Every home build
Every build from the lessons, in order. Each one shows the time, the parts and the lesson it goes with.
What to buyLevel 1 · Power
Play-dough circuits
About 20 minutes.
You need: Play-Doh or salty dough · 4×AA holder · 4 AA batteries · 2–3 LEDs
What lets electricity through?
About 15 minutes.
You need: the play-dough setup · a spoon, coin, foil, pencil, straw and rubber band to test
Goes with:
Dim the light
About 20 minutes.
You need: 4×AA holder · breadboard · wires · LED · 220 Ω resistor · 10k knob
Goes with:
Turn a bolt into a magnet
About 15 minutes.
You need: big iron bolt or nail · 5 m thin insulated wire · 2×AA holder · paper clips
Goes with:
One loop switches another
About 30 minutes.
You need: 4×AA holder · 2×AA holder · relay · button · LED · 100 Ω resistor · breadboard · wires
Goes with:
A switch with no moving parts
About 30 minutes.
You need: 4×AA holder · NPN transistor · button · LED · 220 Ω resistor · 1k resistor · breadboard · wires
Goes with:
Things to spot at home (9)
- Light the bulb: With a grown-up, open a flashlight's battery cover. Find the battery and metal contacts.
- Break it, fix it: Find three switches at home. Where is each gap?
- What lets electricity through?: Look at a plug. Which parts are metal? Which are plastic?
- Dim the light: Find a knob that changes how much, like a volume knob.
- What if electricity takes a shortcut?: Find a battery box. Why does it have a cover?
- Turn a bolt into a magnet: Find a speaker or headphones. There's a magnet inside!
- One loop switches another: Find a small button that turns on something big.
- A switch with no moving parts: Find a switch with nothing moving, like a touch screen.
- A part that stores electricity: With a grown-up, unplug a charger with a little light. Does it fade?
Level 2 · Muscles
Make something spin
About 15 minutes.
You need: 2×AA and 4×AA holders · motor and fan blade · breadboard · bottle cap
Two-motor cardboard car
About 45 minutes.
You need: 2 TT motors with wheels · two 2×AA holders · cardboard and tape · paper clip
Goes with:
Things to spot at home (4)
- Reverse the fan: Find something that can spin both ways.
- Make the fan faster: Find a fan or blender with speed buttons.
- From fan to wheel: Spin a toy car's wheel in the air. Then put it on the floor.
- Steer with two motors: Watch a robot vacuum or wheelchair turn. No steering wheel!
Level 3 · Senses
Light sensor
About 20 minutes.
You need: 4×AA holder · photoresistor · LED · 220 Ω resistor · breadboard · wires · flashlight
Goes with:
Echo parking sensor
About 30 minutes.
You need: echo sensor · buzzer · breadboard · wires · Mega and USB cable · computer with the Arduino app
Goes with:
Things to spot at home (2)
- The light sensor: At dusk, watch for a streetlight that turns itself on.
- The echo sensor: Clap in a stairwell or a big room. Hear the echo?
Level 4 · Brain
Night-light with a rule knob
About 30 minutes.
You need: 4×AA holder · photoresistor · NPN transistor · 10k knob · LED · 220 Ω resistor · 10k resistor · breadboard · wires
Goes with:
Human line follower
About 15 minutes.
You need: masking tape · blindfold or sleep mask · paper for two sets of rule cards
Things to spot at home (3)
- The night-light rule: Find a light with a rule: if it's dark, then on.
- Which sensor sees the line?: Put a finger on each side of a line. Which one is on it?
- Follow the line: Walk along a line on the floor. Which way do you step when you drift?
Level 5 · Body
Gears you can count
About 30 minutes.
You need: two gears (one with twice the teeth) · stiff cardboard · 2 split pins · marker · string · paper cup · coins · bottle cap · tape
Goes with:
Wheel roll
About 15 minutes.
You need: jar lid · paper plate or big pot lid · masking tape · pencil
Goes with:
Things to spot at home (5)
- Meshing gears: Find gears at home, like in an egg beater or a can opener.
- Gear swap: Turn an egg beater's handle once. Count the beater turns.
- Gears that lift: On a bike, try the easy gear. Your feet spin fast, but you go slow.
- Wheel size test: Put a big bike wheel next to a toy car wheel. Which goes farther in one turn?
- Ways to move: Find a place at home where wheels would get stuck.
Level 6 · Whole robot
Things to spot at home (2)
- Build the robot: Find a machine at home with a battery, a motor and a sensor.
- Fix the robot: When a toy stops working, check one thing at a time.
Extra experiments
Make the needle move
About 20 minutes.
You need: strong magnet · 5 m thin insulated wire · cardboard tube · multimeter with clip-on probes
Goes with:
Extra experiment
Needs a multimeter.
Build a battery
About 20 minutes.
You need: lemon · bare copper wire · galvanized nail · multimeter with clip-on probes
Goes with:
Extra experiment
Needs a multimeter.