Code-Along: Turtle's Journey

Follow these instructions to create a basic turtle program.

Click here for the starter project. Fork the project to begin.

Part One: Setup

Take a look at the code that is currently in the main.py file. Run the project to see what it currently does. It does not do much, but there are already a few improvements to be made.

Challenge: Make Some Updates

Make the following updates to the code:

Give your turtle a different name (other than "Turtle")
Change the background color to something else (other than white)
Make the window a new size (bigger than 300 by 100)

Run the program after making the updates, and see how it changes! The code should look something like this:

from turtle import Turtle, Screen, title, done

title("Leo's Journey")

paper = Screen()
paper.bgcolor("black")
paper.setup(500, 500)

done()

Part Two: Turtle Time

Now the window is looking alright, but it's pretty boring! Create a new turtle cursor to go on the screen.

Create a new variable with the name of your turtle (e.g., leo =)
Set the turtle to be Turtle()
- Must have a capital T and must have parentheses (())
Use .shape to set the turtle's shape to "arrow"
- How could it be made into a turtle instead of an arrow?
Update the color of the turtle
- Use the .shape command as an example to figure it out!
Update the size of the turtle with .turtlesize
- Passing in 2 will make it twice as big!

Run the program, and make sure the new turtle friend appears! The code should look something like this:

leo = Turtle()

leo.shape("turtle")
leo.color("blue")
leo.turtlesize(2)

Part Three: Turtle Draw

The turtle is pretty boring right now. It's just hanging out on the screen, doing nothing. It's time to make it draw!

First, set the speed of the turtle to 1
- Very similar to setting the shape, color,, and turtlesize
Additionally, set the pensize to 4
- Also very similar to the lines above

Now the turtle is ready for action. It's time for it to draw a square.

Use .forward to move the turtle in the direction it's facing
Use .right to turn the turtle 90 degrees so it will be facing down
Use .forward to move the turtle again - but this time, it will move down!

Run the program to see how it's currently working. The turtle should draw about half of a square! The code should look something like this:

leo.speed(1)
leo.pensize(4)

leo.forward(100)
leo.right(90)
leo.forward(100)

Challenge: Complete the Square

See if you can figure out how to finish the rest of the square!

Hint: You only have to use .forward(100) and .right(90) for this to work.

The code for the remainder of the square should look something like this:

leo.forward(100)
leo.right(90)
leo.forward(100)
leo.right(90)
leo.forward(100)
leo.right(90)
leo.forward(100)
leo.right(90)

Part Four: Turtle Talk

The last part is for the turtle to sign their drawing by writing on the screen. The code looks like this:

leo.write("      I'm the best turtle")

Note all the spaces within the " and " - this ensures that the text does not overlap with the turtle on the screen.

Conclusion

That's it for the basic turtle program!

Final Code

The code in the main.py file should look something like this:

from turtle import Turtle, Screen, title, done

title("Leo's Journey")

paper = Screen()
paper.bgcolor("black")
paper.setup(500, 500)

leo = Turtle()

leo.shape("turtle")
leo.color("blue")
leo.turtlesize(2)
leo.speed(1)
leo.pensize(4)

leo.forward(100)
leo.right(90)
leo.forward(100)
leo.right(90)
leo.forward(100)
leo.right(90)
leo.forward(100)
leo.right(90)

leo.write("      I'm the best turtle")

done()

Code-Along