@katywarren Hi Katy, STEM Saturdays sounds great! Our wrap-up date is March 10, but you don’t have to run the activity by then; just have a project draft ready for it.
I have seen 8-year-olds do paper circuit pop-up cards. Sometimes they’re totally into it, but most of the time, it’s herding cats. In my experience, they were paired with an older youth to work together so that’s something to consider. (Part of the 4 P’s of Creative Learning, Peers!)
There’s definitely other ways to do Paper Circuits for tweens and teens. We can brainstorm some more
What’s most enjoyable/challenging about the activity?
Learning the tricks to get the circuits to work
Feeling like I am learning what the kids are going to be learning, since I don’t have a background at all in this type of thing
We are mixing in an origami/folding activity along with the circuits, so having to run the copper tape in a way that you won’t lose connection has been fun
Share your ideas for running the activity in your library/community
Guided program to incorporate some information on how circuits work, as well as how to possibly make each “craft” more individualized
Want to make it exciting, but educational…just like everything we do lol.
We have found some “torches” that can be a Minecraft theme, but want to somehow customize that to make it personalized to our library. The folding template is the most important part for us, since it has directions on the actual cut out
Next steps / questions you have
Struggling to think of ways to really drive this towards the “tween” age group, since that is the group we are setting up the activity for.
Making this an activity that is interesting to both boys and girls can be hard I’m finding… Captain of the struggle bus right now with this.
What’s most enjoyable/challenging about the activity?
Challenging: Stepping away from the instruction portion of things and not touching the tools!
Share your ideas for running the activity in your library/community
Passive Programing
“There will be no explanation – there will only be creation!”
Provide materials and simple examples – include stickers, colorful tape, and pens or pencils in all colors!
DO NOT provide any instructions – think of a mixed brick Lego set. No instructions, just materials. Let the kids create their own
Provide learning information on general circuitry to help guide but not instruct
Next steps / questions you have
Wonder what age group is the target audience for this?
Nervous about the copper tape and the kids – will it be too hard? I want to cut the tape into strips, so they are not working with a full wheel. Perhaps also “start” the tape by cutting the paper off the bottom of it, so that is is easier to pull off.
My challenge too–I have a terrible time not touching the tools! But I learned one trick from some other cool librarians: if you need to demonstrate something, try to take apart anything you do and have the student re-do it themselves, if possible. Or troubleshoot with your own examples so the student still has to do it on their own.
The copper tape can be cut into strips but make sure they are long enough. The fewer breaks in the tape, the better the connections. A circuit template is very helpful for the beginners and youngers.
My biggest challenge is to keep up with everyone. My life is in a transitional time right now going from a small library to a bigger library. You all are doing great and making some great things.
We did have our Homeschool Group make light-up Valentine’s Card.
Been working on our final plan for our paper circuit event this week! We have our STEM Saturday for ages 10 & up this weekend, and we today I had my kids come in a do the craft for me so I could see how it was from a younger perspective. Good news for me was that the folding on our “flashlights” wasn’t just a struggle on my end . The cardstock is great for durability but kind of hard to treat like Origami paper. It was great to see their minds trying to figure out how they could make it even more advanced with the circuits. It was very helpful to have them test things so I could put the final touches on my Zine and figure out what “helpful hints” I should have available.
@katywarren That’s a great way to generate tips for the activity!
If you and your kids agree, you can add them as contributors to the remix activity, maybe with their grade levels or age. It’s nice to have representation from youth.
Why did you choose this remix strategy? How does it address a challenge or opportunity in your context?
For our library, we wanted this to be aimed at the tween age group, which we don’t currently have specific programs for. We wanted to give this age group a window to come in and work with others, but not in a formal setting.
Brief description of your remix:
We put together samples of a few different “paper flashlights” that kids were able to do using circuits, to include wands (think Harry Potter), a candle, and a Minecraft-style lantern. Basic circuit information is all we had put together, allowing kids to figure out how to take that idea into their own project. We did not set parameters on the number of circuits per craft, however only 1 battery.
Number of patrons this remix is designed for:
10-15
Number of facilitators needed:
1
Supply Kit
Share the list of materials that you need for the remix. If your remix takes the form of a take and make kit, note what materials the kit contains. If your remix uses any additional materials / handouts (remixed zines, troubleshooting guides, slide decks, table tents, etc.) please share them here.
You can refer to the original supply kits here: PLIX Activities
Material
Quantity (per kit or person)
Cardstock
4 sheets each (2 for light)
Copper tape
3ft each (19.5” per light)
LED lights
5 max each
3V CR 2032 button battery
1 each
Binder clips
1 each
Glue sticks
As needed
Tape
As needed
Tissue paper
As needed
Washi tape
If desired
Scissors
1 each
Markers/Pencils/Pens/Crayons
As needed
PLIX Zine
1 each
Glue Dots
As needed
Torch/Flashlight Directions
1 each
Activity Prompts
Complete this section if you changed the activity prompt or added a new prompt.
Remix Activity Prompt
What prompt(s) did you use to frame the activity for your patrons?
Create your own flashlight with an on/off switch. Before starting, use materials to make different versions of a circuit to see how you can change it around. Test the difference of using multiple lights and make sure you check that positive/negative lines up. Play with opening and closing the circuit and test different materials available to do this. After you have an idea of the circuit, start working on your flashlight/torch.
Did you create any example projects for this prompt? Please describe.
Also please share photos of your creations in the Example Showcase below!|We created one example craft from staff, and used examples from kids as well.
We also had 1 unfolded template to show tape placement inside.|
Reflections on Remix Design and Facilitation
Complete this section after running the activity.
Reflections
What went well? What was challenging?
Running this as a passive program was challenging because of the difficulty in the concept. It was hard to do this as a solo librarian with kids in various stages. We also experimented with our day and time for programming and this was not a good fit for our community.
The positive however was that the kids loved it! We had some making multiple torches with different lights and tops for the torches. They brainstormed how they could make it more “powerful” at home. The “Minecraft” theme was very popular.|
|What did you celebrate?|Our biggest celebration was that the kids were excited with the outcome of the project. Seeing them excited to figure out how they could make them better on their own was something worth celebrating as well.|
|Which of the PLIX facilitation techniques did you use or think about while planning this remix activity, if any?|For this activity, we encouraged peer learning as they all worked on their projects individually. Our goal was also to frame prompts that opened up possibilities for the participants, with a basic example given for what could be made, but no limitations to something “specific”.|
|Are there any activity-specific facilitation tips that you used with patrons?|We cautioned the participants (and parents) to be aware of their positive/negative connections and to test them along the way.|
|What advice would you give facilitators planning to do this remix at their libraries?|Take the time to run this remix yourself first to work out any details that may come up during the program. Even if it just means you can help to show understanding of an issue they may experience. Our recommendation is to run this as a more active style program depending on the end product.|
|Additional thoughts to share?|Have fun with this! Kids were great at experimenting along with way with different ways to close the various circuits and encouraging that excitement was key to making this such a fun activity.|
Example Showcase
Please share photos of example projects and creations that you and your patrons made (drop them in the area below!)
. The cardstock is great for durability but kind of hard to treat like Origami paper. It was great to see their minds trying to figure out how they could make it even more advanced with the circuits. It was very helpful to have them test things so I could put the final touches on my Zine and figure out what “helpful hints” I should have available.
