STEAM in the classroom: Electricity through Snap Circuits

Students were given a brief introduction to Snap Circuits to introduce the basic properties of electricity and electronics. They learned how to build a simple circuit, to understand the fundamentals behind circuitry and how circuits are used in all of the technological devices we use today. They leaned about Direct Current, and how an electric switch works. Snap Circuits is an educational toy that teaches electronics with solderless snap-together electronic components. Each component has the schematic symbol and a label printed on its plastic case that is color coded for easy identification. The students worked in groups testing the kits providing insight into the types of circuits and comparing the different properties of series and parallel circuits. Students will be able to re-create circuits of various functionalities such as shining a light bulb, spinning a motor, or both. They were able to manipulate the circuits and create their own circuits using the components provided in the snap circuit kit.