Glowing Paper Circuit Card

Create a custom greeting card that lights up using a simple electrical circuit. Kids will learn how conductive tape acts like a wire to connect a battery to an LED light.

Tools

• scissors (1 pair)

Materials

• cardstock paper (2 sheets)
• copper conductive tape (1 roll)
• LED light bulb (1 piece)
• coin cell battery (1 piece)

Safety

• Adult supervision required for sharp objects.
• Coin cell batteries are a choking hazard. Keep away from children under 3.

Steps

1. Draw and color your card design on the front of the cardstock. It is best to do this first so you don't smudge the ink on the conductive tape later.
2. Identify the legs of your LED bulb: the longer leg is the positive (+) side and the shorter leg is the negative (-) side.
3. Carefully poke a small hole in the card where you want the light to appear.
4. Feed the LED legs through the hole from the front to the back of the card and spread the legs apart.
5. Peel the backing off the copper conductive tape and lay a strip from the LED's short leg to the spot where the battery will sit.
6. Lay another strip of copper tape from the LED's long leg toward the edge of the card to create a switch.
7. To make a corner for the switch, fold the tape away from the direction you want to go, then fold it back over itself in the correct direction.
8. Place the coin cell battery with the negative side facing down to touch the tape connected to the short LED leg.
9. Secure the battery by taping over only half of it; do not cover the entire battery, or the switch will not work.
10. Tape down the LED legs firmly onto the copper tape to ensure a strong electrical connection.
11. Test the circuit by folding the card so the copper tape switch makes contact with the positive side of the battery.