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Pickle-oh!


	What's a pickle-oh? Two pieces of pickle on a stick--when you slide the pieces apart the note changes. It works with various brands and types of pickles and various kinds of wooden skewers, (chop sticks, wooden spoons, etc.) -Robbie

	PICO Cricket Connection sensor, display, connectors. Pickles Wooden skewers, toothpicks, or popsicle sticks [sound device? or do a version with a sound device once we have them?]

	You may already have everything you need to make a Pickle-oh in your kitchen. I used Kosher dill pickles and long skewers.

	Break the pickle in half (if it is big) or use two small pickles. Thread the pickles onto the wooden skewer.

	Set up the cricket. Attach a connection sensor and a display.

	Clip one clip to each of the pickles.

	Here's a simple program to try. It displays the value of the connection sensor, and then uses the connection sensor to determine the pitch of the note.

	Try out the program with your pickles. How does the sound change as you move the pickle pieces back and forth on the stick?

	You can also notice how the display changes as you move the pickles. Eventually, my pickles wore out and fell off. But the skewer was still saturated with pickle juice, and even the pickle-less pickle-oh worked fine.

	We experimented with using two sensors: one measuring connection, one measuring brightness. The connection determined the pitch of the note and brightness set the duration. What other variations can you try?

Here's how to make musical ice, another instrument that uses stuff from your kitchen.

Sometimes it's okay to play with your food. Read about the Gastrobots workshop.

Read about an activity that combines
food and Crickets.

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