How to make a Squishy Circuit quiz

I purchased the Squishy Circuits Hardware Kit for my CEP8100 thrifting project. The Squishy Circuit Kit uses conductive and resistive dough to make circuits. Out of the available kits to purchase I felt like the Squishy Circuits Kit would be the most practical kit for me to use in my classroom.

For a while I wasn’t sure how I would be able to use the Squishy Circuit. When browsing a Phoenix Goodwill thrift store I saw some old photos of historical images that were for sale. These photos were too big to for me to use, but it did give me an idea of how I can use my Squishy Circuits.  I decided to make a Squishy Circuit quiz that would allow me to write answers on note cards or attach images to note cards in order to assess knowledge.

A Squishy Circuit works by using dough with a large amount of salt in it that conducts electricity. The kit includes a battery pack with two wires and terminals attached to it. When the two terminals are attached to the connecting dough electricity will be able to travel through the dough. If an LED is connected to both pieces of connecting dough it will light up.

When I saw the thrift shop photos I thought of an idea to use smaller images to quiz students about people, places and terms they learn. My idea is to attach dough to the back of an image. The image could be placed on the front of a note card or small poster with the dough attached to the back. Students will be given about four images and a question. For example, I could ask students to correctly identify the state of Tennessee using puzzle pieces of four different states. On the back of three of the puzzle pieces will be non-conductive dough, so if students attach their Squishy Circuits to it their LED will not light. Meanwhile, the correct answer will have conductive dough attached to the back and when students connect to the dough their LED will light up. I found a used U.S. map puzzle on Craig’s List that could be used for this quiz. The puzzle pieces would have to be painted to cover the names printed on them.

In the instructions below I created one multiple choice question. I asked “How many representatives are in Congress?” Instead of gluing an image to the note cards I wrote possible answers on them.

What you will need to create a Squishy Circuit quiz:

1. Conductive dough (Here are instructions on how to make the dough)

2. Non-conductive dough

3. 4 AA batteries

4. 1 LED

5. 1 battery holder with wires and terminals (available to purchase here)

6. Note cards (quantity varies depending on the number of possible answers you generate)

7. One Sharpie to write questions and answers

8. Stapler and staples

Steps to make a Squishy Circuit quiz:

1. Make conductive and non-conductive dough using instructions provided by the Squishy Circuits Store.

2. Use a Sharpie to write a question on one note card and possible answers on remaining note cards. If you are attaching images to the note cards, follow step seven after completing step six.

3. Fold all note cards in half horizontally.

4. In the note cards with the question and correct answer insert a small amount of conductive dough. Make sure there is enough dough to stretch from the left edge of the note card to the right side.

5. Insert non-conductive dough into the folded note cards with the incorrect answers written on them.

6. Staple the the two sides of the folded note card together.

7. If you are using images instead of writing possible answers, you should now attach the images to the folded note cards.

8. Place the four AA batteries into the battery holder and turn the switch to on.

9. Now, place one of the terminals into the dough that is inside of the question note card.

10. On the opposite side of the question note card attach the LED by putting one of its “legs” into the dough.

11. Now choose an answer from the remaining note cards. You will need to insert the second terminal into the dough. On the opposite side of the answer card you will need to insert the second “leg” from the LED. If the correct answer is chosen the LED will light up. If the LED fails to light up the user will need to choose a new answer.

       

Summary:

Congratulations! You just made a Squishy Circuit quiz that is a fun way to test your knowledge!

• You made conductive dough.
• You made non-conductive dough.
• You made a note card with a question and other note cards with possible answers.
• You inserted the correct dough into each note card.
• And finally, you connected the terminals from the question to the possible answers to test your knowledge and light your LED.

Sources:

Chris Pirillo (1996).  Chris.pirillo.com. In How To Write A How To Guide. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from http://chris.pirillo.com/how-to-write-a-how-to-guide/

Squishy Circuits Instruction Card. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from http://squishycircuitsstore.com/Instruction%20Card.pdf