Chibitronics

There are so many wonderful things that have happened in my classroom as a result of resources people have shared on Twitter, and I have a feeling Chibitronics will be another one that I can add to the list this year.

@GingerLewman tweeted about a Chibitronics kit that she was eagerly anticipating last week.  The name caught my interest so I visited the web site.  When I saw the product, I knew immediately that I had to try it out.   I went with the Advanced Kit because, well, it just had so many cool things included and I hadn’t spent money on anything fun all summer yet 😉

Chibitronics offers circuit stickers.  These are stickers that can be re-used a few times, and include sensor stickers, effects stickers, and LED’s.    Included in the kits are also some conductive tape (which I can already tell will need to be replenished very soon), batteries,  and a Sketchbook.

The Sketchbook is not just a blank book.  It includes instructions and templates as well as prompts for creative elaboration on each project. The Sketchbook and the video tutorials (which can be found on their main page) have been highly advantageous for my daughter and I since we are both completely ignorant about electronics – aside from our MaKey MaKey adventures.

Conductive tape can be purchased separately (Amazon, for one, offers different sizes), as can the batteries.  I think one Sketchbook is fine.  But I am going to need to set aside a serious budget for those stickers. We are having such a great time making LED’s blink and fade and twinkle that I have a feeling we will have used the entire supply before it ever makes it to my classroom Maker Studio!

I have been collecting other resources for “making” on this Pinterest Board if you are interested.