How To Celebrate Arduino Day

Are you ready for Arduino Day this Saturday? If you’ve been thinking about getting the kids started with this popular hardware, the day dedicated to the purpose seems like as good a time as any! There are events happening around the world as well as online. Here’s how to find the best celebration for you:

• Attend an event.
  • Zoom into the map at day.arduino.cc to find one near you.
  • If you live near Sparkfun in Niwot, CO, you can visit in person and check out the Atmel Tech on Tour truck a day early on Friday, March 27. You must register in advance, though. They’ll be showing a sneak peek at the new Arduino RF101 Wi-Fi shield using Atmel’s own WINC1500 SMART Connect module.
  • Adafruit is holding events in Boston; Torino, Italy; Malmo, Sweden; and Budapest.
  • Check to see what your local hackerspace or makerspace is doing.
• Take advantage of sales.
  • Sparkfun is one of my favorite places to buy electronics parts (especially for costuming!), and they love Arduino. They will be offering discounts all day Saturday on Arduino goodies. I can personally suggest the RedBoard as a great product for kids. My nine-year-old has been learning all about Arduino with it through the Sparkfun Inventor’s Kit.
  • The Maker Shed is offering 15% off already marked-down Arduino products and add-ons through Saturday.
• Pick up a new book. A few suggestions:
  • Arduino and LEGO Projects is one of my favorites. And it has a TARDIS on the cover!
  • You can’t go wrong with anything by Simon Monk, but may I suggest 30 Arduino Projects for the Evil Genius?
  • Exploring Arduino: Tools and Techniques for Engineering Wizardry will also get you well on your way to Hogwarts building awesome projects.
• Find a project! If you’re already Arduino-proficient, it’s a great time to start a new project or to help someone you know get started. Browse Sparkfun, Adafruit, Instructables, Make, and the Arduino site for ideas and instructions.

Know of other ways and places to celebrate Arduino Day? Let us know in the comments.