Glowing Pinwheel
WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?
A DIY pinwheel is fun anytime, but this one creates great patterns of spinning, sparkling light.
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?
You will learn to construct 4 simple, parallel circuits
STEPS
STEP 1
If your paper is decorated, flip it over to work on the plain side.
With the pencil and ruler, draw two diagonal lines from corner to corner. Then measure three inches from each corner and mark that point on each line. Using scissors, cut along each diagonal line down to each mark. Going clockwise, label each pinwheel section lightly with a pencil as A, B, C, and D, as shown. You can erase the letters later.
STEP 2
Place a line of copper tape from the outside edge of section A to the outside edge of section D. Bend the tape in the center of the pinwheel, since the tape needs to be in one piece. Snip at the end. Repeat by placing a second line of copper tape along the outside edges of sections B and C. Don't let the two lines of tape touch in the center of the pinwheel.
STEP 3
Using scissors, cut three scraps of cardstock, each about 1/4" x 1/2". These serve as "bridges" to keep crossing copper lines from touching (which would short out the circuit).
Using the hot-glue gun, glue one cardstock bridge on the D line near the center of the pinwheel, and glue a second cardstock bridge on the B line near the center of the pinwheel, as shown. (It's okay to glue on top of the copper tape.) The bridges should completely cover the copper tape lines.
STEP 4
Place two more lines of copper tape; each should be about 1/4" apart from the previous lines. Starting in section D, place one line of copper tape next to and along the inside edge of the previous line of tape, then continue over line D's cardstock bridge and into section C, continuing to the edge of the pinwheel. Make sure the copper tape goes over the cardstock bridge and doesn't touch the previous lines.
Repeat with another line of copper tape and the remaining two sections. Starting in section B, place a line of copper tape next to and along the inside edge of the previous line of tape, continue over line B's cardstock bridge, and go into section A to the edge of the pinwheel.
STEP 5
Using scissors, cut a piece of copper tape 8" long. Lay about 2" of it across the center of the pinwheel, so that it lays right on top of the negative (-) lead in section A and connects to the negative (-) lead in section B (the negative leads are the lines running under the bridges). With the remaining 6" of copper tape, fold it over on itself to make a 3" tab. Remember to stick the copper tape down tight to make a good connection.
Using the hot-glue gun, glue the third cardstock bridge at the base of the 3" tab so that the bridge also covers the adjacent section of the negative (-) lead near the base of section C, as shown. The bridge must cover both the tab and the negative (-) lead.
STEP 6
Using scissors, cut another 8" strip of copper tape. Lay about 2" of it across the center of the pinwheel, so it sits right on top of the positive (+) lead in section B, crosses over the bridge you placed in step 5, and connects to the positive (+) lead in section C (this positive leads are the lines that run over the bridges). With the remaining 6" of copper tape, fold it over on itself to make a 3" tab. As always, make sure the copper tape is stuck down tight!
STEP 7
Using scissors, cut a piece of cardstock about 1" x 3" and fold it in half. Trace the battery on each side, marking one circle with a plus (+) sign and the other with a minus (-) sign, as shown. Using transparent tape, tape a neodymium magnet into the center of each circle (make sure the magnets attract!). The magnets will keep the battery in place, but allow you to remove it whenever you want.
STEP 8
Set the battery holder in the center of the pinwheel, negative (-) side down. Fold the copper tab from the negative (-) lead onto the negative (-) side of the battery holder, as shown (trim the tab as needed). Secure the tab with a small piece of copper tape. Then use transparent tape to secure the negative (-) side of the battery holder to the pinwheel.
STEP 9
Using scissors, cut three cardstock circles, each about 1" in diameter. Using transparent tape, tape the third magnet to one circle, stick the pin of the pin clasp through the second (save the pin back), and leave the third plain.
STEP 10
Test the circle with the magnet to make sure the magnet attracts to the battery holder by placing the magnet side to the outside of the holder. If it doesn't attract, reverse the battery on the circle. Then gently bend each unused corner of the pinwheel toward the center of the pinwheel, and with the hot-glue gun, glue each corner to the back of the circle with the magnet. Once the glue is dry, glue the plain circle on top to hide the assembly. Once done, the magnets will hold the pinwheel together, while still allowing access to the battery.
STEP 11
Once the pinwheel is assembled, place one circuit-sticker LED on each pinwheel blade so it connects the two copper-tape leads. The pointy, negative (-) side of each sticker goes on the outside edge of each blade; the fat, positive (+) side of each sticker goes on the inner line of copper tape.
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?
All four lights are powered by 1 battery because you are created a parallel circuit. A Parallel circuit is one with several different paths for the electricity to travel. It’s like a river that has been divided up into smaller streams, however, all the streams come back to the same point to form the river once again.
Materials:
- One 6" x 6" square of origami paper, construction paper, or similar
- Copper tape
- Cardstock scraps
- One 3V coin-cell battery (CR2032)
- Transparent tape
- Three small neodymium magnets
- Pin clasp with back
- Four circuit-sticker LEDs (your choice)
- Sturdy plastic straw
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Hot-glue gun and glue sticks
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.
CCSS (Common Core State Standards)
The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA).Measurement & Data
- Grades K-2
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.1 Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.1 Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.2 Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1 Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.2 Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.3 Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.4 Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.
- Grades 3-5
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.3 Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.1 Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.C.5 Recognize angles as geometric shapes that are formed wherever two rays share a common endpoint, and understand concepts of angle measurement.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.A.1 Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.C.3 Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.
Ratios & Proportional Relationships
- Middle School
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.1 Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.RP.A.3 Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems, e.g., by reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.RP.A.1 Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other quantities measured in like or different units.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.RP.A.2 Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities.
CCSS (Common Core State Standards)
The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA).Geometry
- Grades K-2
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.2 Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.3 Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, "flat") or three-dimensional ("solid").
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.5 Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and drawing shapes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.6 Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.1 Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size); build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.2 Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape.
- Grades 3-5
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.3 Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.
- Middle School
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.G.A.4 Represent three-dimensional figures using nets made up of rectangles and triangles, and use the nets to find the surface area of these figures. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.1 Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, including computing actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing and reproducing a scale drawing at a different scale.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2 Draw (freehand, with ruler and protractor, and with technology) geometric shapes with given conditions. Focus on constructing triangles from three measures of angles or sides, noticing when the conditions determine a unique triangle, more than one triangle, or no triangle.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.3 Describe the two-dimensional figures that result from slicing three-dimensional figures, as in plane sections of right rectangular prisms and right rectangular pyramids.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.1 Verify experimentally the properties of rotations, reflections, and translations.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.3 Describe the effect of dilations, translations, rotations, and reflections on two-dimensional figures using coordinates.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.4 Understand that a two-dimensional figure is similar to another if the second can be obtained from the first by a sequence of rotations, reflections, translations, and dilations; given two similar two-dimensional figures, describe a sequence that exhibits the similarity between them.
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. Also see Standards with cross-cutting anchors in Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting through art for Visual Arts.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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