Shownotes
Julian Sequeira from PyBites joins Sean and Kelly to share their top holiday gift picks for coders, makers, and educators. This episode features 15+ gift ideas ranging from budget-friendly maker tools to classroom robots—plus book recommendations, coding platforms, and a few surprises.
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
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• Soccer Bot (~$59.99) - An indoor soccer training robot that challenges footwork skills. Works best on hard floors.
• "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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• 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.
• 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."
• PyBites Coding Platform (subscription) - Bite-sized Python challenges…
Website: teachingpython.fm
