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PAPER CIRCUITS

A fun and easy exercise to teach children about circuits. Using the Chibitronics circuit stickers, the below exercise uses textured and auditory feedback elements to assist visually impaired learners.

A note on implementation

The most important takeaway from this circuit activity is to design an activity that all students can participate in. By using different textural elements, colours, and visual and auditory feedback, we allow for different means by which one can engage with the activity.

 

When conducting this workshop, ensure that you have a clear goal: Do you want your students to simply have the LED light up? Or do you want to help them understand circuits? If it is the latter, we have also included a good sample introductory video that might help activate your students’ existing knowledge on electricity and circuits.

 

When conducting this training, allow for flexibility in how the student might want to design the circuit. If they would like to explore differently shaped circuits or use multiple LED lights or sound buzzers, give them the freedom to explore the different possibilities.

Design of the Circuit board

 

  • The two circles where the battery must be placed between are textured and colored with green and red, with the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ are also raised to indicate the sides of the battery they must correspond to

  • The path of the circuit is also textured and colored in blue so as to indicate where to place the copper tape

  • The copper tape is designed to have extra bits at the end to make removal of the adhesive easier

  • Both LED lights and 3V buzzers are provided as indicators of a successful circuit board

  • The dotted line where the paper must be folded already comes in the shape of a fold

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circuit diagram with annotations

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS 

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Step 1: Activate your students' background knowledge

  • Ask students to share what they know about electricity

  • Use this video to explain simple circuits

Step 2: Make sure you have all the materials 

layout of materials for circuit activity. On the right hand side are the materials needed; on the left is the empty circuit

  1. A paper circuit board

  2. Triangle shaped LED light

  3. Circular 3V buzzer

  4. Circular metal battery

  5. Paper Clip

  6. Copper wires

Step 3: Build the paper circuit

Circuit with copper tape laid down. Other materials on theright hand side.

  • Remove the sticker from the back of the copper tape

  • Place the copper strips along the textured blue lines on the circuit board

  • Do not put tape where there is a gap between the textured rectangles on the board

  • Note: the circle above the fold in the paper is positive and the one below is negative

Step 4: Choose whether you would like to have an LED light up or a buzzer sound

Circuit with copper tape and LED

  • Place either the LED light or the sound buzzer in the gap

  • For the LED, the wide end of the triangle is the positive side

  • Have the positive side of the LED or sound buzzer touch the copper wires that are connected to the positive circle

Circuit with copper tape and sound buzzer laid down

Step 5: It's battery time!

Circuit with copper tape, buzzer and battery

  • Place the battery onto the marked textured circles

  • The positive side of the battery should meet with the positive circle on the paper

Step 6: See if it works!

Circuit wit battery clipped by a binder clip to complete the circuit

  • Fold the paper along the crease provided

  • Place paper clip along the outside of the fold holding the battery in place

  • Watch your LED light up or hear your buzzer sound!

Step 7: Create your own design

Design your own circuit

  • Design your own circuit!

  • What happens if it is in a different shape?

  • Could you use two LED lights?

  • What happens if you use both a light and a buzzer?

  • Talk to your classmates for more ideas!

VIDEO TUTORIAL

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So the first thing you will need to do is check if you have your materials: copper tape, the circuit board and a battery and in this case, an LED light

 

Then you will begin placing your copper tape along the blue textured path. Peel off the copper tape and begin sticking it onto the textured path that is provided to you.

 

Ensure to leave the gap between the two blue lines as you can see being done in this video right now.

 

Make sure to press down on all the copper tape to ensure it is firmly stuck.

 

Once you have done that, place the LED light onto the circuit between the gap – the wide section is the positive side and should be connected to the wire that is connected to the green positive circle

 

Take the positive end of the battery and press it against the green circle and fold the circuit over

 

Hopefully the light should come up and if it doesn’t we should keep trying and adjusting the position of the circuit till it does

 

Let’s try another time and it looks like our light has come up!  

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