Soft Circuits

45-90 min

Intermediate

Ages 8-13

What Will You Learn?

You’ll take your knowledge of circuits and use it to create a soft circuit on fabric. First, a light-up wrist cuff, then make and customize your own wearable!

Overview:

Campers will take their knowledge of circuits and use it to create a wearable soft circuit on fabric. They’ll create a light-up wrist cuff first, then create their own wearable.

Objectives:

  • Introduce soft circuits that use fabric to create a wearable project.
  • Encourage campers to design their own circuits for specific purposes.

Discover Soft Circuits

Imagine a world of wearable electronics. What kinds of circuits or electronics could you like to add to your clothing to make it better? Are there any electronics you’re already wearing?  If you were to invent a new fabric, what would it be like?

Cut Your Felt

We’re going to start today by making a simple no-sew light-up wrist cuff. Use the template to guide you.

Step 1

Cut a piece of felt that is at least 2 inches wide and 6-10 inches long, depending on the size of your wrist.

Step 2

On the right side, make two 1/2 inch vertical slits roughly 1/2 inch from the end of the felt to create tabs.

Step 3

On the left side, cut two 1/2 horizontal slits roughly 1/2 inch from the edge.

Attach Your Components With Foam Tape

Step 4

Attach the battery pack to the left side, slightly toward the top of the felt, as shown. 

Step 5

Attach the LED chip in the center. Make sure the white negative side is facing right and the red positive side is facing left. 

Complete the Circuit

Step 6

Apply Maker Tape as shown, wrapping the negative side over and around the felt on the right side.

Step 7

Add extra tape on the left side between the horizontal slits and on the right side on the back of the tabs to ensure a good connection. 

Complete the Cuff

Step 8

Turn the switch to “On.” Wrap the cuff around your wrist. Place the right side over the left and slide the tabs into the slits to complete the circuit. (Figure 4e, 4f)

Step 9

Decorate your cuff in any way you like! (Figure 4g)

No Sew Alternatives

Traditional LEDs

Want to use traditional LEDs and a battery? Just gently bend the LEDs and attach the battery as you did for Paper Circuits.

Multiple LEDs

Want to add multiple LEDs? Try a parallel circuit instead. (Figure 4l)

What's Next?

Complete one of these challenges:

  • Discovery – Mix it up! How can you improve upon your cuff? Or maybe you want to make something else like a phone case or necklace. Check out these projects for inspiration, then adapt them to use Makers Tape as needed.

  • Exploration – Mash it up! Can you add a solar panel, tilt switch, or motor to your soft circuit to make it do something really cool? Check out these projects for inspiration.

  • Innovation – Stitch it up! Learn how to make a running stitch and use it to create your circuit. Or add decorations to your cuff using basic embroidery.

Take It Further

These projects take longer to make, but are really fun!

Need more inspiration? Visit our Make: Projects Gallery for more ideas.

The Future of Soft Circuits

  • Invite campers to share their creations. 

  • What new challenges did you face working with fabric or foam? 

  • What new opportunities did the materials provide for creating your inventions?

  • Encourage students to share their creations with their families at home and try to teach them what they learned today.

Designing Paper Circuits

60-90 min

Intermediate

Ages 8-13

What Will You Learn?

In this project, you’ll build light-up paper circuits, and learn how to design both series and parallel circuits, by making your own LED circuit card.

Overview: In this lesson, campers will learn to use conductive tape to build and design their own circuits. First, they’ll create and compare series and parallel circuits used to light LEDs. Then they’ll have time to design their own paper circuit or adapt a paper circuit provided as inspiration.

Objectives:

  • Introduce paper circuits as a way to design light-up projects.

  • Compare and contrast series and parallel circuits.

  • Power multiple loads using a parallel circuit.

  • Design, build, and troubleshoot a circuit of the camper’s own design.

Draw It Challenge

Quick design challenge! Grab some copy paper and coloring supplies. Design a card for any occasion. Be as silly or serious as you want. One rule: It must include fire, a light bulb, or a star as an image somewhere on the card. You have just 3 minutes! When done share your design with a buddy.

Build a Paper Cicuit

LED Basics

Today we’ll be using traditional LEDs to create electrical circuits on paper.

  • An LED has two legs, or leads. The long one is the positive (+) lead. The short one is the negative (−) lead. It’s important to know which is which. It can help to take a permanent marker and color the negative lead black.

  • Test your LED before going any further. Slip the LED over the battery so that the positive lead lies against the positive side of the battery (marked with a +) and the negative lead rests against the other side. The LED should light up.

  • Try adding more LEDs. What happens? Your battery only produces 3 volts of electricity. LEDs use 1.7 to 3.3 volts. When the LEDs draw too much voltage, they will not light up anymore. And when you mix colors, the electricity will flow to the lower voltage LEDs and skip the high voltage ones. Learn more about LEDs.

Circuits in Series and Parallel

Recall yesterday’s basic circuit. We lit one LED. How can we light more LEDs?

  • We need to build a parallel circuit. Unlike in a series circuit, in a parallel circuit each component is wired back to the battery in its own loop.

  • The battery only has enough power — voltage — to light up one LED. If you add more LEDs in a series, there is not enough voltage for them all.

  • By building the circuit in parallel the battery power is distributed to each LED separately. Learn more.

  • We’ll be building both series and parallel circuits today.

Note: Refer to your Glossary for more resources, including videos. Or check out this presentation.

Practice with Conductive Tape

Today Maker Tape will be used to conduct electricity in our circuit. So that we don’t waste this valuable resource, we’re going to practice with masking tape on a table first.

Step 1

Start by using your masking tape to create straight lines, sharp angles, and curves.

Step 2

Whenever possible, we want to use continuous pieces of tape, even when changing direction.

Step 3

To create a right angle, we fold the corners. Lay down tape to the edge of the corner. Then fold your tape in the opposite direction you want to turn so that the sticky side is face up and flatten the tape. Next, fold the tape back over in the direction of your turn and flatten again.

Step 4

Practice this fold several times with masking tape and then practice with Maker Tape on scrap paper. Try different corners and curves. Need more help? Try this tutorial.

Using the Templates

Next, we’re going to use the template to make a series circuit and a parallel circuit. Start with the series circuit.

Step 5

Pick an LED. Remember that the long lead is the positive side and the short lead is the negative side.

Step 6

Gently bend the leads out from the center so that the LED can fit flatly against the paper. Be careful not to break the leads off the LED. If desired, mark the positive lead with black marker for easy identification.

Step 7

Place the LED on the paper as shown, being careful to line up positive and negative leads correctly.

Step 8

Apply Maker Tape along the lines on the template and OVER the leads of the LED. Use your finger or fingernail to press the tape down against the LED leads.

Step 9

Make a small loop of Maker Tape with the sticky side facing out. Use this to attach your battery to the paper with the negative side down.

Step 10

Fold the paper over along the dotted line and press down to complete the circuit. Your LED should light up!

Step 11

Complete both templates. How are they the same? How do they differ?

Troubleshooting

If your LED doesn’t light up, you may need to troubleshoot your circuit.

  • Check for breaks or tears in the Maker Tape path and patch them if needed.

  • Make sure the positive side of the battery is connected to the positive side of the LED, and the negative side of the battery is connected to the negative side of the LED. Students can experiment with turning the battery over.

  • Make sure the LED is solidly connected to the Maker Tape path. Press down on the LED to test if the connection is an issue.

  • Make sure the battery is not out of charge.

  • Make sure you are not “shorting” the circuit by overlapping the Maker Tape in the wrong location or allowing the tape to touch both sides of the battery. A short allows current to travel along an unintended path.

Need more help? Chibitronics has a great Troubleshooting Guide.

What's Next?

Create Your Own Paper Circuit

Complete one of these challenges:

Note: Remind campers that taking some time to sketch your design before building is a great way to plan, problem-solve, and save supplies!

Take It Further

Have more time and looking for challenge?

Explore adding additional types of switches to your projects. See Lever SwitchBinder ClipPaper Clip, and Slide Switch.

Need more inspiration? Visit our Make: Projects Gallery for more ideas.

Share Your Paper Circuit

  • Invite campers to share their creations. 

  • What was most challenging about creating a paper circuit? 

  • What tips would they share with a camper trying a paper circuit for the first time? 

  • Encourage students to share their creations with their families at home and try to teach them what they learned today.

Getting to Know Circuits

60-90 min

Novice

Ages 8-13

What Will You Learn?

Let’s dive in to learn more about how circuits work! You’ll build a simple series circuit that lights up. Then you’ll make a conductivity tester and compare the electrical properties of different materials. Finally, you’ll learn about switches and add them to your circuit.

Overview:

In this lesson, campers will be introduced to the basics of how circuits work. They’ll learn some simple terminology associated with circuits and build a series circuit. Campers will compare the electrical properties of different materials. Finally, they will learn about switches and add them to their circuit.

Objectives:

  • Introduce campers to what circuits are and how they work.

  • Introduce the idea that a circuit must be closed for electricity to flow.

  • Introduce what a switch is and how it works.

Electricity Scavenger Hunt

Electricity Scavenger hunt! Search your space for 3 minutes. Make a list (or take pictures) of as many things that use electricity as you can. Share your lists with a buddy. Who found the most electrical devices? Who found the most unusual item?

What Is a Circuit?

A circuit is a loop made up of different components — like your LED — that allows electricity to flow. 

  • Circuits must have a power source, a load like your LED, and a conductive material that allows the electrical energy to flow. 

  • Ask campers to try to identify the power source, load, and conductive material from one of the electrical items they identified earlier.

  • The loop must be closed for a circuit to work. Your LED will light up when electricity flows from the battery through the light and back to the battery.

  • The electricity in a circuit must flow in the right direction. Power flows from the negative (-) side of the battery (anode) to the positive (+) side of the battery (cathode). Some loads, like LEDs, must be connected in the right direction for them to work. 

  • Want more information on circuits? Try this presentation.

Light up Your LED

Step 1

Gently pop the Battery Pack out of the Shake It Board. Place a battery into your battery pack with the smooth positive side facing up. Turn the switch to “on.”

Step 2

Link 2-3 paper clips together into a chain. Make three chains total.

Step 3

Hook one paper clip chain to the battery pack on the positive (red) side, taking care to touch the metal tinned area. If desired, use a bit of Maker Tape to strengthen the connection. Connect the other side of the paper clip chain to the positive (red) side of the LED. 

Step 4

Repeat with another chain of paper clips, connecting the negative (white) side of the battery to the negative (white) side of the LED.

Step 5

Turn on the switch. Your LED should light up. Note: You may need to wiggle or pull on the paper clip chains a bit to get a good connection. You have just created a simple series circuit, a loop where the whole current flows through each component.

Test Properties of Different Materials

Step 6

Turn off the battery pack. Unhook the chain from the red (positive) side of the battery pack. Attach the third paper clip chain to the battery pack. Turn on the battery pack. 

Step 7

To test items for conductivity, touch the unhooked chains to the item. If the LED lights up it conducts electricity. Test the maker tape, a pencil, a paper clip, an eraser, cardboard, a cup of water, yourself, etc.

Step 8

On the board (or elsewhere) make a list of things that conduct electricity and things that don’t. What do they have in common, if anything?

Add a Tilt Switch

Step 9

Turn off the battery pack. Place the tilt switch between the two unlinked paper clip chains, connecting to the white, tinned (shiny) openings. Turn on the battery pack.

Step 10

Move the tilt switch to turn the LED on and off. In what ways could a tilt switch be used in your inventions? What other things could you use as a switch?

Build a Parallel Circuit (Optional)

Step 11

Have campers partner up. Ask them if they can add a second or third LED to the circuit. (If working virtually, have campers use traditional LEDs rather than chip LEDs.)

Step 12

If campers attempt to simply add another LED to the chain, they will quickly run out of power to light them all. This is the series circuit where all the load elements are connected in a single path. (See glossary for further information.)

Step 13

Build a parallel circuit instead. Use paper clips to make a circuit where each LED has its own loop back to the battery.

What's Next?

Bigger and Better Circuits

Complete one of these challenges:

  • Discovery Level – Work with friends to create the biggest or longest circuit you can. Share supplies as needed. Is there a limit to how many LEDs you can add? Is there a limit to how many alligator clips you can clip together? Why?

  • Exploration Level – Based on your experiments with conductivity, what else could you use to replace the paper clips? Test a circuit that uses different conductors.

  • Innovation Level – Design and test your own switch. Try using paper clips, brass brads, binder clips, aluminum foil, or other materials in your design. Want some ideas? Try “How to Use Switches.”

Note: Encourage campers to mount their creations by using tape on scrap cardboard as needed for structural support.

Take It Further

Tinkercad is a free online tool you can use to design circuits. They offer free tutorials and projects that are perfect for independent learning. Try it! Please note, campers will need to make a free account to use the website. Educators can also create class pages.

Circuit Reflections

  • Invite campers to share their creations.

  • What did you learn about how circuits work?

  • What traits did the conductors have? The insulators? How can you use this in your daily life?

  • Encourage students to share their creations with their families at home and try to teach them what they learned today.

Circuits in Motion

60-90 min

Novice

Ages 8-13

What Will You Learn?

Let’s jump in and put some circuits to work.

We’ll explore circuits and make two moving paper circuits — a race car with a vibrating offset motor and a vibrobot that uses a disc motor like the ones found in cell phones.

Overview:

Campers will engage with circuits through experimentation. They’ll investigate forces and motion while using engineering skills to prototype a small race car and a vibrobot.

Objectives:

  • Introduce electricity as a way to power circuits that do work.

  • Introduce motors as potential loads for circuits.

  • Explore the physics of forces and motion as they apply to a simple vibrobot.

Circuit Simon Says

Let's Get Moving!

Have everyone stand up and do a “Simon Says” style of activity where campers try different types of motion — marching in place, jumping up and down, dancing, clapping, etc. Use the terms “off and on” or “closed and open circuit.”

Explain to your campers that today we’ll be making creations that use electricity to move.

Test Your Components

Today we’ll be using circuits to power motors that set things in motion.

Step 1

Find your Shake It Board. Place a battery into your battery pack with the smooth positive side facing up. Turn the switch to “on.”

What is causing the motion? Look closely at the shaft of the motor. (Hint: Unbalanced forces! Learn more about this type of motor in the glossary.)

Build Your Paper Racer Model

Step 2

Color your race car template as desired. Assemble the paper template.

Step 3

Cut along the solid lines. Fold along the dotted lines.

Step 4

Glue or tape the tabs into place.

Add the Motor and Switch

Step 5

Slip the Shake It Board into the body of the racer.

Step 6

Turn on the switch. What happens? Why?

Customize!

Step 7

Gather materials such as drinking straws, pipe cleaners, paperclips, buttons, etc. Try making wheels or blades for your racer. How can you reduce friction so that the car moves more quickly? (Figure 1c, d)

Step 8

Try adding weight to different parts of the car to see how it affects the motion. Does the weight of the car affect the motion? How? Why?

Build Your Vibrobot Paper Model!

A vibrobot is a tiny robot powered by a vibrating motor, like the type found in cell phones. Let’s start by assembling the paper model.

Step 9

Color your vibrobot template as desired. Assemble the paper template.

Step 10

Cut along the solid lines. Fold along the dotted lines.

Step 11

Glue or tape the tabs into place.

Add your Motor

Step 12

Stick the disc motor to the back of your paper bot, near the bottom.

Step 13

Connect the red wire to the positive side (+) of a battery with Maker Tape.

Step 14

Use a loop of invisible tape to attach the battery to the back of the robot near the top with the positive side face down.

Step 15

Connect the blue wire to the negative side of the battery with Maker Tape.

Decorate

Step 16

Decorate your bot as you like.

Try using paper clips as weight to adjust the balance of the robot and make him spin. Can you use items like drinking straws to make him move faster? Can you design a way to turn the bot on and off?

Compare

Step 17

Compare the two bots. Swap the motors between the race car and vibrobot. Which do you prefer? Why?

Try making a track for your race car or create a ring to battle your bots.

What's Next?

Build a Better Bot

Take what you’ve learned and make your creation better.

  • Discovery – Build a better bot! How can you improve on your vibrobot? Use these ideas as inspiration to create your own version of a vibrobot.

  • Exploration – Let’s draw! Use markers or colored pencils to create an art bot that scribbles on paper. 

  • Innovation – Build beyond the bot. Can you invent a bot to accomplish a task, like mopping a floor, entertaining a pet, or mixing up salad dressing?

Take It Further

Have more time and looking for challenge?

Try creating an origami circuit that moves, like this Origami Ladybug VibroBot or Origami Spider Vibrobot.

Need more inspiration? Visit our Make: Projects Gallery for more ideas.

Share Your Bot

Let’s share what we’ve learned!

  • Invite campers to share their creations. 

  • Which motor do you prefer and why? What other motors can you think of in your daily life? What power source do they use?

  • What kinds of inventions could you create with these supplies?

  • Encourage students to share their creations with their families at home and try to teach them what they learned today.

Circuit Showcase

45-90 min

Novice

Ages 8+

What Will You Learn?

Overview: Campers will share their projects with one another in a gallery-walk style mini Maker Faire. This will be an opportunity to share what campers made and enjoy what others created.

Objectives:

  • Communicate the design process as it applies to a project.

  • Share feedback about the designs of other campers in a supportive way.

  • Celebrate accomplishments.

Preparing for the Showcase

Explain the structure of today’s event to campers.

  • Everyone will set up an area with their favorite sample(s) of their work.

  • Campers will create a simple poster with their name and any information they want to include about their projects. Encourage campers to describe their design process, share their inspiration, and explain challenges they overcame. You may wish to give campers a heads up earlier in the week that they will be making a poster, so that they can work on it at home, if desired.

  • Half the group will travel for 15 minutes asking questions and giving encouragement while the other half present their work. Then the groups will switch places.

  • The goal is to be inspired by one another and give constructive feedback. If desired, and appropriate for social distancing, family can be invited.

Preparation

Have campers prepare their space for the showcase.

  • Prepare your favorite projects to present. Make sure they are all powered.

  • Prepare and display a simple poster. Consider addressing specific questions on the posters, such as:

    • What were the steps in the process to create this work?

    • What did you learn?

    • What new skills did you develop?

    • What were some challenges you faced?

  • Divide the group into two groups and ensure each camper knows what group they are in.

  • If working online, consider using a tool like SeeSaw, Padlet, Makelet, or Google JamBoards to present camper work.

Showcase

Host your showcase!

  1. Mark the start and end times of the first cycle on a board.

  2. Have group one stay with their projects and represent. Have the second group travel. In either case, encourage campers to present or travel with a friend or two if that makes them feel more comfortable.

  3. If desired give campers sticky notes to leave encouragement and comments for presenters. (This gives campers mementos that celebrate their work to take home.)

  4. Remind campers not to touch another camper’s work without permission.

  5. After 15 minutes, switch groups and repeat.

Share Gratitude

Finish the week by sharing what you have learned and what you are thankful for about the experience.

Present Circuit Scout Certificates to each camper.

Adaptation for Virtual Learning

Working online or in a hybrid mode. you can adjust your showcase to be shared online.

  • Rather than setting up their projects physically, consider having students create a Google Slide or Jamboard presentation or share their work on Padlet or Wakelet.

  • Use breakout rooms for campers to share their work.

  • Consider making a simple website to share all the camper work with families.

  • Use a virtual format like Mozilla Hubs to create an interactive gallery.

FEEDBACK