Breadboarding A Circuit and Communicating With Light

As part of the culminating unit for our first graders, they are using their knowledge of sound and light to communicate. In past posts, we saw how they used vibrations to communicate by creating "tin can" telephones. Next they created their own "Morse" code using sounds to communicate with their classmates.

Now we have moved onto using light to communicate. This idea came from one of our first grade teachers. Her husband teachers design and fabrication at our Upper School's Sullivan Center and he does a lot with electronics and robotics. They were talking and the plan was to have some of his students come down and work with the 1st graders. They were going to build a circuit to light up a RGB LED and then design a code to communicate with their peers.

Because of timing and scheduling issues, we weren't able to bring the older kids down to help, be the project rolled on. We made "kits" for pairs of 1st graders that included a bread board, jumper wires, battery, battery holder, resistors, switches and the RGB LED.

Using the iPad and projector, we took the students, step by step, through the process of making the circuit on the bread board. Some kids had to problem solve and figure out why the LED wouldn't light when they pressed a button, while others worked the first time.

The next step is for the kids to design a "morse" code system to communicate with their partner, using the combination of colors available in the RGB LED

'Iolani Upper School 2016 SmashBots Round One

This is the first round of our Upper School SmashBots competition.

3rd Grade Space Exploration Vehicles

After weeks of designing and building, the 3rd grade SEV's are looking great. Once the main vehicle was complete, it was put through a "stress test"...pieces were wiggled to see if they were attached well. This reminded the students were reminded of the importance of quality workmanship. After they passed this test, their SEV went outside for painting. Once the paint dried, they were able to place reflective stickers on certain parts (like solar panels and power packs). They could also take three things from the "Take apart" box (they have a take apart club that takes apart old computers and electronics for fun, just to see what's inside...the box has all the internal wires, circuits, switches, etc.) to add to their SEV. Here are what they look like now:

The next step is to have a few of the kids connect their SEV to a MakeyMakey and write a Scratch program that will highlight 4 parts of their vehicle. Check back for that posting in a week or two.

Making A Tilt-Switch Light Lamp Afterschool

We are running two after-school classes this semester: one on circuits and the other on "Making". There is some overlap, but in the circuits session, students are learning things like how to design and mill their own circuit board, as well as how to solder. In the making class, students learn how to use all the equipment in our Lab and then are free to make. One boy is in both classes this year. He decided that he wanted to make a lamp but would create a circuit board with a tilt-switch.

First he designed and laser cut his lamp.

Then he designed and milled his circuit board.

Next he soldered all the components.

Placed the circuit board in the lamp.

He put some paper towel around the outside and a lamp was born.

2nd Grade Learns About Forces So They Can Build Pedestals

The second grade classes have made statues that represent our school and now it's time to make the pedestal. So we brought the classes down to learn about the forces that will act on their pedestals. This lesson challenged them to make a structure that would go between 2 pillars and hold up as many weights as possible. Following the engineering design process, they came up with some cool ideas.

The next step is to come up with some ideas for their pedestal design and to create prototypes to test for strength and stability.

First Grade Using Vibrations to Communicate

As a culminating project for our 1st grade lessons on sound and light, we started out having the kids use "cylinders" and "string" to communicate over a distance (about 6-8 feet). We put out a bunch of containers with holes and an collection of different types of connecting materials.

From there they got together in pairs and experimented with different combinations.

After a few minutes, we regrouped and reviewed what they knew about how sound moves. We came to the conclusion that the vibrations move best through a tight connection.

One group wanted to see if you could hear other people talking if you crossed lines...so they tried it.

Hawaii Association of School Librarians Conference

This past Saturday (April 30) I had the pleasure to present two hands-on workshops for the Hawaii Association of School Librarians Conference here on Oahu.

The first session was an into to the MakeyMakey using Scratch. Most of the attendees had not heard of MakeyMakeys and only a few were familiar with Scratch. After a brief intro...to give them just enough to get them started...they set out making controllers for Scratch games.

The second session was on making simple circuits. Using coin cell batteries, LEDs and copper tape, I instructed the session on how to make a simple circuit. After people got this first circuit working (and there were some that didn't work, so they had to problem solve) they brainstormed other ways they could use this with their students.

I wasn't the only 'Iolani staff member at the conference. Gabe Yanagihara and Michael Fricano also did sessions.