Overview
Scrappy Circuits is an innovative and scrappy way to learn about electrical circuits for less than $2 per person. Scrappy circuits are made of pieces of cardboard with dissected electronic elements attached to create bricks. The attached elements may include small binder clips, alligator clips, aluminum foil, LED bulbs and/or batteries. Once you connect some bricks together, you have a Scrappy Circuit!
View the following YouTube Playlist for tutorials on how to make the scrappy circuits!
NB Curricular Connections
Science 10
- Strand: Scientific Literacy – Big Idea: Investigation – Skill Descriptor: Examine questions about relationships between and among observable variables to plan investigations.
What You’ll Need
- One LED tealight (2-packs can easily be found at the dollar store)
- 10 or 11 small binder clips (It’s easiest to buy a 12 pack)
- 2 paper clips
- Some scrap cardboard
- Small amount of aluminum foil
- Glue stick
- Marker
- Sandpaper (dollar store nail files or emery boards work great!)
- Scissors
- Pliers
- Small phillips-head screwdriver (sometimes)
Instructions
- Gather 10 or 11 binder clips (usually sold as a pack of 12) and 1 LED tealight (usually 2 for a dollar at the Dollar Store).
- Gather a few other household items (cardboard, 2 paper clips, aluminum foil, glue, and a marker)
- Make your five Core Bricks (Battery Brick, LED Brick, Binder Clip Switch, Pressure Switch, and Dial Switch)
- Experiment! Connect your Core Bricks (with alligator clips or your own Scrappy Clips) and find different ways to make the LED light up.
- More! Build some of the Other Bricks and design new circuits and create some amazing inventions.
Extension Ideas
- This learning activity can be adapted for use in a Technology class and adapted to middle school.
Global Competencies
Acknowledgments
Activity downloaded from Scrappy Circuits
