Let's get down to business!!!

We're ready to start on our final projects! (This is actually inaccurate: we began two classes ago.) So CJ and I teamed up to bring 'Up' to life.
After some discussions, we decided to keep most of the plan I'd made with some modification and expansion.
The figurines will be on a base of 2 PicoCrickets, which will be controlled by a remote of 2 other Crickets. (CJ's thinking is that one cricket will control the right wheel, and the other cricket the left.) We wrote this program in which the remote Crickets send out specific infrared signals only when the button pressed, which make the wheel on the other Crickets turn when they receive them. It functions perfectly! So to go forward, you press both buttons at the same time, and to turn you press the corresponding wheel. (Each crickets gets a specific thread of programming.)

We also thought about what the actual presentation would be like. We imagined a full classroom, pull of hip-height cardboard obstacles that create a sort of maze. The Crickets will still be leading a house lifted by balloons, but CJ had a much better idea than covering everything in aluminum. She brought up the idea of covering the inside walls of the house with aluminum and hanging a ball of aluminum off the ceiling; this is perfect, because if the house knocks into anything or moves too quickly, the aluminum will touch and trigger a sound.
Speaking of sounds, CJ and I spent much of the first session getting different sounds for the project. Using Youtube and Dirpy, we got three categories of sounds: random sounds to play as the kids drive (like, 'Adventure is out there!' and my sister's beloved 'my knee hurts' scene); angry sounds (yells from Mr. Fredrickson and Russell); and specific moment sounds (like the score for the ending and the 'Ellie Badge' scene).
This is the program we wrote on Scratch for the playing random sounds in intervals and playing an angry sound when the house gets hit. The other programs are 'stage' sounds--so when the house passes the forest and picks up Kevin, the car will play sounds from when they meet Kevin in the movie and you will be able to place a Kevin figurine on the car.

CJ and I have also begun building the main car structure (which will carry all the figurines). It looks like this: (note the GEARING, size, and color.)

Apart from that, we've been chilling. We can't start on the obstacles until we've got the house and car rolling.

Later y'all,
Lucia