Manage Waste
Activities on this site are inexpensive and consumable.
This allows learners to own and personalize projects, make mistakes, and learn from successive attempts. However, consumable materials sometimes connote disposable materials.
You cannot reuse transparent and copper tape and aluminum foil. However, it can be frustrating to walk by a waste basket and see LEDs, resistors, batteries, and other components. Below are tips to prolong the longevity of components and encourage their reuse during further explorations.
Batteries
CR 2032, 2025, and 1620 batteries allow for a lot of usage. We've ran single LEDs continuously for about one week (168 hours) before power ceases.
Keep batteries in their original packaging until their intended use.
Encourage learners to reuse batteries (or return them if no longer interested).
To prevent energy leakage and shorts when storing opened batteries (particularly if they may come in contact with other components or batteries) cover battery poles with a piece of transparent or masking tape.
Components
Components can be reused in multiple projects, even if their leads are severely bent.
Encourage learners to bend component leads a few millimeters away from the actual component. This prevents the lead from breaking. Some components even mark bend points on their leads.
Do not pinch component leads, gently bend them to desired angles.
Encourage students to reuse components
Ask students to return used components if they are not interested in keeping them.
Binders, Fasteners, and Paperclips
Much like components, binder, fastener, and paperclips can be reused for multiple projects. Encourage students to reuse these materials or return them if they no longer want them.
Experiment with Breadboards!
Paper-based activities are meant to introduce circuits, not replace other traditional forms of instruction and experimentation. Relying solely on paper for circuit experimentation can be time consuming and wasteful.
Use a breadboard! Breadboards are full of holes arranged in rows and columns. These holes act as plug-ins for circuit components, allowing them to be arranged in various series and parallel paths. Thus, components can be added and removed without damage, allowing circuits to be tested prior to permanent development in origami projects. Before experimenting on the next airplane or box, see if the circuit functions properly on a breadboard!