Leap Coderz Summer Camp 2026 — Raspberry Pi
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SUMMER 2026 · COMPUTING PROGRAM

Raspberry Pi

LINUX · PYTHON · GPIO · IOT

From booting Linux for the first time to building an IoT environmental dashboard — students learn real computing on a real computer. The Raspberry Pi is the perfect platform for learning Python programming, electronics, and connected device development.

4
WEEKS
20+
SESSIONS
GR 4–8
GRADES
IOT
CAPSTONE
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Real Computing. Real Projects.

The Raspberry Pi camp runs across 4 progressive weeks — each one building on the last. Students leave having used a real Linux OS, written Python programs that control physical hardware, and built a final project of their own design using sensors, LEDs, and code they wrote themselves.

💻 WHY RASPBERRY PI?

Raspberry Pi is a credit-card-sized computer that runs Linux. It has 40 GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) pins that students connect directly to LEDs, buttons, sensors, and motors. Programming a Pi means writing real Python code on a real operating system — not a simplified block-based environment. Students gain skills that transfer directly to FTC robotics programming, software development, and engineering careers.

4-WEEK CURRICULUM
Weekly Learning Modules
WEEK 01
Linux Fundamentals & Python Basics
Students set up Raspberry Pi OS, learn the Linux terminal, and write their first Python programs. No prior experience required.
DAY 01Setup & Linux Intro
  • Raspberry Pi hardware tour: CPU, GPIO, ports
  • Boot Raspberry Pi OS (Bookworm) for first time
  • Desktop environment navigation
  • Terminal basics: ls, cd, pwd, mkdir, touch
DAY 02Linux Command Line
  • File management: cp, mv, rm, nano editor
  • Permissions: chmod, file ownership basics
  • Installing packages with apt-get
  • Running Python scripts from terminal
DAY 03Python: Variables & Logic
  • Thonny IDE introduction
  • Variables, data types: int, float, str, bool
  • If / elif / else conditional statements
  • Input() function — interactive programs
DAY 04Python: Loops & Functions
  • for loops and while loops
  • Lists, ranges, and iteration
  • Defining and calling functions
  • Mini project: number guessing game
DAY 05Week 1 Demo
  • Week review: Linux + Python concepts
  • Student demo: guessing game or calculator
  • Intro to breadboards & GPIO pins
  • First LED circuit: blink with code
WEEK 02
GPIO — Inputs, Outputs & PWM
Students connect the digital world to the physical world. LEDs, buttons, buzzers, and servos are wired and programmed using the RPi.GPIO library.
DAY 06Digital Output
  • GPIO pin numbering: BCM vs BOARD
  • GPIO.setup, GPIO.output, GPIO.cleanup
  • Multi-LED patterns and sequences
  • Traffic light simulation project
DAY 07Digital Input
  • Pull-up vs pull-down resistors explained
  • GPIO.input — reading button state
  • Debouncing button presses in code
  • Button-controlled LED toggle project
DAY 08PWM & RGB LED
  • Pulse Width Modulation: duty cycle, frequency
  • LED brightness control with PWM
  • RGB LED: mixing red, green, blue channels
  • Color cycle animation project
DAY 09Servo Motors
  • SG90 servo: how servos work
  • PWM frequency and duty cycle for servo control
  • Sweep animation: 0° → 90° → 180°
  • Button-controlled servo position project
DAY 10Week 2 Demo
  • Student demo: buzzer alarm or servo controller
  • Circuit diagram drawing practice
  • Intro to sensors preview for Week 3
  • Q&A and project planning
WEEK 03
Sensors — Reading the Physical World
Students add sensors to their circuits — temperature, humidity, light, distance, and motion. Programs now react intelligently to the real environment.
DAY 11Temperature & Humidity
  • DHT11/DHT22 sensor wiring
  • Adafruit DHT library installation
  • Reading temp and humidity in Python
  • Display readings on terminal + LED alert
DAY 12Distance Sensor
  • HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor: how it works
  • Trigger/Echo GPIO wiring with voltage divider
  • Distance calculation in Python
  • Parking assistant: LEDs + buzzer by distance
DAY 13Light Sensor
  • BH1750 light intensity sensor (lux)
  • I²C protocol introduction: SCL and SDA
  • smbus2 library for I²C communication
  • Automatic night light project
DAY 14Motion & Soil Sensors
  • PIR HC-SR501 motion detection sensor
  • Motion-triggered alarm: LED + buzzer
  • Soil moisture sensor wiring
  • Smart plant monitor: water alert project
DAY 15Week 3 Demo
  • Student demo: sensor project of choice
  • Data logging to CSV file introduction
  • Graphing sensor data with matplotlib
  • Final project planning begins
WEEK 04
IoT & Final Project Showcase
Students build their capstone IoT project — a web-accessible environmental dashboard — and present their work on the final day of camp.
DAY 16Flask Web Server
  • What is a web server? HTTP basics
  • Flask installation and first route
  • Serving HTML from Python
  • Accessing Pi web server from another device
DAY 17IoT Dashboard Build
  • Serving live sensor data over Flask
  • HTML page with auto-refresh
  • Displaying temp, humidity, light on webpage
  • Styling with basic CSS
DAY 18Project Build Day
  • Full day: final project construction
  • Instructor station-by-station support
  • Circuit diagram finalization
  • Code testing and debugging
DAY 19Project Polish
  • README file writing
  • Presentation preparation
  • Final testing and edge case handling
  • Peer code review
DAY 20Final Showcase
  • Each student presents their final project
  • Live demo to class and instructors
  • Q&A — explain your code and circuit
  • Camp completion certificates
SENSORS REFERENCE
Sensors Used at Camp
Sensor Measures Interface Week Used
DHT11 / DHT22Temperature & HumidityDigital (1-wire)Week 3, Day 11
HC-SR04Distance (ultrasonic)Trigger / Echo GPIOWeek 3, Day 12
BH1750Light intensity (lux)I²C (SCL/SDA)Week 3, Day 13
HC-SR501 PIRMotion detectionDigital GPIOWeek 3, Day 14
Soil MoistureSoil water levelDigital GPIOWeek 3, Day 14
Pi Camera Module 3Images / videoCSI ribbon / picamera2Week 4 (optional)
FINAL PROJECT OPTIONS
Capstone Project Menu

Students choose one project based on their grade level and interest. All projects must use at least one sensor and include a README file.

BEGINNER · GRADES 4–5
Smart Weather Station
Display live temperature and humidity on screen. LED indicators change color based on conditions — green for comfortable, yellow for warm, red for hot.
DHT11 RGB LED Python
BEGINNER · GRADES 4–5
Night Light Guardian
Automatically turns on an LED strip when a room gets dark. Turns off when it's bright again. Includes a color cycle effect for the "on" state.
BH1750 RGB LED PWM
INTERMEDIATE · GRADES 6–7
Motion Alarm System
PIR sensor detects movement and triggers a buzzer and LED alarm. A button arms and disarms the system. All events are logged to a text file with timestamps.
PIR Buzzer File I/O
INTERMEDIATE · GRADES 6–7
Smart Plant Monitor
Monitors soil moisture and light levels. Alerts with LEDs when the plant needs water. Logs daily readings to CSV and generates a weekly chart with matplotlib.
Soil Sensor BH1750 matplotlib
INTERMEDIATE · GRADES 6–7
Parking Assistant
HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor drives a traffic-light LED system and a buzzer. Buzzer beep rate increases as a "car" gets closer to the wall — just like a real parking sensor.
HC-SR04 3× LED PWM Buzzer
ADVANCED · GRADE 8
Environmental Dashboard
Flask web server hosts a local webpage showing live temperature, humidity, light intensity, and motion alerts. Any device on the network can view the dashboard. Auto-refreshes every 5 seconds.
Flask DHT22 BH1750 PIR
REQUIRED SUPPLIES
What Students Need to Bring

Each student is responsible for their own hardware kit. Most kits are available as starter bundles online for $60–100.

CORE HARDWARE
  • Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB RAM minimum)
  • 16GB+ microSD card (Pi OS pre-loaded)
  • Official USB-C power supply
  • Mini-HDMI to HDMI cable
  • USB keyboard and mouse
ELECTRONICS KIT
  • 830-point breadboard
  • 40× male-to-female jumper wires
  • 20× male-to-male jumper wires
  • 5× red, 5× green, 5× yellow LEDs
  • 1× RGB LED (common cathode)
  • 10× 330Ω, 5× 1kΩ resistors
  • 2× push buttons
  • 1× SG90 servo motor
  • 1× active piezo buzzer
SENSORS (WEEK 3+)
  • DHT11 temperature/humidity sensor
  • HC-SR04 ultrasonic distance sensor
  • BH1750 light intensity sensor
  • HC-SR501 PIR motion sensor
  • Soil moisture sensor module
  • Pi Camera Module 3 (optional)
SOFTWARE (FREE)
  • Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm
  • Thonny Python IDE (pre-installed)
  • Python 3.x (pre-installed)
  • RPi.GPIO (pip install)
  • Adafruit DHT library (pip install)
  • smbus2, matplotlib, Flask (pip)
CAMP POLICIES
Important Information
NO MAKE-UP DAYS
Missed classes cannot be rescheduled. No credits are issued for absences under any circumstances.
BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH
Lunch and snacks NOT provided. Students must bring their own food. Snack time: 10:45 AM & 2:45 PM.
DROP-OFF / PICK-UP
Drop-off no earlier than 8:30 AM. Pick-up no later than 4:30 PM.
PAYMENT — 50/50
50% due at signing. Remaining 50% due on or before July 6, 2026. Accepted: Stripe · Zelle · Check.

Ready to Build with Raspberry Pi?

Learn real Python programming on real hardware. Build circuits, read sensors, and create an IoT project you can actually show off. Limited spots — enroll now!

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