No Wires Necessary

No Wires Necessary: Exploring Electricity with Circuits is a part of the Science Unlocked physics curriculum series grades 3-7. Does electricity need wires to work? Find out by investigating the conductivity of materials, testing parallel and series circuits, and designing a model circuit of a home.

In this kit you will learn about the conductivity of materials in electrical circuits, compare designs of circuits and switches, and design your own circuit of a model home. This Accelerate level kit includes a full-color student workbook and a detailed teacher guide, with step-by-step instructions for both hands-on and reading-based activities designed to engage students in electrical circuits. Both teacher and student will be able to open the box and start within minutes, and the kit will provide over 12 hours of engaging learning.

In this kit, the student will engage in these fun activities:

1. Explore making a circuit using modeling dough.
2. Learn about materials that conduct and resist the flow of electricity.
3. Compare the design of parallel and series circuits.
4. Learn about the design of electrical switches and other technology.
5. Use knowledge about electricity to design a circuit for a model home.

Your student is ready for this kit when: 

• They know the basics of energy.
• They are interested in how electronic devices work.

Use the No Wires Necessary kit to answer questions such as:

• How does an electrical circuit work?
• Where does electrical energy come from?
• Why do different devices need different voltage?
• What is the difference between a parallel and series circuit

The following are Science Unlocked kits we suggest your student has completed prior to doing this kit: 

• Parts in Place

Interested in learning more? Check out our Student Workbook Sample and Teacher Guide Sample!

Our No Wires kit is a part of the Science Unlocked Accelerate series and is recommended for grades 3-7. 

More Information

• Safety Information (SDS)

Items included in the kit:

• 1 Alligator Clip Lead
• 1 Aluminum Foil Sheet
• 2 Battery, 3-volt with Leads
• 1 Battery, 9-volt
• 1 Battery Connector, 9-volt
• 1 Black permanent marker
• 5 Construction Paper
• 2 Copper Piece
• 2 Craft stick
• 1 DC Motor
• 2 Green LEDs
• 2 Red LEDs
• 2 White LEDs
• 2 Yellow LEDs
• 1 Masking Tape
• 1 Modeling Dough
• 1 Conductive Tape
• 1 Propeller 

Other items needed:

• Scissors

• Learning outcome: Does electricity need wires to work? Find out by investigating the conductivity of materials, testing parallel and series circuits, and designing a model circuit of a home.
• NGSS science standards alignment

• MS-ETS1-2 Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.