Thankfully, Arduino forum member Romano d'Ezzelino has put together a series of reference cards that show the basics of a number of common connections.

If you’re looking to one-up the basic store-bought decorations, and maybe teach your kid the basics of an Arduino while you’re at it — why not build a Peek-A-Boo Ghost!

Technically, the extras in the Arduino Basic Kit aren't anything a savvy consumer couldn't order piecemeal, but there's something nice about having everything ready for you in one place.

We'll outline the basics of the Arduino itself, what the crazy jumble of wires means, and then step through how to use other people's code and schematics to build your first electronics project ...