Show Notes

Wins of the Week

• Julian: Staying focused on "the one thing" at PyBites, plus 3D printing a custom cappuccino stencil for his local café
• Kelly: Surviving a muddy, clay-covered hill in North Carolina while on vacation
• Sean: Designing and 3D printing a custom bracket for his screen door using Fusion 360

Holiday Gift Ideas

Julian's Picks

1. Hoverboard with Go-Kart Attachment (~$299 AUD) - Two-wheeled self-balancing boards that can convert to a go-kart with a third wheel attachment. Available at Hoveroo in Australia.

2. Secret Coders Book Series (~$10-20 USD each) - A six-book graphic novel series that wraps coding puzzles and concepts into mystery stories. Recommended by Faye Shaw from the Boston PyLadies community. Great for ages 8-15.

3. 3D Printer (~$200-300 USD) - Entry-level printers like the Bambu Lab A1 Mini or Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro have dropped significantly in price. Look for auto bed leveling as a key feature.

4. Duolingo Chess (~$13/month with subscription) - A new addition to Duolingo that teaches chess tactics, strategy, and formal terminology through structured lessons. Great for building problem-solving skills.

5. Classic Video Games (Zelda, Pokémon) - Story-driven games that build resilience and problem-solving skills, as an alternative to dopamine-heavy platforms like Roblox.

Kelly's Picks

1. Soccer Bot (~$59.99) - An indoor soccer training robot that challenges footwork skills. Works best on hard floors.

2. "The Worlds I See" by Dr. Fei-Fei Li - Memoir of the computer scientist behind ImageNet and modern image recognition, covering her immigrant journey and rise in AI. A must-read for anyone interested in AI.

3. LEGO Retro Radio Building Set (~$99) - A 1970s-style radio that you build, then insert your phone to play music. Features working dials that create authentic radio crackle sounds.

4. Spydroid Loco Hex Robot (classroom investment) - A large spider-shaped robot that codes in Python and block programming. Features LIDAR and AI-based mapping. Seen at ISTE.

5. Richtie Mini from Hugging Face ($299-$449) - An adorable AI desktop companion robot with onboard models. Two versions: one that connects to your computer and one that's self-contained.

Sean's Picks

1. LED Pucks (LED 001 Kit) (~$6-13) - Small USB-powered LED discs perfect for 3D printed projects like planet lamps. Available from Bambu Labs or Amazon. RGB versions include remote controls.

2. Daily Desk Calendar (~$15-20) - A throwback gift that provides daily doses of humor, trivia, or inspiration. Suggestions include The Far Side, "They Can Talk," or "How to Win Friends and Influence People."

3. PyBites Coding Platform (subscription) - Bite-sized Python challenges for sharpening coding skills. Great for teachers, students, and professionals looking for practical coding practice.

4. Digital Calipers (~$40-50) - USB-rechargeable precision measuring tools essential for 3D printing and maker projects. Great for teaching geometry and measurement concepts.

5. Deburring Tool (~$10) - A small tool with a curved swiveling blade for cleaning up 3D prints. A quality-of-life improvement for any maker's toolkit.

Links Mentioned

• PyBites - Python coaching and coding challenges
• Hoveroo - Hoverboards (Australia)
• Bambu Lab - 3D printers and LED pucks
• Printables - 3D printing models
• MakerWorld - 3D printing models
• Hugging Face Richtie Mini - AI companion robot
• Duolingo - Language learning app with chess
• Secret Coders book series - Available on Amazon
• "The Worlds I See" by Dr. Fei-Fei Li - Available at bookstores

Upcoming Events

• PyCon US 2026 - Long Beach, California
• Education Summit - Proposals open after the holidays, deadline around March/April
• Submit proposals when the website opens!

Special Guest: Julian Sequeira.

Support Teaching Python

Whether you're a teacher looking for some inspiration for your holiday wishlist, or a student looking for a gift for your favorite computer science teacher, this episode has you covered. From practical tools like an online course about Python, to fun gadgets like a Lego rollercoaster or desktop robot, there's something for everyone on this list.

So join Kelly and Sean as they share their top 10 gift ideas for computer science teachers and learners. And as always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, be sure to send us an email at info@teachingpython.fm. Happy holiday season and happy coding!

Support Teaching Python

Links:

• EMO GO HOME - LivingAi — The EMO GO HOME version is expected to be shipped by Christmas, but we cannot guarantee that you will receive it by Christmas. So if you want to receive EMO earlier, you can buy the standard version of EMO first, and buy the separate Home Station later (another new order).
• Loop Coaster 10303 | LEGO® Icons | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop US — When we released our first roller-coaster set, we had no idea that it would become so popular. It turns out, though, that people really love roller-coasters! So, when it came to designing our newest roller-coaster set, our designers wanted to do something that we’ve never done before and create a set that they were certain would appeal to roller-coaster fans around the world.
• Amazon.com: Beginners crochet kit, DIY Crochet Kit For Beginners, Cute Animal Kit Fox Starter Pack With Yarn Balls, Crochet Hooks, knitting stitch markers, Needles, Instruction, Accessories Kit for Beginners — All in One Crochet Kit: Our beginners crochet kit contains 3pcs yarn balls, 1pc crochet hook, 5pcs knitting stitch markers, 1pc yarn needle, 4 plastic eyes, stuffing, paper and video instruction. Easy to follow and happy to start your crochet diy journey.
• Evo Entry Kit (White) – Ozobot — The Evo Entry Kit prepares educators and parents to bring coding and creativity to the home and classroom, no coding experience required. Code Ozobot Evo two ways: online with Ozobot Blockly and screen-free with Color Code markers. Ozobot Blockly has five skill levels from beginner to master coding.
• Amazon.com: YDDSABER Jedi Sith LED Light Saber, Force FX Heavy Dueling, Rechargeable Lightsaber, Loud Sound High Light with FOC, Metal Hilt, Blaster, (Red) : Toys & Games — Our Advantage: The lightsaber has Blaster sound and flash on clash, support dueling. Let you cross into the real movie and become the last jedi Sith of wars . Smooth Aluminum Hilt+Removable Blade: Handle is made of aluminum alloy. Blade material is high quality poly carbonate. Total length about 95 cm after assembly.
• Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition: Matthes, Eric: 9781718502703: Amazon.com: Books — This third edition is completely revised to reflect the latest in Python code. New and updated coverage includes VS Code for text editing, the pathlib module for file handling, pytest for testing your code, as well as the latest features of Matplotlib, Plotly, and Django. If you’ve been thinking about digging into programming, Python Crash Course will provide you with the skills to write real programs fast. Why wait any longer? Start your engines and code!
• (Get it now) Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition | No Starch Press — Python Crash Course is the world’s best-selling guide to the Python programming language. This fast-paced, thorough introduction will have you writing programs, solving problems, and developing functioning applications in no time.
• Products | ovobot — Xtron Pro is a programmable handheld game console that is ideal for running MakeCode Arcade & NES games and creating DIY projects from electronics to mobile robots, Xtron Pro can also be transformed into a wearable device with customized interfaces and functions by visual programming.
• Membership – Real Python — Become a Python Expert Level up your career with hands-on courses, learning paths, code quizzes, and 24/7 access to a community of experts
• Bundle: The Everything Bundle (2022 Q4) - [Talk Python Training] — Lifetime access to every course currently in our library or launched before October 2023, period
• Buy Exercise Credits — Buy a redemption code for exercise credits and premium screencast access You can use this form to purchase a Python Morsels redemption code redeemable for exercise credits and access to premium Python Morsels screencasts. You can send this redemption code to friend or you can apply it to your own account (it can only be used once though).
• Become a Member of the PSF | Python Software Foundation — Become a Member of the PSF By becoming a member, you tell us and the world that you are a part of the PSF and support our work, and as one of the classes of voting members, you add your voice to the future direction of the Foundation. We're so happy to have you!