Create a magical greeting card that lights up! You will learn how to build a simple electrical circuit using conductive tape to connect a battery to an LED light.

Tools

• scissors
• markers
• pencil

Materials

• cardstock paper (8.5 x 11 inch, 1 sheet)
• copper conductive tape (1 roll)
• LED light bulb (5mm, 1 piece)
• coin cell battery (CR2032 3V, 1 piece)

Safety

• Adult supervision required when using scissors.
• Small parts (LEDs and batteries) are choking hazards; keep away from very young children.
• Do not let the positive and negative ends of the battery touch the same piece of tape directly, as it can cause the battery to heat up.
• Adult supervision required for sharp objects.
• Coin cell batteries are a choking hazard. Keep away from children under 3.

Steps

1. Fold your cardstock paper in half to create a standard greeting card.
2. Draw and color your design on the front of the card. If your design has a light (like a robot's eye or a star), mark the exact spot where the LED will go.
3. Using your pencil, mark a small hole on the inside of the card where the LED will be placed. Carefully poke or cut a small hole through the paper at that spot.
4. Identify the legs of your LED: the longer leg is positive (+) and the shorter leg is negative (-).
5. Feed the LED legs through the hole from the front of the card to the back. Spread the legs apart so they are flat against the back of the paper.
6. Apply a strip of copper conductive tape from the short (negative) leg of the LED to the spot where the battery will sit. Tape the leg down securely.
7. Apply a second strip of copper conductive tape from the long (positive) leg of the LED. Run this tape toward the bottom corner of the card.
8. To create a switch, fold the positive tape strip slightly away from the direction you want it to go, then fold it back over itself. This creates a gap that will act as a switch when pressed.
9. Place the coin cell battery at the end of the negative tape strip. Ensure the negative (-) side of the battery is facing down, touching the tape.
10. Secure the battery with a small piece of tape, but only cover the edges. Do not cover the entire top of the battery, or the switch won't work.
11. Test your circuit by pressing the folded tape 'switch' down onto the positive (+) top of the battery. The LED should light up!
12. If it doesn't light up, check that the long leg of the LED is connected to the positive side of the battery and the short leg to the negative side.