Circuit Bugs

For this week’s activity, girls continued to review concepts that are important to the Electrical Engineering career! Students reviewed basic circuitry vocabulary, such as “closed and open circuits”, “currents”, and “energy transfer”. Then it was time to construct the circuit bugs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students were given materials, including clothespins, alligator clips, small batteries, wires, and LED lights to create a circuit. Building a circuit onto a clothespin is hard enough – when girls used pipe cleaners to design their colorful bugs, some groups experienced problems with their lights. At Girlstart, every “problem” is a learning opportunity. Girls discussed possible reasons why their lights stopped working. Students identified the culprit as the thin piece of metal which runs through pipe cleaners – this material interfered with the wires, diverting the current away from the LED lights. To prevent their bugs from being, well, buggy, girls were encouraged to continually test their designs. Eventually, there were hosts of flickering, shining bugs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Girlstart, we’re encouraging students to be creative and curious – and above all, to shine bright!

 

 

Liquid Circuits

During Week 4 of After School To-Go, students combined liquids and electricity and to bring a little light to the Electrical Engineer career. This activity should always be conducted with adult supervision! Girls investigated electrical currents to find a solution to the global problem of water access. First, students built closed circuits to light a bulb. Certain materials, like a paperclip and an eraser, were tested for conductivity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, girls were asked about the conductivity of liquids. Aluminum covered straws were used as conductivity testers for various liquids. Saltwater, chocolate milk, and Gatorade were shown to conduct electricity! Why? The salt in saltwater and chocolate milk and the electrolytes in Gatorade act like invisible wires to connect the circuit. Finally, girls discussed real-world applications of this conductivity testing. How can scientists use conductivity testing to bring clean drinking water to people around the world?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girls considered this question and came up with a few answers, including using conductivity testing to determine if a batch of water still contains saltwater. If the water conducts electricity, some salt remains and the water is not suitable for drinking. At Girlstart After School To-Go, students are learning STEM skills in the context of real-world situations and exploring real-world solutions!

Shine bright!

At Week 4 of Girlstart After School, girls created their very own greeting card with a special twist – lights! Before lighting up their bright day, the girls learned new concepts such as conductor, complete circuit, closed circuit, energy transfer, insulator, and matter. Students would discover the terms throughout the activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 4 allowed students to understand the careers of Electrical Engineers. The girls were asked to brainstorm how to build a working circuit with the materials provided. Some responses were using electrical tape, a battery, and using a copper wire – the girls were already understanding how electricity works even before the project!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once put into groups, the groups received copper tape, LED light bulb, 1-coin cell battery, and cardstock. The girls started off by creating their design for their greeting cards. The girls then had to work together to make their light turn on and were challenged to make the switch inside of the circuit. After creating their designs and becoming electrical engineers, the girls had their bright greeting card! Week 4 of Girlstart After School shined bright this week!