Every kid in Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale, and Lamu deserves to tell their stories through animation. This project makes that possible — using the marine animals swimming right outside their doorstep.
An AI-powered animation teaching assistant for kids aged 10–17, built around the 12 Principles of Animation, localized for Kenya's Indian Ocean coastline, and aligned to the Kenya CBE curriculum and Raspberry Pi Foundation computing standards.
Testable system prompts covering everything from the bouncing ball to micro-expressions. Each prompt has a code block and a "What to Test" table with specific inputs and expected behaviors.
CBE-aligned, ready-to-teach lesson plans — one for every prompt module. Every lesson uses Kenyan Indian Ocean marine animals as animation characters. A teacher can pick up any lesson plan and teach it directly.
341 test cases across all 58 prompts, with CLI for listing, focusing, and non-interactive review.
SQLite-backed student tracker with 30 achievement badges across 5 tiers, printable HTML reports, and standards-aligned progress bars.
- Animation tools landscape (7 tools for ages 10–17)
- Four-pass gap analysis (42 gaps identified and filled)
- Standards mapping (RPF 11-strand taxonomy + Kenya CBE 4-strand curriculum)
- Kenya ocean animals reference — 30+ species with animation movement categories
Every lesson plan uses at least one animal from Kenya's Marine Big Five or reef ecosystem as the animation subject. This isn't decoration — it's pedagogy.
| Animal | Swahili Name | Animation Principle It Teaches |
|---|---|---|
| 🐢 Green Sea Turtle | Kasa | Weight shift, heavy vs light, quadruped locomotion |
| 🐬 Bottlenose Dolphin | Pomboo | Arcs, anticipation, breaching (jump physics) |
| 🦈 Whale Shark | Papa Shinga | Scale through timing, massive weight, slow momentum |
| 🐙 Octopus | Pweza | Secondary motion (8 tentacles = complex trailing) |
| 🪼 Jellyfish | — | Squash & stretch (pulsing bell), secondary motion (tentacle delay) |
Kids in Mombasa animate Pomboo the Dolphin leaping at Kisite-Mpunguti. Kids in Kilifi animate Kasa the Turtle nesting at Watamu. The animals are real, the locations are real, the conservation messages are real. Animation becomes a way to connect with and protect their own environment.
Every lesson plan follows the Kenya Competency-Based Curriculum format:
CBE Strand Mapping → Which curriculum strand and sub-strand
Learning Outcomes → 3 outcomes (knowledge, skill, value)
Key Inquiry Question → The driving question for the lesson
Local Context → The Kenyan ocean animal used + conservation note
Lesson Development → 4 steps (intro → concept → guided → independent → sharing)
Assessment Table → 4-level rubric (BE / AE / ME / EE)
Extended Activity → Homework or follow-up project
Differentiation → Support for struggling + challenge for advanced
Teacher Reflection → Self-assessment checklist
Assessment rubric levels:
- BE = Below Expectation
- AE = Approaching Expectation
- ME = Meets Expectation
- EE = Exceeds Expectation
| # | Module | Ocean Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | System Persona & Character Voice | 🐬 Dolphin (Pomboo) |
| 02 | Tool Routing — Right Software | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa) |
| 03 | Step-by-Step Project Guide | 🐙 Octopus (Pweza) |
| 04 | Principle Explainer — 12 Principles | 🪼 Jellyfish |
| 05 | Code-First Animation (Scratch/Python) | 🐠 Clownfish |
| 06 | Critique & Feedback | 🦈 Whale Shark (Papa Shinga) |
| 07 | Troubleshooting | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa) |
| 08 | Curriculum Planner | 🐬 Dolphin (Pomboo) |
| # | Module | Ocean Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 09 | Daily Challenge Generator | 🦀 Crab |
| 10 | Reference Library Guide | 🐬 Dolphin (Pomboo) |
| 11 | Progress Tracker & Badges | 🐠 Parrotfish |
| 12 | Showcase & Exhibition | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa) |
| 13 | Animation Glossary | 🐙 Octopus (Pweza) |
| 14 | Tool Comparison Helper | 🦈 Whale Shark vs 🐠 Clownfish |
| 15 | Parent & Teacher Guide | 🐬 Dolphin (Pomboo) |
| 16 | Story & Storyboard Builder | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa) |
| 17 | Animation History & Inspiration | 🪼 Jellyfish |
| 18 | Workflow & File Management | 🐠 Butterflyfish |
| # | Module | Ocean Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Color Theory & Visual Design | 🐠 Parrotfish |
| 20 | Sound & Audio Design | 🐬 Dolphin (Pomboo) |
| 21 | Rigging Deep Dive | 🐙 Octopus (Pweza) |
| 22 | Compositing & Rendering | 🪼 Jellyfish |
| 23 | Portfolio & Career Path | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa) |
| 24 | Animation Styles & Techniques | 🐠 Lionfish |
| 25 | Collaboration & Team Animation | 🐬 Dolphin pod |
| 26 | Raspberry Pi & Low-Resource | 🐠 Clownfish |
| 27 | Kid-Friendly FAQ | 🦀 Crab |
| 28 | Acting for Animation | 🐙 Octopus (Pweza) |
| # | Module | Ocean Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Animation Physics & Weight | 🦈 Whale Shark (Papa Shinga) |
| 30 | Character Design & Shape Language | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa) |
| 31 | Camera & Cinematography | 🐬 Dolphin (Pomboo) |
| 32 | Advanced Body Mechanics | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa) |
| 33 | Facial Animation & Expressions | 🐙 Octopus (Pweza) |
| 34 | Special Effects Animation | 🪼 Jellyfish |
| 35 | Timing Charts & Spacing | 🐠 Clownfish |
| 36 | Accessibility & Adaptive Animation | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa) |
| 37 | Community & Online Etiquette | 🐬 Dolphin (Pomboo) |
| 38 | Contests, Festivals & Challenges | 🐠 Parrotfish |
| # | Module | Ocean Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Animation Editing & Post-Production | 🐙 Octopus (Pweza) |
| 40 | Background & Environment Design | 🪸 Coral Reef |
| 41 | Anatomy & Figure Drawing | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa) |
| 42 | Voice Acting & Dialogue Recording | 🐙 Octopus (Pweza) |
| 43 | Music Synchronization & Beat Sync | 🐬 Dolphin (Pomboo) |
| 44 | Mixed Media & Experimental Techniques | 🪸 Coral Reef Ecosystem |
| 45 | Game Animation & Sprite Sheets | 🐠 Clownfish |
| 46 | Production & Project Management | 🦈 Whale Shark (Papa Shinga) |
| 47 | AI Ethics & Animation Tools | 🐙 Octopus (Pweza) |
| 48 | Pacing & Rhythm | 🐬 Dolphin (Pomboo) |
| # | Module | Ocean Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 49 | Rotoscoping & Video Reference | 🐬 Dolphin (Pomboo) |
| 50 | Motion Capture & Mocap | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa) |
| 51 | Balance, Weight Shift & Ground Contact | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa) |
| 52 | Exaggeration vs Realism | 🦈 Whale Shark (Papa Shinga) |
| 53 | Cloth, Hair & Secondary Motion | 🪼 Jellyfish |
| 54 | Micro-Expressions & Subtle Performance | 🐙 Octopus (Pweza) |
| 55 | Stop Motion with Nature & Found Objects | 🐢 Turtle (Kasa, from beach stones) |
| 56 | Observational Sketching & Movement Studies | 🐬 Dolphin (Pomboo) |
| 57 | Photogrammetry & 3D Scanning | 🐚 Seashell from Watamu |
| 58 | Light, Shadow & Ambient Occlusion | 🐟 Manta Ray |
Beginner (10-12) Intermediate (12-14) Advanced (14-17)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Scratch ──────────────► Krita ──────────────────► OpenToonz
Stop Motion Studio ──► Pencil2D ───────────────► Blender (3D)
Synfig (tweening) ──────► Blender (Grease Pencil)
Also supports: Raspberry Pi, Chromebook, phone/tablet, game engines, and adaptive/accessible tools. No kid is left out because of hardware.
# Register a student
python tracker/progress_tracker.py add_student --name "Amani" --age 13 --grade 8 --school "Mombasa Primary"
# Record module progress (CBE rubric: BE, AE, ME, EE)
python tracker/progress_tracker.py record --student-id S001 --module 29 --level ME --notes "Great whale shark physics"
# View badges and RPF tier
python tracker/progress_tracker.py badges --student-id S001
# Generate printable HTML report
python tracker/progress_tracker.py report --student-id S001 --output report.html
# Class-level summary
python tracker/progress_tracker.py class-report --output class_report.html30 badges across 5 tiers:
- 🌱 Creator (3) — first animation, tool exploration, first export
- 🔧 Builder (4) — squash, arcs, timing, weight
- 🎨 Developer (6) — walk cycle, anticipation, follow-through, mood, lip sync, voice
- 🏆 Maker (11) — storyboard, rigging, effects, sound, game animation, contests, Pi pioneer, physics master, mentor, style, short film
- 🇰🇪 CBE Competency (6) — digital citizen, creative thinker, problem solver, collaborator, code creator, AI ethicist
Badges auto-award when a student reaches ME or EE on relevant modules.
python tests/test_prompts.py --list # List all 58 prompts + 341 test cases
python tests/test_prompts.py --prompt 29 # Focus on the animation physics prompt
python tests/test_prompts.py --non-interactive # Run without user prompts| Framework | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Foundation | 11 content strands + 5 Digital Making strands + 4 progression levels (Creator → Builder → Developer → Maker) |
| Kenya CBE | 4 strands (Foundation, Networks, Software, Programming) + 7 core competencies + 4-level rubric (BE/AE/ME/EE) |
Full mapping in research/standards-mapping.md.
| Park | County | Key Species | Lesson Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watamu Marine National Park | Kilifi | Turtles, whale sharks, coral | Lessons 29, 30, 49, 51, 55, 57 |
| Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Reserve | Kwale | Dolphins, sea turtles | Lessons 01, 31, 43, 49, 56 |
| Malindi Marine National Park | Kilifi | Coral fish, sea turtles | Lesson 44 |
| Mombasa Marine National Park | Mombasa | Coral reef, diverse fish | Lessons 44, 53 |
| Diani-Chale Marine Reserve | Kwale | Whale sharks, dolphins | Lessons 51, 58 |
| Lamu Archipelago | Lamu | Dugongs, turtles, mangroves | (Reference) |
- Age-calibrated everything — tone, vocabulary, tools, critique depth
- The 12 Principles are the backbone — every module ties to them
- Project-based learning — kids learn by making (ball → walk cycle → short film)
- Process over product — celebrate effort, not just polished results
- Never dismiss a kid's ambition — redirect to age-appropriate starting points
- Hardware equity — Pi, Chromebook, and phone kids can animate too
- Acting > drawing — performance is the #1 animator skill
- Animation is for everyone — adaptive tools for all needs
- Physics makes it believable — weight, momentum, the Odd Rule
- Done > perfect — finishing matters more than perfecting
- AI is a tool, not a replacement — learn fundamentals first
- Local is powerful — Kenya's ocean animals make animation relevant
- Read the lesson template:
lessons/LESSON-TEMPLATE.md - Pick a lesson: Any
lessons/lesson-NN-*.mdfile — they're numbered by difficulty - Check the ocean animal reference:
research/kenya-ocean-animals.md - Gather resources: Each lesson lists what you need (mostly free tools)
- Teach: Follow the 4-step lesson development structure
- Assess: Use the BE/AE/ME/EE rubric table in each lesson
- Track progress: Use
tracker/progress_tracker.pyto record and badge
Recommended starting point for beginners: Lesson 01 (System Persona) → Lesson 04 (Principles) → Lesson 29 (Physics with whale sharks)
MIT — free to use, modify, and share. Built for the kids of Kenya's coast and beyond. 🌊
This project is part of a growing movement to make animation education accessible to every child, regardless of hardware, budget, or geography. From Watamu to Lamu, from Mombasa to Diani — the ocean is our classroom, and every animal is a character waiting to be animated.