Level 3: Nature Rover

Official Raspberry Pi Project

This lesson is based on the official Raspberry Pi Foundation project. Open it alongside this guide to access the starter project, step-by-step instructions and community remixes.

How to use it: Click the link above, then click See Inside on the Scratch project to explore the finished version. Use Remix to get your own copy to edit.

What You Will Build

Program a rover to explore terrain and interact with environmental elements.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this project you will be able to:

• Use Events blocks to start scripts and respond to clicks
• Combine Motion, Looks and Sound blocks to create behaviours
• Use variables to track game state and scores
• Apply the specific Scratch concepts introduced in Level 3

You Will Need

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Create a terrain backdrop: hills, rocks, trees and water.
2. Add a rover sprite with wheel-spinning costumes.
3. Control the rover with arrow keys: move forward/backward, turn left/right.
4. Add obstacle sprites (rocks, trees). If the rover touches them, stop movement.
5. Add collectible items (minerals, plants). When touched: change [score] by [1] and hide.
6. Add a fuel variable that decreases as the rover moves.
7. Add a fuel station sprite. When the rover reaches it: refuel and reset fuel.
8. If fuel runs out: rover stops and shows Low fuel! message.
9. Add a map (mini version of the stage) showing rover position.
10. Add terrain effects: slow down on sand, normal on rock, stop on water.

Extension Challenges

Try these after completing the main project:

• Add a camera sprite that the rover can deploy to photograph items.
• Add weather effects that change rover speed.
• Create a mission list of items the rover must collect.

Reflection Questions

1. Which Scratch blocks did you use most in this project?
2. What would you add or change if you had more time?
3. How could you reuse the ideas from this project in a different context?

Share Your Work

When your project is complete, click Share in Scratch and post the link to your class or the Techbase community.