Python Arcade camp plan

Use this page when running Python Arcade as a 5-day summer camp.

Format

• 5 days x 3 hours/day.
• Day 5's last hour is the parent demo.
• Students work in one Trinket project all week.
• The default path is for mixed-ability campers. Stretch Challenges are for fast finishers.

At a glance

Day	Blocks	Goal
1	Setup, Stage 1, Stage 2	Everyone has a Trinket project and a moving cannon.
2	Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5	Lasers fire, aliens spawn, aliens move.
3	Stage 6, Stage 7, Stage 8	Score, lives, game over, timer, win state.
4	Stage 9, Stage 10, catch-up	Balance, polish, demo script.
5	Bug fixes, rehearsal, parent demo	Students show a playable arcade game.

Day 1

Time	Block	Minutes
0:00	Welcome + arcade game preview	15
0:15	Setup in Trinket	30
0:45	Stage 1: Build the Game Screen	45
1:30	Break	10
1:40	Stage 2: Move the Cannon	45
2:25	Playtest swap + cleanup	35

Watch for students creating new Trinkets accidentally. The most important Day 1 habit is keeping one project.

Day 2

Time	Block	Minutes
0:00	Warm-up run + bug check	15
0:15	Stage 3: Fire Lasers	50
1:05	Stage 4: Spawn Aliens	40
1:45	Break	10
1:55	Stage 5: Move the Aliens	45
2:40	Playtest: can you shoot and dodge?	20

Fast students should tune laser limits or alien colors. Slow students only need a moving cannon, lasers, and at least one alien on screen by the end of Day 2.

Day 3

Time	Block	Minutes
0:00	Reopen Trinkets + restore from last checkpoint	15
0:15	Stage 6: Detect Hits and Score Points	55
1:10	Stage 7: Add Lives and Game Over	45
1:55	Break	10
2:05	Stage 8: Add a Timer and Win State	45
2:50	Room test: win once or lose once	10

Day 3 is the hardest logic day. Keep students moving in small changes: run after score, run after lives, run after timer.

Day 4

Time	Block	Minutes
0:00	Full-room playtest	20
0:20	Stage 9: Tune the Difficulty	45
1:05	Stage 10: Polish and Demo	55
2:00	Break	10
2:10	Catch-up or signature feature	35
2:45	Save/share check	15

Only let students add a signature feature after the base game can start, score, end, and show a result.

Day 5

Time	Block	Minutes
0:00	Reopen project + final bug list	10
0:10	Polish and bug fixes	50
1:00	Demo rehearsal	35
1:35	Snack + reset room	15
1:50	Parents arrive	10
2:00	Parent demo	60

Demo script:

My game is called ______.
The player controls ______ and tries to ______.
The hardest part to code was ______ because ______.
One design choice I made was ______.

Coach triage

• If a game will not run, recover from the latest stage checkpoint idea, not from memory.
• If a student is behind, skip Stretch Challenges and polish.
• If a student is ahead, send them to Stage 10's signature feature.
• If Trinket is slow, have the student run less often during typing, but still run after each finished step.

Code order audit cues

Python Arcade uses one growing main.py file. When students get stuck, first check whether the new code landed in the right zone:

Stage	Highest-risk placement	Coach check
1	Drawing before turtle.done()	Cannon setup, draw_cannon(), then draw_cannon() call all happen before turtle.done().
2	Key bindings before final drawing	Movement functions are defined before bindings; bindings and screen.listen() happen before the final draw_cannon() call.
3	First game loop	import time is at the top, fire_laser() is before bindings, and while True: replaces the old final turtle.done().
4	Spawn logic in the loop	spawn_alien() is above the loop; the random spawn check is the first thing inside while True:.
5	Parallel loop order	Lasers move first, aliens move second, then time.sleep(...) and screen.update() stay last.
6	Collision after movement	Hit detection is inside the game loop after both movement loops, not inside spawn_alien() or fire_laser().
7	Ending outside the loop	while True: becomes while game_running:, and GAME OVER text is after the loop exits.
8	Timer at top of loop	Frame counting and the win check are the first lines inside while game_running:.
9	Difficulty math before alien movement	current_alien_speed is calculated before the alien movement loop uses it.
10	Cleanup after loop	Remaining lasers and aliens are hidden after the loop, before final result text.