Agree to Disagree: Paid Makey Makey curriculum subscriptions

Our position

Skip the paid curriculum subscriptions in year one. The free resources from JoyLabz, Scratch, and YouTube are plenty for a first year of class use.

If year two proves the program is worth investing in deeper, revisit whether the paid curriculum adds enough to justify the cost. For most elementary STEM rooms, the answer stays no.

Other voices

Reputable sources worth reading before you decide. Labels reflect our honest read of each source's general stance, not direct quotes.

Makey Makey Educator Resources

Nuanced / mixed

JoyLabz publishes a large free educator library - lesson plans, project cards, Scratch starters. The paid bundles layer more structured curriculum on top. The free tier is already substantial.

Why trust it: Manufacturer, but the free tier is genuinely generous.

Scratch community project library

Broadly agrees

Thousands of free Makey Makey Scratch projects, teacher-submitted and kid-submitted, searchable by topic. For a year of class sessions, this alone is enough.

Why trust it: Free, community-driven, no commercial incentive.

District instructional coaches (anecdotal)

Pushes back

Some district coaches prefer a paid, pre-scoped curriculum because it saves prep time and comes with pre-built assessments. For a busy teacher with no STEM background, this argument has weight.

Why trust it: Anecdotal but common in district procurement decisions.

A note on honesty: We have no affiliate arrangement with any brand or publication linked here. Labels reflect our honest read of each source's general stance as of this writing; they are not quotes. Click through and form your own view.

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