ENCHANTED ELECTRONICS

Enchanted Electronics   Ages 5-7

In these hands-on experiences, students combine tactile materials like playdough with electronic components to explore electricity and magnetism in a creative way. As they mold the playdough into various shapes, they’ll discover the conductive and insulative properties of different dough compositions, while designing 3D circuit models incorporating LED lights, motors, and buzzers.

Squishy Circuits Age Range: 5 - 7

https://sites.google.com/aceraschool.org/enchantedelectronics/squishy-circuits

Students combine tactile materials like Playdough with electronic components to explore electricity and magnetism in a creative way. As they mold the Playdough into various shapes, they’ll discover the conductive and insulative properties of different dough compositions, while designing 3D circuit models incorporating LED lights, motors, and buzzers.

Day 1: Introduction to Electricity – The Snail Project

·       Focus: Introduction to conductive dough and basic circuits.

·       Activity: Students will mold tactile materials like conductive homemade dough or Play-Doh into the shape of a snail. They will learn to create a basic circuit by connecting battery packs and inserting large, colorful 'gum drop' LED lights to make their 3D snail models glow.

Day 2: Exploring Materials – Stoplight Project

·       Focus: Discovering the conductive and insulative properties of different dough compositions.

·       Activity: Campers will build a 3D stoplight using a combination of conductive dough and insulating clay (such as oil-based modeling clay or plasticine). They will learn how to use the insulating clay to separate the conductive paths, ensuring that their red, yellow, and green LED lights light up properly without short-circuiting.

Day 3: Sound and Circuitry – Alarm Clock Project

·       Focus: Exploring how electricity powers sound.

·       Activity: Students will get creative by designing their own colorful alarm clocks out of playdough. They will incorporate Piezo Electric Buzzers into their 3D models, discovering how electrical energy can be transformed into sound.

Day 4: Magnetism and Motion – Sunflower Project

·       Focus: Incorporating movement into 3D circuit models.

·       Activity: Campers will sculpt a sunflower and wire it using DC Motors with propellers. This hands-on experience allows them to explore magnetism and motion in a creative way as they build a circuit that makes the petals of their sunflower spin.

Day 5: Complete Control – Airplane Project

·       Focus: Putting it all together and controlling the electrical flow.

·       Activity: For the final project, students will design an airplane incorporating the tactile dough and any combination of LED lights, buzzers, and motors. They will also incorporate paper clips as switches to explore how to manually open and close their circuits, allowing them to turn their airplane's electronic components on and off.

See Additional Projects at: https://squishycircuits.com/blogs/projects

Circuit Building

Age Range: 5 - 7 

Explore and expand on the basics of electrical circuits through fun, hands-on projects. Students will build various circuit types, learning current, voltage, and conductivity. Students will work together to use LED and lighting, motors, sensors, and more to build their own creations

Day 1: Introduction to Circuitry Basics

·       Tufts Circuit Activity Placemats
      https://sites.tufts.edu/pebl/2023/09/08/circuits/

·       Activity: Students will use double-sided, laminated "Circuits Activity Placemats" to learn the foundational basics of circuitry.

·       Concept: Campers will practice how to connect switches, lights, and motors, establishing a basic understanding of electricity before moving on to larger creations.

Day 2: Applied Circuit Challenges

·       Activity: Applying what they learned on the first day, students will participate in design challenges that require them to build practical items.

·       Projects: Campers will tackle the "Light Challenge" by building a lamp, as well as the "Motor Challenge" to construct a working fan.

Day 3: Exploring Alternative Circuits

·       Activity: To expand on the basics of conductivity and building various circuit types, students will dive into "Squishy Circuits" and "Paper Circuits".

·       Concept: These activities from the Enchanted Electronics curriculum introduce novel ways to build functioning circuits beyond traditional wires.

Day 4: Introduction to Bristlebots

·      https://sites.google.com/aceraschool.org/enchantedelectronics/bristlebots

·       Activity: Students will create their own kinetic "Bristlebots" using coin cell batteries, foam tape, wires, pipe cleaners, and a variety of toothbrushes and motors.

·       Concept: This group activity serves as a fun introduction to concepts of energy, motion, and animal movement. Students will first construct a standard Bristlebot before making their own unique versions.

Day 5: Engineering Challenges, Critterbots, and Scribbling Machines

CritterBots

·      https://sites.google.com/aceraschool.org/enchantedelectronics/critterbots

Scribbling Machines

·      https://sites.google.com/aceraschool.org/enchantedelectronics/scribbling-machines

·       Activity 1 (Bristlebot Challenges): Students will test their Bristlebots on tracks to meet specific engineering challenges: going over a small ramp, going around a corner using wooden blocks, and traveling in a straight line. Campers will draw and explain their designs, problem-solving and redesigning if their bot fails a challenge.

·       Activity 2 (New Machines): To cap off the week, students will broaden their exploration of motorized creations by discovering how to build "Critterbots" and "Scribbling Machines".