When I was young, I only had one chance to get hands-on in school to make a simple battery circuit to power a light bulb. Our school did very minimal technology projects with us and both my parents were not academically well-educated so we never had a chance to explore technology and science at home either. I am so glad that my parents pushed me very hard to learn well in school though, so that now I can help my children spark their creative imagination using hands-on technology.
We had previously made our own buzz wire game and also a simple circuit, thanks to the help of an engineer friend. However, some of these items were not very well protected which could have been hazardous for the children, or even me!
So I am thrilled to have received this DIY Electro Dough kit from Technology Will Save Us (TWSU). They create award winning DIY kits and digital resources that help people make, play, code and invent using technology. They started in 2012 and now they have sold over 40,000 kits in 87 countries and collaborated with Google.
I like the kits because they are made from good quality materials with no exposed wires and so they are a lot safer than the raw materials we were messing around with previously.
Inside this kit suitable for aged 4 and above, you will find:
- Battery pack (required 4 AA batteries, not included)
- Buzzer
- 20 LED lights (10 green and 10 red)
- 10 connecting wires (different lengths)
- 6 crocodile clips
- 3 dough cutters
- Instructions
Before you use this kit, it requires you to make a conductive dough or use/buy play dough. We chose to make our own dough, which wasn’t hard but does require you to plan a little extra time. The instructions to make the dough can be found on the box lid and once you have made it, it is best to keep it in a tub or ziplock bag to prevent it from drying out. Remember that you could even add flavours to your dough like lavender, cinnamon, rose and other spices to make it more interesting! Or perhaps even try adding glitter or food colouring!
Both the kids had fun rolling the dough and cutting them into different shapes, then we were ready to explore the magic of electricity!
First, I went through the basic steps of reading the instructions before we moved onto the more complicated circuit activity. Mr K was very confident and was able to make his own buzz with a switch; Ms C was enjoying making her LED lights to light up! They both had fun exploring, creating and learning together!
I really like this kit and would highly recommend it to anyone: it is simple to use and of course great value for money at £15. We made this video and hope you enjoy watching it! You can join the conversation on social media with me by using the hashtag #futureinventors.
Disclosure: Sponsored by Technology Will Save Us.