Promoting unruly programming with random blocks and physical play

This paper presents the Unruly Splats platform designed to promote active STEM play. We summarize design considerations that shaped its current prototype. Unruly Splats are a set of foot-sized floor buttons that light up, sense pressure, and make sounds, according to programs that learners age 6 and up create using a blocks-based programming environment on their tablets or computers. We discuss how the system works using a game in the whack-a-mole genre. The paper illustrates the ways in which programs and Splats connect, to allow for a low-barrier to entry into coding experiences while supporting a myriad of programming possibilities. We discuss the role that the “pick random number” block plays in creating challenging and collaborative experiences and conclude with observations from interactions with early users.