Sidekick Circuits

These quick activities were developed to help students understand how electricity flows through a circuit. Circuits provide a pathway for electricity to travel safely into and out of our devices. Students will be introduced to the most basic of DC circuits in Light-a-Bulb Challenge. Students are given a few basic supplies and must use those three items to light the bulb. They learn very quickly which parts of the battery are important for current flow and which parts are just along for the ride, so to speak. Once they’ve mastered the concept of a basic circuit, they will move up to Sidekick Circuits, where they must wire their own circuits on our energy sidekicks, using bulbs to illuminate features on the image and adhesive conductive tape to connect the parts of a circuit. Students will enjoy the hands-on challenge and surprise you with their fun designs.

Options:
– Free PDF Download of Sidekick Circuits Guide
– Light-A-Bulb Challenge Kit $5.00
– Sidekick Circuits Kit $5.00

The guide is also available as an e-publication.

Light-A-Bulb Challenge Kit (Photo 2)
Suitable for one small group

• 2 AA Batteries
• 1 mini-LED bulb
• 1 flashlight bulb
• Jumbo paper clips

Sidekick Circuits Kit (Photo 3)
Suitable for one small group

• 2 circuit templates
• 4 mini-LED bulbs
• 2 button batteries
• 5 feet of circuit tape
• Small binder clips

Additional materials available at https://www.need.org/resources/electricity-magnetism-materials/.