns did you notice?
   • What factors might affect your data?
7. Debug & Improve -If your readings seemed off, consider:
   • Did you wait for accurate readings?
   • Did background noise affect results?
   • Did location matter?

• Add ‘show string’ blocks to make it clearer when temperature, sound and light readings are being displayed.
• You can modify the code to show temperature readings in Fahrenheit – see the BBC Fahrenheit thermometer project for tips on how to do this (https://microbit.org/projects/make-it-code-it/fahrenheit-thermometer/)
• If you have the micro:bit V1, which doesn’t have a microphone, you can remove the code for button B and just take temperature and light level measurements.

• What data did you collect?
• What patterns did you find?
• How did the micro:bit help you investigate?
• What would you measure next?

Students can:

• Create graphs of their data
• Compare indoor vs outdoor environments
• Convert temperature to Fahrenheit
• Add labels to display (e.g., “TEMP”)
• Design a full weather station project