Animate Your World
Using only a computer and a webcam, interactive animations allow learners to animate their world using Scratch (https://scratch.mit.edu) and their own movements. We use a tool called video sensing that uses motion picked up from the webcam to start and engage with digital animations on the screen. The result is something not quite real life but fully immersive and imaginative.
How will you #AnimateYourWorld?
Materials
For this activity, you will need a computer with a webcam and Scratch. That's it! Consider how your environment or props could enhance your video sensing experience.
Tip: Consistent lighting is very helpful when making more complex video sensing projects.
Set-up Your Scratch Environment
Click the Add an Extension button at the bottom left-hand corner.
Choose Video Sensing to add video blocks.
Go back to the Scratch editor. Now there are additional video sensing blocks and the webcam is turned on.
Test Your Set-up
Make your first video sensing project with just two blocks. Start with the when video motion block to start your animation. The number inside this block can be between 1 and 100. A value of 1 is very sensitive to movement and a value of 100 is not very sensitive.
When movement is detected through the webcam, what happens next is up to you. Choose a sound, movement, or other reaction to create an interactive story.
Video Transparency
You may notice that when the video camera in Scratch turns on, your video will look faded. To add more saturation to your video, change the value from 50 to 100.
Try It Out!
Once your environment is set-up, you're ready to start interacting directly with your Scratch sprites! Projects can be as varied as your learners' interests, support them in finding a project that's meaningful to them.
As one example, learners can use video sensing in Scratch to bring a book to life! For specific prompts and coding tips for book-inspired projects, visit our Animate Your World: Bring a Book to Life page.
Community Gallery
There are many ways to make an interactive animation with video sensing, here are some of our favorites. Find the original Scratch projects by clicking on their titles.
Resources
The Scratch Team made these cards with prompts to get started with video sensing. Print them out for your learners, or use them as a starting point for your own explorations.