Work in a group to design, build & code your own flood alarm using your kit! Think about what features your model should have to help detect tide levels and alert coastal communities of a flash flood. How could your model help a sea level scientist study water patterns?

A graphic of a person in a lab coat looking at a tablet in front of a body of water.
What does a sea level scientist do? Check out their Career Profile!

As you go through the steps below, you may wish to use our Design Journal Template to keep track of your work.

Journal Template

Follow these steps:

An icon of a magnifying glass, a paper with notes, and a brain.

Step 1

Research some examples of tide gauges and flood alerting systems

Icons of a light bulb, a thought bubble, and a pencil.

Step 2

Plan what features your alarm will have and decide what building blocks, sensors, smart components, and craft materials you will need for building

icons of 3 building blocks (cube, corner connector, and short frame)

Step 3

Build your prototype, then connect it to Microsoft MakeCode to add code

Icons of code blocks.

Step 4

Test and debug until the device works

SUCCESS CRITERIA

I can build a flood alarm model that is physically:

  • sturdy
  • keeps electronic components dry

and uses:

  • sensors to detect the tide level at a dock
  • sounds, lights, or graphs to send alerts
  • comparisons (<, =, >) to make decisions

Don’t feel limited by this. You can get creative and add more features if you would like!

Let’s Build!