I am presently working with my school librarian to set up a MakerSpace for my school and it is definitely QUITE a project. Harvesting donations, acquiring storage space, establishing a vision, securing and funding supplies/materials and many other tasks loom large on my MakerSpace 'to do' list.
Convinced I would NOT become overwhelmed (I teach ELA and social studies too...😳), I decided to start small by creating a monthly STEM challenge.
Each month, a STEM challenge box will be waiting for students in the MakerSpace area in the library. Students are invited to tackle the challenge. Successful students must submit a reflection sheet:
Once students complete the project and submit their reflection sheet, they earn the monthly MakerSpace Challenge badge and have their name listed on the wall of fame!!
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| Badge created with http://www.onlinebadgemaker.com/ |
With rosey cheeks (enhanced by LEDs) and a cute little grin, I'm confident this lucky charmer will win my students over!
The whole concept of circuits was a bit intimidating to me at first, but the web is filled with valuable resources to make circuitry projects approachable for virtually ANYONE! Some of the best resources I canvased to make this project were: Makerspaces, Make, SparkFun and Instructables.
Each site provides excellent FREE printables, downloadable materials and instructions to get yourself launched into the world of the paper circuit.
My version of a paper circuit is this Shamrock circuit and it is a GREAT way to bring a robust STEM learning experience into your classroom!
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| Get the template here!! |
Materials Needed:
<--click get="" p="" to="" yours=""><----download br="" here="" yours="">●1 coin battery
●Copper Tape with conductive adhesive
●2 LED lights (Light Emitting Diode)
●Regular Adhesive Tape
●Scissors
●Binder Clip
●Reflection Sheet
●Markers/colored pencils for added decoration
- Establish a parallel circuit by adhering the copper tape from the battery resting place along the guidelines on the template
- Punch through 2 LED lights to form the 'cheeks'
- Spread the LED terminals so that the longer one touches the + side and the shorter one touches the - side. Tape in place.
- Place battery + side up on the marked location
- Fold corner along the foldline to connect the copper to the battery and clip with a binder clip to secure.
- Decorate.
Certainly circuits are worth trying, as long as you're:
✨Using Your Smarticles✨
Need materials? Here are my Amazon affiliate links:
Copper Tape:
Bullet Face Copper Foil Tape with Double-sided Conductive (1/4inch X 21.8yards)- EMI Shielding,Stained Glass,Soldering,Electrical Repairs,Slug Repellent,Paper Circuits,Grounding (1/4inch)
LED:
LED Diode, CO RODE 3mm 5mm LED Lights Emitting Diodes Assorted Clear Bulbs Kit with (White Red Blue Green Yellow, 300-Pack)
Nickel Batteries:
50 Pack 3V High capacity Lithium Button Coin Cell Batteries CR2032 DL2032 ECR2032 GPCR2032 Used in most electronic devices
