Firefly Nightlight
WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?
If you’d rather play with bulbs than bugs, these bottled-up “fireflies” are great! They’ll glow for hours on end, creating a colorful nightlight that will spare the innocent fireflies of the world, while lighting up the night with a twinkly glow.
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?
You will learn to build a parallel circuit
STEPS
STEP 1
With the marker, darken the long, positive (+) legs of all your LEDs so you can easily keep track of them.
STEP 2
Using scissors, cut two lengths of conductive thread a bit shorter than the inside of the jar. Use electrical tape to attach one piece of thread to the smooth, positive (+) side of the battery, and the other piece of the thread to the bumpy, negative (-) side of the battery.
STEP 3
Choose one LED and tape its long, positive (+) leg to the thread attached to the battery's positive (+) side. Then tape the LED's shorter, negative (-) leg to the thread attached tot he battery's negative (-) side.
Now that you've made a complete circuit, your LED should light up: You've made your first firefly.
STEP 5
Add another firefly to your assembly by twisting the legs of a second LED around the conductive thread. You can use your fingers to bend the legs into place, or use needle-nose pliers, if you prefer. Be sure you attach the LED's long, positive (+) leg to the positive (+) thread and the LED's short negative (-) leg to the negative (-) thread, as before. Secure with electrical tape.
STEP 6
Use more batteries and LEDs to make as many fireflies as you want, taping each new battery to the top of the jar, and twisting in extra LEDs where you can. Mix up blinking and nonblinking LEDs for a realistic look, but be careful not to crowd the LEDs. Try to place them along the edges of the jar so the conductive threads don't cross one another and short out your circuits. (If you want, fold strips of electrical tape lengthwise over any exposed conductive thread.)
Materials:
- Conductive thread
- Several 3V coin-cell batteries (CR2032)
- Electrical tape
- Several blinking LEDs (and a few nonblinking if you want)
- See-through jar with a screw-on lid
- Black marker
- Scissors
- Optional: needle-nose pliers
Please Note
Your safety is your own responsibility, including proper use of equipment and safety gear, and determining whether you have adequate skill and experience. Power tools, electricity, and other resources used for these projects are dangerous, unless used properly and with adequate precautions, including safety gear and adult supervision. Some illustrative photos do not depict safety precautions or equipment, in order to show the project steps more clearly. Use of the instructions and suggestions found in Maker Camp is at your own risk. Make Community, LLC, disclaims all responsibility for any resulting damage, injury, or expense.
Maker Camp Project Standards
Based on NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
National Core Arts Standards
The National Core Arts Standards are a process that guides educators in providing a unified quality arts education for students in Pre-K through high school. These standards provide goals for Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts with cross-cutting anchors in Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting through art. The Anchor Standards include:- Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
- Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
- Refine and complete artistic work.
- Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
- Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.
- Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
- Perceive and analyze artistic work.
- Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
- Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
- Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
- Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards. Learn more.Forces and Motion
- 3-PS2-3. Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.
- HS-PS4-5. Communicate technical information about how some technological devices use the principles of wave behavior and wave interactions with matter to transmit and capture information and energy.
NGSS 3-5.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- 3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
- 3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- 3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
NGSS MS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
- MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
- MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
NGSS HS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- HS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
- HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
- HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
- HS-ETS1-4. Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
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