Project 17: Grow a Dragonfly

 Page 1


1
Introduction 
Grow a dragon?y
This project provides step-by-step instructions to help you gain new skills.  In this project, you will 
make a nature app with a dragon?y that grows bigger as it eats insects.
Open the URL (rpf.io/grow-a-dragon?y) in your browser 
to experience how the project work. Move the mouse 
around the Stage to eat insects. Try to understand the 
following: 
How do the insects move?
? Which part of the dragon?y needs to touch the 
insects to eat them? 
? What happens to the dragon?y when the 
dragon?y eats an insect?
Set the scene
Open the URL (rpf.io/dragon-?y) in your browser to open  the starter project. 
Choose your backdrop and add a dragon?y.
Follow the given steps:
? Click Choose a Backdrop and add a backdrop of your choice. We used the Jurassic backdrop.
? Click Choose a Sprite and search for dragon?y, then add the Dragon?y sprite.
Page 2


1
Introduction 
Grow a dragon?y
This project provides step-by-step instructions to help you gain new skills.  In this project, you will 
make a nature app with a dragon?y that grows bigger as it eats insects.
Open the URL (rpf.io/grow-a-dragon?y) in your browser 
to experience how the project work. Move the mouse 
around the Stage to eat insects. Try to understand the 
following: 
How do the insects move?
? Which part of the dragon?y needs to touch the 
insects to eat them? 
? What happens to the dragon?y when the 
dragon?y eats an insect?
Set the scene
Open the URL (rpf.io/dragon-?y) in your browser to open  the starter project. 
Choose your backdrop and add a dragon?y.
Follow the given steps:
? Click Choose a Backdrop and add a backdrop of your choice. We used the Jurassic backdrop.
? Click Choose a Sprite and search for dragon?y, then add the Dragon?y sprite.
2
? Add the script to make the Dragon?y sprite 
follow the mouse-pointer.
Test: Click the green ?ag and make the Dragon?y 
sprite move around the Stage. Is the dragon?y 
moving as you would expect?
The Dragon?y costume is not facing to the right, so the head of the Dragon?y sprite is not pointing towards 
the mouse-pointer.
? Click on the Costumes tab and use the Select 
(arrow) tool to select the costume.
? Use the Rotate tool at bottom of the selected 
costume to turn the Dragon?y costume to 
face the right.
Test: Click the green ?ag and look at how the 
dragon?y moves now.
Dragon?y wings make a ?uttering sound as they vibrate. You can edit a sound in Scratch to create your own 
sound.
? Add the Crank sound to the Dragon?y sprite.
Adding a sound from the library
? Select the sprite you want to 
add the sound to.
? Click the Sounds tab, and 
click Choose a Sound :
Page 3


1
Introduction 
Grow a dragon?y
This project provides step-by-step instructions to help you gain new skills.  In this project, you will 
make a nature app with a dragon?y that grows bigger as it eats insects.
Open the URL (rpf.io/grow-a-dragon?y) in your browser 
to experience how the project work. Move the mouse 
around the Stage to eat insects. Try to understand the 
following: 
How do the insects move?
? Which part of the dragon?y needs to touch the 
insects to eat them? 
? What happens to the dragon?y when the 
dragon?y eats an insect?
Set the scene
Open the URL (rpf.io/dragon-?y) in your browser to open  the starter project. 
Choose your backdrop and add a dragon?y.
Follow the given steps:
? Click Choose a Backdrop and add a backdrop of your choice. We used the Jurassic backdrop.
? Click Choose a Sprite and search for dragon?y, then add the Dragon?y sprite.
2
? Add the script to make the Dragon?y sprite 
follow the mouse-pointer.
Test: Click the green ?ag and make the Dragon?y 
sprite move around the Stage. Is the dragon?y 
moving as you would expect?
The Dragon?y costume is not facing to the right, so the head of the Dragon?y sprite is not pointing towards 
the mouse-pointer.
? Click on the Costumes tab and use the Select 
(arrow) tool to select the costume.
? Use the Rotate tool at bottom of the selected 
costume to turn the Dragon?y costume to 
face the right.
Test: Click the green ?ag and look at how the 
dragon?y moves now.
Dragon?y wings make a ?uttering sound as they vibrate. You can edit a sound in Scratch to create your own 
sound.
? Add the Crank sound to the Dragon?y sprite.
Adding a sound from the library
? Select the sprite you want to 
add the sound to.
? Click the Sounds tab, and 
click Choose a Sound :
3
? Choose a suitable sound.
You should then see that your sprite has 
your chosen sound.
Test: Click the Play button so you can 
hear the sound.
The Crank sound is too long and too slow for dragon?y wings.
? Select the end of the sound using 
your cursor or ?nger.
? Click Copy to New to make a 
new sound with just the selected 
part:
? Rename your new sound from Crank2 
to Wings.
Page 4


1
Introduction 
Grow a dragon?y
This project provides step-by-step instructions to help you gain new skills.  In this project, you will 
make a nature app with a dragon?y that grows bigger as it eats insects.
Open the URL (rpf.io/grow-a-dragon?y) in your browser 
to experience how the project work. Move the mouse 
around the Stage to eat insects. Try to understand the 
following: 
How do the insects move?
? Which part of the dragon?y needs to touch the 
insects to eat them? 
? What happens to the dragon?y when the 
dragon?y eats an insect?
Set the scene
Open the URL (rpf.io/dragon-?y) in your browser to open  the starter project. 
Choose your backdrop and add a dragon?y.
Follow the given steps:
? Click Choose a Backdrop and add a backdrop of your choice. We used the Jurassic backdrop.
? Click Choose a Sprite and search for dragon?y, then add the Dragon?y sprite.
2
? Add the script to make the Dragon?y sprite 
follow the mouse-pointer.
Test: Click the green ?ag and make the Dragon?y 
sprite move around the Stage. Is the dragon?y 
moving as you would expect?
The Dragon?y costume is not facing to the right, so the head of the Dragon?y sprite is not pointing towards 
the mouse-pointer.
? Click on the Costumes tab and use the Select 
(arrow) tool to select the costume.
? Use the Rotate tool at bottom of the selected 
costume to turn the Dragon?y costume to 
face the right.
Test: Click the green ?ag and look at how the 
dragon?y moves now.
Dragon?y wings make a ?uttering sound as they vibrate. You can edit a sound in Scratch to create your own 
sound.
? Add the Crank sound to the Dragon?y sprite.
Adding a sound from the library
? Select the sprite you want to 
add the sound to.
? Click the Sounds tab, and 
click Choose a Sound :
3
? Choose a suitable sound.
You should then see that your sprite has 
your chosen sound.
Test: Click the Play button so you can 
hear the sound.
The Crank sound is too long and too slow for dragon?y wings.
? Select the end of the sound using 
your cursor or ?nger.
? Click Copy to New to make a 
new sound with just the selected 
part:
? Rename your new sound from Crank2 
to Wings.
4
Test: Play the new sound. Click the Faster 
button a few times until you like the result:
If you like, you can select the very end of the 
Wings sound, and then click Delete to 
remove it:
? Now add a block to play the Wings sound 
when the dragon?y moves:
Test: Try out your dragon?y movement and sound 
effect .
A ?y to eat
You will add an insect for the dragon?y to eat.
There’s a ?y in the sprite that you can use.
Note: Remember to save your project.
Page 5


1
Introduction 
Grow a dragon?y
This project provides step-by-step instructions to help you gain new skills.  In this project, you will 
make a nature app with a dragon?y that grows bigger as it eats insects.
Open the URL (rpf.io/grow-a-dragon?y) in your browser 
to experience how the project work. Move the mouse 
around the Stage to eat insects. Try to understand the 
following: 
How do the insects move?
? Which part of the dragon?y needs to touch the 
insects to eat them? 
? What happens to the dragon?y when the 
dragon?y eats an insect?
Set the scene
Open the URL (rpf.io/dragon-?y) in your browser to open  the starter project. 
Choose your backdrop and add a dragon?y.
Follow the given steps:
? Click Choose a Backdrop and add a backdrop of your choice. We used the Jurassic backdrop.
? Click Choose a Sprite and search for dragon?y, then add the Dragon?y sprite.
2
? Add the script to make the Dragon?y sprite 
follow the mouse-pointer.
Test: Click the green ?ag and make the Dragon?y 
sprite move around the Stage. Is the dragon?y 
moving as you would expect?
The Dragon?y costume is not facing to the right, so the head of the Dragon?y sprite is not pointing towards 
the mouse-pointer.
? Click on the Costumes tab and use the Select 
(arrow) tool to select the costume.
? Use the Rotate tool at bottom of the selected 
costume to turn the Dragon?y costume to 
face the right.
Test: Click the green ?ag and look at how the 
dragon?y moves now.
Dragon?y wings make a ?uttering sound as they vibrate. You can edit a sound in Scratch to create your own 
sound.
? Add the Crank sound to the Dragon?y sprite.
Adding a sound from the library
? Select the sprite you want to 
add the sound to.
? Click the Sounds tab, and 
click Choose a Sound :
3
? Choose a suitable sound.
You should then see that your sprite has 
your chosen sound.
Test: Click the Play button so you can 
hear the sound.
The Crank sound is too long and too slow for dragon?y wings.
? Select the end of the sound using 
your cursor or ?nger.
? Click Copy to New to make a 
new sound with just the selected 
part:
? Rename your new sound from Crank2 
to Wings.
4
Test: Play the new sound. Click the Faster 
button a few times until you like the result:
If you like, you can select the very end of the 
Wings sound, and then click Delete to 
remove it:
? Now add a block to play the Wings sound 
when the dragon?y moves:
Test: Try out your dragon?y movement and sound 
effect .
A ?y to eat
You will add an insect for the dragon?y to eat.
There’s a ?y in the sprite that you can use.
Note: Remember to save your project.
5
? Add the Frog 2 sprite to your project. 
Rename the sprite to Insect:
You only need the ?y, not the frog.
? Click on the Costumes tab. Click on the ?y to 
select it and click on the Copy icon.
? Add a new costume to the sprite using the 
Paint option:
? Click on the Paste icon to paste the sprite into 
the new costume. Drag the ?y to the centre 
so it lines up with the crosshair.
? Rename your costume Insect and delete the 
other costumes, as you won’t need those: