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  • Our STEM projects are designed so that participants get it wrong before they get it right. You will observe your students struggling as they attempt to create their own STEM projects. This process is an empowering experience, building perseverance, frustration tolerance and growing overall confidence! With your support, students will step out of their comfort zones to think, build and problem-solve for themselves.
  • Productive Struggle Opportunities:

In this Rosie Labs guide you will find:

  • Productive struggle opportunities for students during their project build,
  • Lesson objectives and concept overview,
  • Optional STEM topic video to share with participants,
  • Step-by-step instructions and video of the Rosie Riveters’ LED Art project,
  • Optional STEM activities to further explore the objectives and concepts used in the project build.

Objective

In this project students will learn the basic principles of circuits and electricity in order to construct a circuit and make a piece of electronic art.

Concept Overview and Experiment Inspiration

Atoms are made up of three types of particles called protons, neutrons and electrons. Each particle carries what is called a charge. Protons are positive (+), and electrons are negative (-). Protons live inside the atom and electrons live on the outside of an atom. They are opposite charges so they attract!

Electricity is a form of energy and is the movement of electrons between atoms. Electrons are special particles because they are able to move (repel) through an electrical circuit and carry a charge (negative -) that powers all of the electronics we use today such as lights, TVs, phones, air conditioners, computers, stoves, and more!

The movement of electrons depends on having a complete path to travel. A circuit is a path that starts and stops at the same place. A circuit has to be complete, or “closed” to work, or make electricity flow. When a battery is supplying electric power, it releases (let’s go of) an electron that runs through the circuit, in this case a closed wire. The end marked negative (-) is the source of electrons that will move and deliver energy to something else like a LED.

LED (Light Emitting Diode): a device that emits (shines) light when electrons pass through it. Note: the current (electricity) can only pass through an LED in one direction (diode-D). The long leg is positive (+) and should be connected to the red (+) wire of the battery pack. The short leg is negative (-) and should be connected to the black (-) wire of the battery pack. Three things are required to make the LED turn on and shine in your art: an energy source (battery), a path (copper tape, which functions as a wire here) and a resistor (the LED). The circuit must be closed – meaning all the items are connected, in order to work. If one of the LED’s legs comes loose from the circuit the circuit is “open” and the flow of electrons will stop moving through the circuit
and the LED will not light. The LED’s legs are not the only point of connection that can become loose. If your LED fails to light, be sure to check where the copper tape connects with the wires of the battery holder as well.

Science Goals

  • Electricity is the movement of electrons between atoms. Electricity travels in circuits. The circuit needs to be complete for electricity to flow.
  • An LED (Light Emitting Diode) is a device that shines light when electrons pass through it.
  • In a completed electrical circuit, like the LED, the switch or on-off button on all electrical devices closes (turns on) or opens (turns off) an electrical circuit in the device.

Vocabulary

  • electricity – the movement of electrons between atoms
  • electron – a particle that carries a negative (-) charge. Electrons are critical in making electricity work.
  • circuit – an electrical that starts and stops at the same place. A circuit has to be complete, or “closed” to work.
  • LED – a device that emits (shines) light when electrons pass through it.

Required Materials

  • canvas
  • battery holder
  • two AA batteries
  • LEDs
  • Electrical Tape
  • double-sided foam mounting tape
  • markers
  • push pin

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1

Create your art using the markers. The LED should be the focal point.

Step 2

Insert batteries into the battery holder. Note: make sure the symbols in the base of the holder match the
symbols on the battery. Turn the switch on the battery holder to OFF.

Step 3

Attach a piece of 3M double-sided mounting tape to the side of the battery pack without the On/Offswitch. Secure the battery pack to the back of the canvas, at the bottom, with the other side of the mounting tape.

Step 4

Insert the LED into the canvass by pricking two holes (one for each leg) with the supplied push pin. The long leg
should face the positive wire (red) and the short leg should face the negative wire (black). Bend legs apart to
secure. Note LEDs and batteries are polarized. This means electricity will only flow in one direction through
them. Connect the positive leg of the battery to the positive leg of the LED. The longer leg of the LED is positive.
Make sure you put the components in the right direction!

Step 5

Wrap the black (negative) wire of the battery pack around the short leg (negative) of the LED and secure it with
electrical tape. You may need to strip the plastic insulation around the wire. Note: Don’t cross over to the positive
side (long leg/red wire).

Step 6

Wrap the red (positive) wire of the battery pack around the long leg (positive) of the LED and secure it with
electrical tape. You may need to strip the plastic insulation around the wire. Note: Don’t cross over to the positive
side (long leg/red wire).

Step 7

Push all of the tape down to secure it. Note: You may need to add additional layers of electrical tape to reinforce
the connection.

Step 8

Turn the switch on the battery holder to ON and your LED should light. If your LED does not light check the
connections at the LED legs and the battery holder. Make sure the Long leg is connected to the red wire and the
short leg is connected to the black wire. Make sure NO WIRES or TAPE are crossing from the positive (+) to the
negative (-) side. Turn the switch on the battery holder to OFF when not observing the art.

Optional STEM Activities

Resource 1

Check out this LED Art project that uses tinfoil and a simple piece of paper!

Resource 2

Energy Matching

Students can explore a little further three different types of energy: Electrical, Mechanical and Chemical

    • Print pictures or draw the following objects on pieces of paper or cards:
      • Bike (mechanical) v. Car (electrical, mechanical, chemical) 
      • Typewriter (mechanical) v. Computer (electrical)
      • Washboard (mechanical) v. Washing Machine (electrical/mechanical)
      • Candle (chemical) v. Lamp (electrical)
      • Hand Fan (mechanical) v. Fan (electrical/mechanical) 
      • Whisk (mechanical) v. Electric Beater (electrical)
    • Set 6 mechanical or chemical energy cards in a line at one side of the room and six electrical energy cards on the other side of the room. Split your students evenly and explain that you would like them to find their “match” from the opposite line. Once all of the matches have been made, work with the group to determine the similarities and differences between each match.
  • Discussion: Once electrical energy is created in things like lamps and washing machines, how does it get through the machine without escaping or moving all over the place?
    • You can take a look at an image of a simple electrical circuit to figure this out.
    • The battery works to create chemical energy – chemicals are mixing up in there and creating something new, but how does it get to the light bulb to create the electrical energy (electricity)?  [Answer: Wires!]

Resource 3

Demonstrating a Circuit

This activity is an interactive, visual way to demonstrate how energy flows through a circuit. Hand each student a small ball, like tennis balls, and stand in a circle with your students. Pretend you are a battery and your students are the wire. Your circle represents a circuit. The tennis balls represent electrons. As the battery, you have an extra electron. Electrons like to repel (move away from each other). So when two electrons are together one always wants to leave. Take your electron (ball) and pass it to the child to the right of you. How many electrons does the child have now? (Two!) And if electrons don’t want to be together, what will happen? (One wants to go somewhere else so it will be passed to the next person in the circle.) Have the participant receiving your electron pass their ball to the person on the right and continue until the ball is returned to you via your left hand. As long as your circle remains intact and the electrons continue to flow, your circuit is CLOSED.