- Figure out how to create the circuits with no directions provided
- Make a recognizable object.
1st Way - Conductive Play-Dough
For the play-dough, I used the recipes found at Teach Beside Me and they worked great (recipes below)! I doubled the given amounts for both and it turned out to be the perfect amount for the group of students.
Conductive Play-Dough (I used lemon juice when I made it)
1 cup Water
1 1/2 cups Flour
1/4 cup Salt
3 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar (or 9 Tbsp Lemon Juice gives the same results)
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
Food Coloring, if desired
Mix in a medium size pot and cook over medium heat stirring consistently. It will thicken into a dough as it cooks. Let it cool, then if it is still too gooey, knead in a bit more flour.
Insulating Play-Dough
1 1/2 to 2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
3 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Water (use distilled for better results)
Food Coloring, if desired
Mix well. Start with less flour, but add more if dough is too sticky. Mine was really sticky so I added quite a bit more flour to get it to the right consistency.
What is needed...
- Conducting Play-Dough
- Insulating Play-Dough
- Battery Pack
- (4) AA Batteries
- LED Lights
What they were given...
To make something like...
2nd Way - Pipe Cleaner Circuits
What is needed...
- Pipe Cleaners
- Scissors
- LED Lights
- Lithium Batteries
- Rubber Bands
- Paper Clips
What they were given...
To make something like...
3rd Way - Paper Circuits
What is needed...
- Markers
- Paper
- Lithium Batteries
- Copper Tape
- LED Lights
What they were given...
To make something like...
This was our first time working with this group of students and so we weren't sure quite what to expect with giving them little to no direction. It definitely test their skills in more ways than one! I saw a few of the signs turned around to the back, but they did not notice the websites I provided! ;)