Thursday, July 17, 2014

Making Circuit Boards

      This week we tinkered around with simple circuits!  Check out our homemade circuit board.

Age/Grade Level: Any age for tinkering with adult supervision.  (Ideal for grades 3-5)  
NGSS Science Standard: 4-PS3-4. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.


     Some light soldering was involved.  I was a little bit intimidated by that.  Once I anchored down, watched some tutorials, and got my bearings we were fine.  By the way, special thanks to great friends Raye and Anthony for lending out their soldering tools!

     Please ignore the burn marks on the wood blocks and the glittery glue.  Ha! It ain't pretty, but we got 'er done  : )

     This activity can be found as part of a free online course titled Tinkering Fundamentals: A Constructionist Approach to STEM Learning by Exploratorium.

   
     As a participant in the course, I am learning how to facilitate STEM activities in such a way that is conducive to critical thinking and discovery through trial and error.  During this activity, all three of my children (and I) seemed to fumble and tinker around until we reached an acceptable outcome.  Whether it was building the boards or getting the light bulb to come on, I didn't lay out all the answers and steps for them.  For me, this was the most beneficial part of the activity.

     Overall, I think we are developing a curiosity about circuits.  Stay tuned, our next activity is another "tinkering" project using a circuit!



I welcome comments and advice.  If you like, feel free to share.
#Tinkeringstudio. #Tinkeringfundamentals

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