💻 Coding · 🔠Science, nature and the world · 🔧 DIY, making, 3D and electronics
Adafruit Learning System
By Adafruit Industries. Visit Adafruit Learning System
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A free library of step-by-step electronics and coding project guides from the maker-parts company Adafruit. Guides cover LEDs, wearables, sensors, robots, 3D printing, Raspberry Pi, micro:bit, MakeCode and CircuitPython, each tagged beginner, intermediate or advanced. Kids and parents follow photos, wiring diagrams and code to build things like light-up poi, text-to-speech gadgets or USB hubs. A Playground section lets makers share their own projects.
Our take: A top free resource for families building electronics together; kids should not work through it alone.
Checked in a browser
A browser check on 2026-10-25: what loads, the ads and trackers we saw, and what a child meets first. Not a hands-on test.
| Child safety: 3 out of 5 | No third-party ads, but a store discount banner (a house ad) sits at the top, with Sign In/Create Account, forums and links to 15 outside sites. |
|---|---|
| Data: 3 out of 5 | Google ad servers loaded with an embedded YouTube video (ad.doubleclick.net with youtube.com), plus the Facebook pixel and Google Analytics; no ad was shown on the page. |
| Ease: 3 out of 5 | Big project cards (Explore Beginner Guides, Explore Projects), but the guides are written for older kids and adults. |
| Cost honesty: 4 out of 5 | The guides are free; the top banner promotes 15% off in the Adafruit store. |
What we found
- 10 third-party hosts on 7 sites; 5 cookies, 1 from youtube.com.
- 0 ad frames; doubleclick appeared only with an embedded YouTube player.
- A 'BeGood15' store discount banner and 'Sign In | Create Account' at the top.
- Links out to 15 sites, including TikTok, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.
From the test: Free electronics guides for older kids with an adult; no outside ads, but a store promo, the Facebook pixel and YouTube come with the first visit.
| Ages it suits | about 10 and up with an adult |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | Reading guides needs no account. Adafruit's terms say its projects are not intended for use by children and are used at your own risk. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Guides are free (Oct 2026); the parts for each project cost extra, usually bought from Adafruit. |
| Works on | Web |
| Account | No account needed |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | No AI in the guides; some projects use machine learning, such as face detection. |
What's good
- Large free library of clear guides
- Beginner tags
- Covers MakeCode and CircuitPython
- Real projects kids can show off
Watch for
- Terms say projects are not meant for children
- Soldering and tools need supervision
- Guides steer you to buy Adafruit parts
- Ad tracking on the site
Data and privacy
The privacy policy says Adafruit's sites use cookies and advertising IDs for advertising, retargeting and analytics, and lets ad partners collect IP addresses and cookie IDs, which it treats as a sale under California law. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
No study found; the maker's guides only.
In the Big Index
- On the list 20 best DIY and maker sites for kids
Alternatives to Adafruit Learning System
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Autodesk Fusion (Education)
Autodesk · ages about 14+ (high school and up)
Worth it for high schoolers serious about engineering or 3D printing; younger makers should start with Tinkercad.
Desk researchFree
Babble Dabble Do
Ana Dziengel · ages about 3-12
Great for families and teachers who want craft projects with a design or science twist; an adult should pick and prep the projects.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Blender
Blender Foundation (open source) · ages about 12+
Ideal for a motivated teen who wants to learn real 3D; younger kids should start with Tinkercad.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Crayola crafts
Crayola, LLC (Hallmark) · ages about 3 and up (each craft lists an age)
Handy for parents and teachers hunting for a quick holiday or rainy-day craft; nothing here for a child to use alone online.
Desk researchFree
DLTK's Crafts for Kids
DLTK's Inc. (family-run, Canada) · ages about 2-8
A handy free printables source for parents of preschoolers who don't mind ads; families wanting an ad-free site should look elsewhere.
Desk researchFree
EasyEDA
JiaLiChuang (HongKong) Co., Limited (JLC group) · ages about 13+
A practical free tool for teens ready to design real circuit boards; beginners should start with Tinkercad Circuits.
Where these facts come from
- https://learn.adafruit.com/
- https://www.adafruit.com/terms_of_service
- https://www.adafruit.com/privacy
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.