Run Pocket Star and define a small game a partner can learn quickly.
Architect skill: A mobile system starts with a player situation and an observable promise.
The full mission is planned for 90 minutes. Split it into short activities and take breaks. Laptop or desktop for editing; phones can read and try the browser interaction. This is a browser rehearsal. Native iOS or Android work needs separate adult-prepared tools and actual device testing.
Design a small puzzle for a player with two minutes, then collect a first star in a browser rehearsal.
Parent prep · before you start
Run the unedited browser introduction and keep a copy.
Provide a five-by-five paper grid and write web/iOS/Android rows with native rows pending.
Activity 1 of 3 · 6 minutes
Draw the pocket promise
Child · driver & designer
Choose an invented player and a simple goal.
Parent · thinking partner
Ask what a press should do, without turning the task into store publishing.
Draw start and the three star coordinates on a 5×5 grid.
Write direction → position → star → compare move count.
Sketch four direction buttons and name one later feature.
Look for this: A paper game explains one cell per press and collecting three unique stars.
Walk through an example
Predict before revealing the result, then try the change in the real workspace. This explanation does not run or test your code.
Before
createState is x:0, y:0, moves:0, collected:[].
One change
Apply four move(state, 1, 0) transitions.
The state is at (4,0) with moves 4 and collected [0]. Another right move is outside SIZE 5 and returns the unchanged state.
Demo prompt 1 of 2
A short puzzle
One press has a visible meaning.
Try in the workspace: Restart and make four Right presses to the first star.
Check what actually happened
Run each check yourself. Mark it only after comparing the actual output with the expectation; a tick does not automatically test your code.
Signs to discuss together
Four presses match the paper grid.
Platform records identify actual web evidence and pending native work.
Stuck? Make the problem smaller
Read the output together. Undo your last small change and run again. Export a copy before resetting files. If this device cannot run the project, read the full reference below and use the parent guide to prepare another computer.
A native toolchain or simulator is missing.
Treat this as instructor setup. Continue web learning and keep native verification pending.
Explain together
Why count presses rather than time?
What would you need to test before calling this an iOS app?
Before you pause: A game brief, running preview, and platform checklist. Export workspace files for a portable backup and remember this activity or write its name on paper.
Use Run in the workspace after one small edit. Browser output is evidence of this browser run; native devices and physical robots need separate checks.
Pocket Star — web rehearsal workspace
Opening the original starter…
Full authored lesson · setup, code, checks & extensions
The complete original lesson is preserved here. Its downloaded-project instructions describe the local development path; the browser introduction above needs no installation. Longer and native/hardware tasks may need the adult-prepared tools listed in the course overview.
By the end, you can…
Write a pocket-game brief
Run the starter
Plan native verification
Keep your starter project and builder notebook open. Make one change at a time and save a working copy before trying the next idea.
1. Write a pocket-game brief
Pocket Star is an original grid game inspired by the Expo BOUNCR port. Native Views/Pressables keep this first renderer understandable.
Choose a fictional player with two minutes to play.
Write direction → position → collect stars → compare moves.
Sketch thumb-friendly controls and name one later feature.
2. Run the starter
Download /lab-starters/mobile-games.zip and unzip; an adult prepares Node and packages.
Run npm install, npm test, and npm run web.
Open the Expo local URL and collect one star.
Find App.js for interface and model.js for rules.
3. Plan native verification
Web preview and native preview are different evidence.
An instructor prepares Xcode/iOS simulator or Android Studio/emulator with a compatible JDK.
Use npm run ios or npm run android in that prepared environment.
Record web, iOS, and Android as tested or pending; store publication is not required.
Ask your AI coach
Use the JR Playground if configured, or ask an adult to operate their approved coding assistant. These prompts also work as questions for a human partner.
Help scope a five-by-five grid game for a short phone session. Ask for one measurable player promise and a native-preview check. Do not turn this into an app-store publishing project.
Before accepting its answer
Predict an observable result before accepting the suggestion.
Inspect the changed lines; run the relevant check, explain the outcome, and keep or revert using evidence.
Prove it works
Test 1: Press a direction in the web preview.
Expected: The player moves one grid cell per valid press.
Test 2: Create a platform record.
Expected: It names an actual device/emulator and result, or explicitly says pending.
If you get stuck
A native toolchain or simulator is missing.
Treat this as instructor setup. Continue web learning and keep native verification pending.
Choose your challenge
Build together · guided
Use a prepared preview while a partner reads controls.
Take the controls · independent
Run web preview and document native setup needs.
Go deeper · architecture challenge
Explain when the source game needs Skia rather than a simple grid renderer.
Save your evidence
A game brief, running preview, and platform checklist.
Reflect: What changes when a player uses thumbs instead of keys?
Try this with your camp team
Use paper phone frames to test control placement before editing code.
After the public first mission, a parent or guardian uses the existing access flow to open later authored missions. Your workspace remains available.