After participating in a workshop at Castilleja's Design, Do, Discover conference, I was determined to include paper circuits in my curriculum this year. Paper circuits are electrical circuits made from copper tape, batteries, and LEDs.
My first attempts at paper circuits were not too successful. I had trouble completing the circuit and my LEDs would not stay lit consistently. Now I've found a video that offers a tip that made all the difference. It is the Simple Circuit Demo video at http://www.nexmap.org/hacking-the-storybook. The tip was to fold the copper foil tape at a 90° angle and then fold it back over itself and also to do this where the battery connection occurs. I also plan to purchase circuit stickers since they are much larger and easier to work with than the tiny surface mount LEDs I had bought before.
Here are the results of my most recent effort to add a paper circuit to my handmade journal. I plan to have my third grade IDEA Lab students do this soon to enhance their journals.
My first attempts at paper circuits were not too successful. I had trouble completing the circuit and my LEDs would not stay lit consistently. Now I've found a video that offers a tip that made all the difference. It is the Simple Circuit Demo video at http://www.nexmap.org/hacking-the-storybook. The tip was to fold the copper foil tape at a 90° angle and then fold it back over itself and also to do this where the battery connection occurs. I also plan to purchase circuit stickers since they are much larger and easier to work with than the tiny surface mount LEDs I had bought before.
Here are the results of my most recent effort to add a paper circuit to my handmade journal. I plan to have my third grade IDEA Lab students do this soon to enhance their journals.
— Tatian Greenleaf
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