Light-Up Whirlybird
under 30 min
Ages 8+
What Will You Make?
In this tutorial, you’ll learn to make a light-up paper helicopter. You can find the original tutorial here.
What Will You Learn?
By completing this tutorial, you’ll learn how to construct an electrified paper toy that spins as it flies.
Build Your Whirlygig
Prepare Your Supplies
Print the template on thick, colorful paper. Choose three Chibitronics Circuit Sticker LEDs for your project.
Cut Template & Apply Tape
Cut out the template along the solid lines as shown. Lay conductive fabric tape along the black lines on the template.
Add LEDs
Place the LED Circuit Stickers over the conductive fabric tape, following the template as shown.
Fold
Fold the two flaps behind as shown.
Add Battery
Place the coin cell battery with the “+” side facing up on top of the “-” circle.
Use a binder clip to fold the paper over and clip the battery inside.
Fold Flaps
The LEDs should turn on! Fold the top flaps over in opposite directions.
Toss it Up!
Now you are ready to throw your Whirlybird! Enjoy throwing it high up and watch it twirl!
What Is Happening Here?
Centrifugal Force
This is a STEAM project that combines paper engineering, electronics, and physics. By adding Conductive Fabric Tape and Circuit Sticker LEDs to a paper template that you print out, cut, and fold, you’ll be creating a parallel circuit. In addition to powering the circuit, the coin cell battery and binder clip (used to hold the project together) add weight to the toy to allow it to fly up and spin as it falls. The completed toy is fun to play with, but when you toss in the air, it becomes a visual display of centrifugal force.
What Is Next?
Keep Designing
Some ideas to try:
Decorate your whirlybird with art supplies of your choice.
Experiment with differently sized binder clips to determine how the changes in weight impact the centrifugal force of the toy.
Design Challenge:
How might you extend the circuit so that it might light up both flaps of the helicopter instead of just one?
Hint: A piece of clear tape can be used as an insulator, in areas where you don’t want the positive and negative traces to touch.
Chibitronics Educators Guide
Chibitronics Paper Circuits STEAM Educator’s Guide is a FREE comprehensive guide to STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) learning with paper circuits!
This 185-page guide includes:
Overview and history of paper circuits, including materials, techniques and troubleshooting tips
Suggested learning standards
Resources on equitable teaching and collaboration in the classroom
7 detailed lesson sequences based on the Circuit Sticker Sketchbook in Part 1 Lessons
12 detailed lesson sequences based on Love to Code in Part 2 Lessons
6 Featured Projects: cross-curricular adaptable project inspirations
Printable templates for each lesson sequence
Throughout the guide, Chibitronics celebrates artists, educators, art techniques, and projects to showcase inspiring work in action. The arts are interwoven into each activity; STEM becomes a medium to ask and explore big questions about ourselves and the world, and nurture new forms of creativity!
Materials:
- Chibitronics Circuit Sticker LEDs (3)
- Conductive Fabric Tape
- Coin Cell Battery
- Binder Clip (battery holder)
- Thick printer paper or cardstock
- Scissors or craft knife
- Printer for Template
