UBC Partnership Program

Electric Circuits Kit

Description:
This kit contains supplies for up to 2 classes to build simple electric circuits.

Contents:
15 Ziploc baggies (one set per 3-4 students), each of which contain: 2 D batteries 2 light bulbs 2 light bulb holders 6 wires with alligator clips Extra Supplies: battery tester 32 extra wires with alligator clips 2 switches 1 battery holder (holds 2 D batteries) 3 buzzers 8 resistors 5 extra bulbs (14 volts, so require several D batteries to light them up) with bulb holders 2 large light bulbs (4 watts)

Electricity Activities
First, ask the kids if they know what electricity is. Ask them what they use electricity for? Ask them where electricity comes from? Explanation of What Electricity is: Atoms are the tiny building blocks that make up everything! Atoms are made up of a nucleus with one or more electrons circling the nucleus. (Draw on the board). Electrons carry a negative charge. And electrons can jump from one atom to another, taking their negative charge with them. We call the movement of charge electricity! (Draw a bunch of atoms on the board and show electrons jumping from one atom to the next with arrows). When you have a source of electricity (like a battery or a wall outlet), it causes a pushing force that moves the electrons along a path (called a circuit) thats an electric current! Electrons can only move through a circuit if it is complete (or closed) if you take away part of the circuit (or open the circuit), the electrons stop. This is what happens when you flip a light switch you open the circuit (to turn the light off) and close the circuit when you turn a light on! (You can even turn the lights in the class on and off as you explain this). Lets try acting out an electrical circuit! Model of An Electric Circuit Series Circuit Materials: bunch of little balls (or maybe candies but ones in wrappers so that they can eat them after theyve been passing them around) bunch of kids!

Each kid is an atom and each kid gets one ball/candy (an electron) every atom has one electron, so things are stable. Tell the kids Im a wall outlet and give an electron to one of the kids now that kid has two electrons and things arent stable any more, so they have to pass the electron to the next kid, which means that that kid has two electrons and so pass one along to the next kid etc. Introduce the idea of a switch remember, electricity can only flow if you have a complete circuit. Ask for one kid to volunteer as a switch. Tell that kid that when you say switch off, (s)he has to jump out of line, so that the kids cant keep passing their

electrons along the chain. And when you say switch off, (s)he has to jump back into line and the electrons can flow again. Draw the connection between the switch in their electrical circuit and switches they use everyday light switches! Turn off the lights in the classroom and ask them what happened? (i.e., when you turned off the switch, the electrical circuit that allowed the lights to stay on was broken, so the electrons cant flow through it anymore and the light cant stay on). Building Electric Circuits Materials: wires with alligator clips batteries light bulbs light bulb holders switches

Series Circuits
Give each group of kids a set of wires, a light bulb with light bulb holder and a switch. Show them how to use the clips to attach the wires to the battery, bulb holder, and switch. Get the kids to assemble a series circuit. Show how if the circuit is broken, the light bulb doesnt light up.

Parallel Circuits
Get the kids to assemble a parallel circuit. Show how if you break the circuit in one part of the parallel circuit, a light bulb in the other part of the circuit will still light up!

References: http://whyfiles.larc.nasa.gov/text/kids/Problem_Board/problems/electricity/electricity2.ht ml Bosak, S. V. (1991). Science Is Richmond Hill, ON: Scholastic. (in the UBC LTS PP library).