Squishy Circuits

Intro: Squishy Circuits

This is a tutorial on how to make games for grades K-5 using play-dough that works like circuits!

To make the dough:

Conductive:

Materials:

1 cup Water
1 1/2 cups Flour (A gluten free version of this dough can be made by replacing the flour with gluten-free flour.) 1/4 cup Salt

3 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar

*1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil Food Coloring (optional)

*9Tbsp. of Lemon Juice may be Substituted

Procedure:

1. Mix water, 1cup of flour, salt, cream of tartar, vegetable oil, and food coloring in a medium sized pot.

2. Cook over medium heat and stir continuously. 3. The mixture will begin to boil and start to get chunky.

4. Keep stirring the mixture until it forms a ball in the center of the pot.

5. Once a ball forms, place the ball on a lightly floured surface.

WARNING: The ball will be very hot. We suggest flattening it out and letting it cool for a couple minutes before handling.

6. Slowly knead the remaining flour into the ball until you’ve reached a desired consistency.

7. Store in an airtight container or plastic bag. While in the bag, water from the dough will create condensation. This is normal. Just knead the dough after removing it from the bag, and it will be as good as new. If stored properly, the dough should keep for several weeks.

Nonconductive:

Materials:
1 1/2 cup Flour

1/2 cup Sugar

3 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

1/2 cup Deionized (or Distilled) Water (Regular tap water can be used, but the resistance of the dough will be lower.)

Procedure:

1. Mix solid ingredients and oil in a pot or large bowl, setting aside ½ cup flour to be used later.

2. Mix with this mixture a small amount of deionized water (about 1 Tbsp.) and stir. 3. Repeat this step until a majority water is absorbed by the mixture.

4. Once your mixture is at this consistency, knead the mixture into one “lump”.

5. Knead more water into the dough until it has a sticky, dough-like texture.

6. Now, knead in flour to the dough, until a desired texture is reached.

7. Store in an airtight container or plastic bag. While in the bag, water from the dough will create condensation. This is normal. Just knead the dough after removing it from the bag, and it will be as good as new. If stored properly, the dough should keep for several weeks.

STEP 1: Bees Love Flowers! Grades K-1 (Roni)

Step 1: Model a bee using black conductive dough and yellow non conductive dough, put a buzzer in the center, connected to the black antennae in the bees head using more black dough. (make sure the antennae is sticking out of the head!)

Step 2: Model a flower using yellow conductive dough and pink non conductive dough.

Step 3: Model stem of green conductive dough that leads from the yellow center of the flower. Connect the stem to a battery.

Step 4: Present your project, move the bee to the flower and touch the antennae to the yellow center, the bee will buzz!

STEP 2: Yummm, Strawberries! Grades 2-3 (Bailey)

Step 1: Put the non conductive dough in a circle like a pastry

Step 2: Put the conductive dough in the middle for the strawberry.

Step 3: Top it off with a red light.

STEP 3: Trucks Trucks Trucks! Grade 4 (Derek)

Step 1: Make a truck frame out of sticks.

Step 2: Put nonconductive white dough on the frame.

Step 3: Put red conductive clay in place of headlights.

Step 4: Place led lights in the conductive clay.

Step 5: Vrooom Vrooooom.

STEP 4: Jabba the Hutt. Grade 5 (Daniel)

Step 1: Shape tan nonconductive dough into Jabba the Hutt.

Step 2: Put conductive pink clay into the cheeks.

Step 3: Put 2 led lights into the eyes and connect them to the cheeks.

Step 4: Beware the wrath of Jabba the Hutt.