We invite you to save BIG during our annual Black Friday Sale, starting Friday 28 November and extending through Sunday 30 November!

For a limited time, use code BF2025 to enjoy 20% off all non-discounted Chibitronics products in our shop.  

*Code valid: November 28, 2025 @12:01 PT – November 30, 2025 @11:59pm PT on all non-discounted Chibitronics products. Discount pricing may not be combined with other discounts.

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Working in three dimensions — to create a puppet with students — would be a challenge any day of the week! But, in today’s post, you’ll meet a bold, innovative educator who is no stranger to a challenge!

We met middle school art educator, Felicia Brooks, during our Summer Pathfinders course this past July! Her final project, a colorful light-up puppet with a pressure sensing mouth, prompted a collective gasp from viewers, and instant requests for more details.

Today, we’re featuring Felicia for having the courage to not only combine puppetry and paper circuits in her classroom, but to do so during the first weeks of school!

We are grateful to her for graciously accepting our invitation to showcase this inspiring project with you, and to share her learning as she teaches this exciting project in real time!

Teacher’s Corner

Lesson Goals

Project goals include students demonstrating computational thinking and design, an increase of student engagement, creating valuable memories of how to problem-solve, and applying grade school concepts in a real world activity.

Lesson Inspiration

This project was inspired by my favorite toy to play with that my son received for his 2nd birthday, a dinosaur puppet.

Somehow I found it in my car and in a moment of desperation, it came alive in my hands to entertain my child while we sat at a red light, probably. 

Puppets have this way of allowing us to play outside of ourselves and have a sense of control and silliness. I walk around my middle school with my light up Paper Circuit Puppet and students and staff alike engage.

Lesson Summary

Target audience: Middle School Students, but may be used with Upper Elementary with circuit knowledge and High School students.

Students will be able to create a 3-dimensional circuit puppet using 2-dimensional paper materials.  Students will light up their original puppet with LEDs activated by a pressure sensor when the mouth of the puppet closes. Students will have a basic understanding of how to complete a cut-and-fold switch circuit, with the mouth being the giant yap flap fold.

I anticipate students having difficulty following how the energy is transferred from the pressure sensor switch inside the mouth to activate when the mouth closes. There may be some issue navigating the conductive fabric from behind the puppet head to inside the puppet’s mouth, then back behind the puppet’s head. (I have to focus my descriptions to say “behind the puppet head” and “inside the mouth” that hopefully helps clarify)

Standards and Proficiencies Addressed

VA.68.S.2.2 Create artwork requiring sequentially ordered procedures and specified media to achieve intended results.

VA.68.S.3.5 Apply two-dimensional techniques and media to create or enhance three-dimensional artwork.

SC.6.PE.3.6 Evaluate the logical flow of a step-by-step program by acting it out through computer-free activities.

SC.8.PE.3.3 Evaluate the benefits and limitations of the use of models.

Lesson Plan/Activity

Step 1: Plan & Form the Puppet

Students will receive the following supplies:

• printed mouth template (on printer paper)
• glue
• head and jaw strips of paper

Students will start to plan their puppet with printer paper, cutting and forming, using the puppet mouth template provided on basic printer paper. We used printer paper to save on materials. I always start with the cheap stuff and then once students plan an idea, we move on to the more expensive materials for the final. Their mock-up should include where they would like their LED(s) located and how they would like to personalize their puppet’s facial features.

For this, you may choose to show students the final puppet video so they can get the idea of what it will become; but, at this stage they only need to understand how to fold the tabs and glue the mouth to the head and jaw paper strips. Make sure students are “chomping the desk” with the mouth fold all the way on the edge of the desk to aid in stability when gluing and wrapping around the head strip of paper to the “teeth tabs.” Then, flip the mouth upside-down, using the same “chomp the desk” technique to attach the jaw.

I allow students a break in between to see each other’s work because we have a 1 ½ hour class block. Students who finish first are asked to go around to help others (about 1.5 hours or 1-2 days).

Puppet Mouth Template

Note: The template will be the same for the play with printer paper in this step as with the final cardstock version in Step 3.

Puppet Mouth, Head, & Jaw Template(Download)

Step 2: Design the Circuit in Circuit Sketcher

After planning and assembling their puppet plan, students will upload a photo of their puppet (or use the general puppet photo provided here). I messaged the class a digital copy to use.

To help assist students with creating their circuits, have them log into Circuit Sketcher to design a circuit system.

First, I have them pull out a “Cut-and-Fold” switch, Launchpad battery, and LED lights. The “Cut-and-Fold” switch operates as the “mouth” and can only run positive or negative energy through it. It helps for students to click the fold closed [in the software] when applying the line connectors so [they] see the color passing through it. Then place the Launchpad battery, usually near the back of the jaw or else it may add too much weight when physically trying to talk with it. This step is important and may affect how the final puppet will need to be constructed to accommodate the form and circuit location (see note 2a below) (2 hours or about 2-3 Days).

a. For instance, a student wanted a narwhal horn and applied a pencil inside the paper to make it structurally sound. In order to make it light up at the top of the horn, we needed to plan in advance to attach the positive and negative conductive material of the circuit, without them touching, up the pencil to the LED and back down the pencil. This would need to be done in Step 3, alongside the building of the cardstock puppet, and cannot wait until the final circuit (Step 5); otherwise, the pencil may be glued in there and you would have to take it apart for the final circuit application. 

b. Students are to attempt digitally planning their circuit individually, but if they cannot make it light up properly, I permit a student or myself to assist. Sometimes students tend to “do it for them,” so in order to assess if learning occurred, I use the trash tool to eat the connector lines and ask the original student to connect them back to the battery and LED and “Cut-and-Fold” switch without assistance.

c. Have them save and print out their designs to use a reference. 

Step 3: Start Final Cardstock Versions

Now it is time for the final cardstock version of the puppet project. If you haven’t already done so, show students the video attached to reveal the process all the way through. You may work together and pause it step-by-step.

Note: The metal brad depicted in the video has been moved further back into the mouth on the revised Mouth, Head, and Jaw Template for better conductivity.

Students will receive the following supplies:

• final cardstock printed mouth
• head & jaw strips of paper
• 1 x 2.5″ X 2.5″ square of Conductive Pressure Sensor sheet
• 1 metal brad
• 1 strip of conductive copper or Conductive Fabric Tape
• scrap paper to make their final puppet

Some project designs will require additional circuit materials alongside building the paper form, like conductive fabric strips or paper clips, etc. (see note 2a above) (2 hours or 2-3 Days).

a. If you are choosing to use crayons or colored pencils instead of paint, invite students to color before they begin gluing the head together. It is harder to apply pressure for color saturation required for dry media once glued in the 3D form.

b. Some students took their original planned printer paper puppet home at this time as it was no longer needed, unless it was a complex design that would be needed for reference.

Step 4: Decorate

After their cardstock puppets are assembled, students will paint their puppets.

a. In case you jumped to the circuit building before painting, make sure the battery is not attached during the painting process as wet paint is conductive (1.5 hours 1-2 days).

Step 5: Start Building Physical Circuits

The last step is to start building the circuits.

Students will receive the following supplies:

• 6-7 Conductive Fabric Tape Strips
• 1 or 2 LEDs
• Launchpad Battery

They’ll need time to light up their puppet and problem-solve any last features of their design (2 hours 2-3 days).

Tech Tip: If students are using Through-Hole LEDs, rather than Launchpad LEDs (which already have resistors), you may need to teach them how to use Resistor Stickers, depending upon the color combination that they choose. [To learn more, visit How to Use Chibitronics Through-Hole LEDs and Resistor Stickers.]

Extended Lesson: Students can create a background story for their puppet and present what it means to them when the LED(s) light up. For instance, the dinosaur bird lights up when she is feeling bashful, but inwardly excited. 

Materials Per Student

• 1 Launchpad Battery (or 2 batteries attached side-by-side for brighter LEDs)
• 1 x 2.5″ X 2.5″ square of Conductive Pressure Sensor sheet
• Conductive Fabric Tape Strips (about 7)
• 2 LEDs (Launchpad or Through-Hole)
  • [Note: If using Through-Hole LEDs, you may also need Conductive Resistor Stickers.]
• 1 sheet of 11”x 8 ½” Cardstock
  • To print out the final version of the Puppet Mouth & Jaw Strip Template
• Scrap Paper for Puppet Modifications
• Scissors
• Elmer’s Glue or Glue Stick
• Painters Tape or Masking Tape
• Watercolor paint

Optional:

• Conductive Resistor Stickers
• X-acto blade
• Cutting mat

Reflection

What were some of the highlights in doing this project with students?

• Students light up when they see the circuit puppet work and instantly want to play.
• Students easily took to creating 3-D mock-ups with white printer paper instead of just drawing flat ideas, which helped me to prepare for how to advise students on where to place their circuits throughout the puppet head for the final cardstock version.

What are some lessons learned?

• I learned it was important to remind students the mouth can only be part of the positive or negative circuit strip. Walking around with my working puppet, as well as having students have their mock-ups beside them as they planned the circuit on the Sketcher simulator allowed them to physically plan it out as well.
• When applying the paper circuits in Step 5, I found that working in small groups helped the most. It was amazing to see the different avenues students took to light up their puppet’s and even my “not so creative” students took pride in the way their puppet lite up.
• In order to present these projects, you can clip the mouths closed and display for consistent light, invite students who come the the art show to walk around with their puppet on their hand, or even record a puppet show and present a short film. 

Gallery

Most of the artwork showcased here was made by Magnet Art 8^th graders from Parkway Middle School of the Arts, under the instruction of Felica Brooks.

About the Educator

Felicia Brooks is the Visual Arts Teacher at Parkway Middle School of the Arts in Fort Lauderdale, FL, where she guides children to discover their artistic voice for 8 years and counting. She owes much of her own artistic growth to the young artists that she mentors. To make traditional painting fun again, Brooks learned programs like coding in Scratch that connects to a Makey Makey and conductive elements to make interactive art, Micro:bit, TinkerCAD for 3D printing, and circuit sketcher, and IbisPaint to engage her students with rigorous, STEAM project-based learning, but now she is mastering these programs to create her own artwork. Felicia Brooks’ inquisitive disposition moves her artistic development into new territory. Brooks enjoys spending quality time with her husband and two sons. Every Sunday she can be found live painting at The Cross Church next to ArtsPark at Young Circle in Hollywood, FL. 

Felicia Brooks holds a Bachelors of Art in Visual Arts with a minor in Psychology from Florida State University, 2013. She has worked under an art conservator, restored old maps, and catalogued over 2,000 works of art. Brooks has worked at Blick Art Materials, taught at Young at Art Children’s museum, created and ran programs in affordable housing communities, and taught for the City of Pembroke Pines. She has traveled to Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, and El Salvador on mission trips where she used her artistic skills to benefit the international community through murals, teaching, and promoting the value of the arts. Felicia Brooks continues to embark on new challenges and innovative ideas to artistically enrich the community through personal art work and collaborative initiatives.

Instagram: @Handsandeyes

Email: Felicia.Brooks@browardschools.com

About our Educator/Lesson Spotlights

Chibitronics is dedicated to sharing the work of our wonderful educator community. We enjoy showcasing ways that teachers capitalize upon their students’ creativity with circuits.

Are you an educator who would like to be featured? Or, do you know of an amazing educator who is integrating circuits with their lessons?

If so, reach out to us at education@chibitronics.com to be featured.

The post Educator & Lesson Spotlight: Paper Circuit Puppets with Felicia Brooks appeared first on Chibitronics.

Our LED Sticker Kits are a great holiday gift idea!

Chibitronics LED Circuit Sticker Kits make electronics artful! Peel, stick, and light up creative projects for young makers.

Purdue University’s 2025 Engineering Gift Guide

This year, two of our LED starter kits were reviewed and selected for inclusion in Purdue University’s 2025 Engineering Gift Guide: Microelectronics Edition — our original, best-selling STEM Starter Kit (ages 14+) and our NEW Create with STEAM: LED Sticker Kit- Level 2 (Ages 8+)!

Defining Features of Each Kit

The post Purdue’s 2025 Engineering Gift Guide Features Chibitronics appeared first on Chibitronics.

Did you know that it’s possible to connect two or more Launchpad Batteries together, like beads on a string, to boost their power within a circuit?

Novel in design, our 3V CR2032 Launchpad Battery is a safer, more learner-friendly option than traditional coin batteries! Besides making our Launchpad Battery harder to swallow, these wing-like metal tabs enable easier gripping, sketching, prototyping, and connecting!

Similar to stacking two traditional coin cell batteries (one on top of the other), the metal wings of Launchpad Batteries may be overlapped to merge their individual voltages. In most cases, doing so will result in the increased brightness of LEDs and extended battery life.

So, while they may look different, Launchpad Batteries can be easily joined to increase their total voltage!

Combining batteries to boost the voltage in your circuit is a useful thing to do if your batteries no longer contain a complete charge, or if you’re working with power-hungry circuits that use a combination of colored LEDs and Animating LEDs.

Overlapping two fresh batteries, for example, would double the total voltage available in your circuit from 3 to 6 volts.

The key is to join the batteries so they are connected one after the other like beads on a string. When the positive wing of one battery comes in contact with the negative wing of another battery, this is called connecting the batteries in series.

Connecting two Launchpad Batteries in series, by linking the positive wing (or terminal) of one battery to the negative wing of the next, is especially useful for powering circuits that contain a variety of multi-colored LEDs.

To ensure a more robust physical and electrical connection, it’s a good idea to secure the overlapped wings with Conductive Fabric Tape or Conductive Fabric Tape Patches.

But, if you’d prefer to treat the batteries as a switching mechanism, you may choose to leave the overlapping contacts loose.

Once you have the batteries connected in series, you can treat them like one large battery with the negative tab on one battery and the positive tab on the other battery. This will allow you to connect more LEDs in parallel, like the example circuits below.

View Video Demonstration

Tips for Working with Alligator Clips & Through-Hole LEDs

Launchpad Batteries, in singles or connected in series, have sturdy arms that are easily securable with conductive tapes or alligator clips! This makes it easier to prototype and experiment with different power configurations.

This can also help to make scientific concepts easier to visualize and understand. In the example below, the circuit powered by two Launchpad Batteries connected in series is much brighter. This is especially true for the blue and white LEDs that have higher power requirements.

Another concept that might be illustrated with two Launchpad Batteries in series is the way that Through-Hole LEDs behave both with and without resistors (or Resistor Stickers).

If you are working with Through-Hole LEDs in parallel and Launchpad Batteries in series, it’s important to use resistors such as our Resister Stickers, to protect the bulbs and balance out the flow of current going to each LED.

Whereas a white Through-Hole LED does not always need a resistor when connected to a single Launchpad Battery, doubling the voltage can result in exceptionally bright white lights that may cause the batteries to drain faster.

It is also possible to demonstrate the concept of how switches work with a pair of Launchpad Batteries and alligator clips. By leaving the overlapped wings loose, free from conductive tape (see images below), they may be easily separated to open the circuit and turn it off. Then, to close the circuit, to turn it back on, they may be brought back into contact with one another.

Learn More:

To learn more about Launchpad Batteries, visit Introducing the NEW Chibitronics Launchpad Battery!

To learn more about Through-Hole LEDs or Resistor Stickers, visit How to Use Chibitronics Resistor Stickers.

Shipping Now!

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Speedbumps for Electricity

Did you know that different colors of LEDs require different amounts of power to turn on? This is especially true for bare through-hole LEDs (the ones with legs).

In this post, you’ll learn how to use Chibitronics NEW Resistor Stickers to act as speedbumps to slow down the flow of electricity in your paper circuits.

Unlike Circuit Sticker LEDs and Launchpad LEDs, which come with built-in resistors, our NEW Chibitronics Through-Hole LEDs do not have built-in mechanisms to help slow down the flow of electrons. 

As a result, warm and cool colors don’t always play nicely together within the same circuit, with the warmer colors hogging up the energy for themselves. 

For example, if you try to pair a red through-hole LED with a blue or white one, the blue or white one will not always turn on. This is because a red LED requires less power than a blue or white one.

In the sequence of visible colors on a light spectrum—which follows the familiar convention of the rainbow, ROYGBIV—voltage requirements for LEDs start low and increase as they advance through the spectrum. While these values may differ a bit (depending upon the manufacturer) this chart shows the typical voltage of Chibitronics Through-Hole LEDs, the amount of power that’s typically required for each color to light up. 

As a general rule, red and yellow LEDs (warm colors) require less power than green, blue, and white ones (cool colors). 

To prevent frustration when using bare through-hole LEDs, or when working with students, it’s a good idea to separate the warm colors from the cool colors when building paper circuits. This is especially helpful if you don’t have access to resistors.

Using resistor stickers to balance and mix colors

If you’d prefer to build a mixed-color circuit where all of your through-hole LEDs turn on, you can try adding some resistance to the circuit loop to help balance out the power requirements for each of the colors.

Resistance is kind of like a tap on a faucet, like friction for electricity. Basically, it helps slow down the flow of current (the flow of electricity) to help protect your circuit and prevent your battery from draining too fast. If you think of the voltage in your battery as the pushing force that pushes power through your circuit, and current as the actual flow of energy that creates the light, resistance slows things down, like a speed bump in your circuit.

Our NEW Resistor Stickers, which look like little black rectangles, work in much the same way as traditional resistors.  

Basically, they help slow the flow of current—the flow of electricity—to help protect your circuit. By slowing down the current, Resistor Stickers help keep your through-hole LEDs from burning out and your battery from draining too quickly. By helping to balance the varying voltages of LEDs in your circuits, using them will allow you to light up all of the through-hole LEDs in your circuits, regardless of their color (as long as your battery has sufficient charge to do so)!

Resistors Slow & Balance the Flow of Current

Made of a flexible base material imbued with carbon (which is conductive) our NEW easy-to-use Resistor Stickers are conveniently backed with conductive adhesive.  Nearly magical in function, they work the same way as a typical resistor!

By sandwiching a Resistor Sticker between the leg of a through-hole LED and one of the conductive traces of your circuit, you’re adding resistance to the loop that the electrons are flowing through. As a result, you’re slowing down the current going through that LED and making it more difficult for the electrons to pass through it.  This helps to prevent the LED from hogging power away from other LEDs.

Since a resistor is like a switch, it does not have a direction or a polarity like an LED or a battery does. This means that you can put a Resistor Sticker under either leg of a through-hole LEDs (positive or negative); it doesn’t matter as long as you only place it under one leg.  Then, if securing the leg of your LED to it with Conductive Fabric Tape, be sure that the tape does not come in contact with the conductive trace leading to the battery.

As you repeat this process for each of the low energy colors in your circuit, you’ll notice that the overall current will start to balance out, siphoning away enough power to allow the green, blue, and white LEDs to turn on! 

Unlike through-hole and surface mounted resistors which vary in value, Resistor Stickers have a consistent value of approximately 500 ohms across the sheet. While they may not provide a perfect balance for the current in your paper circuits, we like to think of them as training wheels for resistors. Our accessible, easy to use Resistor Stickers will enable all of the colors in your paper circuits to get along, play nice, and share. If only everything in life was so easy! 

The post How to Use Chibitronics Resistor Stickers  appeared first on Chibitronics.

Chibitronics now carries NEW learner-friendly Through-Hole LEDs and easy-to-use Resistor Stickers! After hearing stories about educators using through-hole LEDs with their students to cut costs and encourage rapid prototyping, we’re excited to introduce two new products that will make this practice easier and even more educational!

The Long and Short of It

Through-hole LEDs (the ones with metal legs designed to be used in a breadboard) are often viewed as an affordable option for classrooms exploring paper circuits. However, we’ve heard that some of you have been spending precious prep time using Sharpie markers to color-code the positive or negative legs, to make them less frustrating for your students. We’ve also heard how challenging they can be during debugging, since it’s difficult to confirm their polarity once they’ve been bent open and taped down.

Our new Through-Hole LEDs make identifying the short, negative leg unmistakable—even when the LED has already been added to a circuit! That’s because we’ve shortened it significantly, making it easier to contrast with the long, positive leg! Making the legs easy to identify at a glance may help reduce frustration for new learners by making circuits easier to debug. This can save time and result in fewer broken legs.

For convenience and easy storage, our new 5mm through-hole LEDs come packaged in a plastic box containing six compartments. Each compartment contains forty LEDs in one of six colors: red, yellow, green, blue, white, and rainbow fade, color-changing LEDs.

When using bare Through-Hole LEDs without resistors, it’s a good idea to separate the warm colors from the cool colors during circuit construction. As a general rule, red and yellow LEDs (warm colors) require less power than green, blue, and white ones (cool colors). 

But, if you or your students prefer to mix warm and cool colors, we’ve got you covered!

Like Training Wheels for Resistors

We’ve heard how frustrating it can be when you (or your students) are trying to mix certain colors of through-hole LEDs together in the same circuit (red and white, for example) and are unable to get them all working at the same time.

Our NEW Resistor Stickers were designed to help balance the flow of current in your circuits, to help you light up all of the colors at once!

Unlike Circuit Sticker LEDs and Launchpad LEDs, which come with built-in resistors that enable different colors to be mixed together, bare through-hole LEDs do not. This means that LEDs with lower power requirements (red and yellow) will not play well with LEDs with higher power requirements (blue and white), unless you manually add them.

Adding Resistor Stickers allows you to help balance the flow of current in your circuits. Less fiddly than through-hole resistors, which are designed to be inserted into breadboards, Resistor Stickers are flat, sticky, and easy to use—like training wheels for resistors! 

Learn How to use Resistor Stickers:

To learn more detailed information about Through-Hole LEDs or Resistor Stickers (or to watch a video demonstration), visit: How to Use Chibitronics Resistor Stickers.

NOW Shipping!

The post Introducing NEW Chibitronics Through-Hole LEDs and Resistor Stickers appeared first on Chibitronics.

In anticipation of PopUpTober, we’re demonstrating a way to create a virtual model that may help speed up the production of your 3D ideas, including pop-up cards!

sketcher.chibitronics.com

1. Design and simulate your paper circuit virtually.
2. Export a printable template of your design.
3. Make your paper circuit!

TRY CIRCUIT SKETCHER

Circuit Sketcher (our NEW Digital Design Software) is a digital design tool that allows you to experiment and play virtually with paper circuit components before using physical materials.

Designed with educators and students in mind, Circuit Sketcher allows you to choose from a variety of connectors, LEDs, battery holders, switches, and more!

Circuit Sketcher Can Help Reduce Abstraction

Working in 3D can be very challenging, especially when working with hidden layers (such as a pop-up card).

Circuit Sketcher can help to reduce the abstraction, by allowing you to play around with the location of a circuit’s connections. It allows you to actually see how a circuit will look once it’s built, even if the physical model requires that parts of the circuit be concealed.

This video demo will show you an easy way to play with circuit design, overlayed on an image of a 3D model, to help streamline the prototyping process!

Learn More

You can learn more about Circuit Sketcher, in general, by visiting Try Circuit Sketcher: Design Software for Paper Circuits.

Or, to learn how to use it to create “bridges,” visit Tech Tip: Build a Bridge to Prevent a Short Circuit.

The post Tech Tip: Try Circuit Sketcher for Prototyping Your 3D Build appeared first on Chibitronics.

Throughout July, as part of Infosys Pathfinders Summer Institute 2025, members of the Chibitronics team hosted our most ambitious virtual professional development event to date.

Even with an expedited registration window (which occurred as a result of unprecedented interest in Summer Pathfinders courses in general) active enrollment in our classroom-tested course, Start with Art: STEAM Learning with Chibitronics Paper Circuits, increased by a whopping 26%!

As a result, we trained 84 public and charter school teachers and librarians in 30 states and provinces. Over 61% teach at Title 1 schools, amplifying our reach to underserved communities.

From K-5 to 9-12 and beyond, educators brought skills in computer science, technology, math, art, English, and library science. Together, we impacted 24,352 students across public schools, charters, and libraries. We thank you, Infosys Foundation USA, for empowering learning and driving innovation!

In addition to receiving full scholarships for hands-on virtual professional development, and FREE kits of our newest, LEARNER FRIENDLY supplies (valued at over $250), this year’s participants also benefited from systemic updates designed to make engaging with our content even easier!

Participating educators/librarians were treated to:

• flexible scheduling
• on-demand office hours
• a dynamic series of highly engaging webinars—taught by experts in the fields of education, art, graphic design, robotics, artificial intelligence, paper engineering, and programming!

Along the way, our enthusiastic, “Chibitastic” participants learned how to build simple and parallel circuits, add switches and bridges, and even operate a multimeter (to measure voltage, current, and resistance)!

They debugged!

They developed and designed!

They engaged in hands-on learning!

Participants in our summer course learned how to use resistors, pressure sensors, and our new and improved paper circuits software, Circuit Sketcher!

By enabling participants to design and test circuit templates using our real-time simulator, participants quickly innovated, experimented, and practiced designing increasingly complex circuits virtually, to conserve materials and ensure that they work in the real world!

Testimonials

Based upon testimonials that were shared with us, we learned that even educators with experience creating paper circuits deepened their learning during our summer course!

My favorite thing was getting to do hands-on learning and seeing everyone’s ideas!! I was familiar with paper circuits and felt fairly comfortable with them, but this PD took me to a whole new level!!

Sarah Robinson, High School Science Teacher

Participating in the course was amazing- I am looking forward to working with students this year to use what I have been able to learn and practice.”

Mary Amy Senn, Middle and High School Science Teacher

I’m very thankful to the Infosys Foundation USA for providing these opportunities.  As a Title One school, our funding has other focuses, and it’s difficult to get funding for things like STEM/STEAM in our schools.   It would be nice if public education was fully funded.

Edith Owens, Elementary Art Teacher

Your gift of supplies and motivational support has inspired me to get a grant and do Chibitronics with my entire 4th grade.  So far, we have done simple and parallel circuits.  Looking forward to their art ideas using the lights.  Thank you for pushing all of this cool stuff out to us so we can introduce paper circuitry to our student community.

Eileen Lengenfelder, Elementary STEAM Teacher

Special Shout-outs!

Thank you to everyone who participated or expressed interest in the Infosys Pathfinders Summer Institute 2025. With continued support from our partners at Infosys Foundation USA, we look forward to hosting our paper circuit series again next year!

Thanks also to all the past and present members of the Chibitronics team who have allowed Pathfinders to evolve over the past decade!

On board in the planning and execution of this year’s event were Jie Qi, Jessica Frost-Ballas, Barbara Liedahl, Kristin Osciecki, Kathy Ceceri, Jill Dawson, and Shiela Lee.

Special thanks also go out to our Guest Educators: Jasmine Florentine, Amanda Jean Strode of CodeJoy, Colleen Graves and Sarah Fitzhenry from Makedo!

And last, but not least, we are incredibly grateful to Infosys Foundation USA for giving full scholarships to our participating teachers and librarians, allowing them to attend and receive free bundles of Chibitronics supplies.

The post Record-Breaking Participation During Chibitronics Summer Pathfinders PD! appeared first on Chibitronics.

In today’s post, leading up to #LightUpPopUpTober 2025, Educator/Artist/and Technologist Kristin Osiecki is sharing a helpful template, links to useful pop-up resources, and an example of a Sequence Slide Switch Pop-Up Mechanism in action.

In case you missed it, Kristin and the Chibitronics team recently hosted a webinar, Exploring Engineering Through the Arts, as part of the summer line-up of educational webinars sponsored by Infosys Foundation USA. 

During the event, Kristin shared her personal learning journey as she pursued interests in computer science and electrical and mechanical engineering through the arts. In addition to sharing examples of learning experiences that she designed, centering upon the arts in STEM learning experiences, she observed how it shaped her work as an educator—enticing a broader spectrum of students to explore computer science and engineering.  

One of the examples that she shared, a light-up pop-up card of Moo Deng created during PopUpTober 2024, led her to design an accessible, adaptable template that can be easily personalized!  

Read on to learn from Kristin Osiecki directly!

A winning combo for introducing pop-up mechanisms to your circuit experiments

The pop-up circuit I created for my recent Chibitronics webinar relies on a simple box fold, combined with a circuit inspired by the Sequence Slide Switch template.

Sequence Slide Switch Template

I chose a box fold because it’s a versatile fold that allows beginners to create a lot of depth. It can easily be adapted to a variety of different designs. Similarly, when making a circuit with the Sequence Slide Switch template, you can easily change the location of each LED, both vertically and horizontally.

1. Cut two vertical slots.
2. Reverse the fold between the slots.
3. Create your circuit using the Sequence Slide Switch template as a guide.
4. Apply your artwork on top.

Webinar Resources

The animation effect created by the slide switch adds an additional layer of interactivity to the pop-up that lends itself to storytelling. Students really enjoy being able to control how the lights pop on and off. 

If you’re working with a group of students, this is a winning combo for introducing pop-up mechanisms to your circuit experiments!

I’m an educator, artist, and technologist. My work, both in the classroom and beyond, focuses on the intersection of the visual arts and technology. I’ve spent the majority of my career doing educational work in a variety of contexts, from working as a visual arts teacher to developing learning resources at a robotics startup. I find that centering technological creation in the arts engages audiences that are typically marginalized in STEM education and creates opportunities for deep and authentic learning. As an artist, my work is idea-driven and straddles a variety of disciplines. I am currently experimenting with combining ceramics and traditional metalsmithing to incorporate circuits into sculptural work.

To learn more about Kristin’s work, visit www.kosiecki.com.

If you’d like to view the webinar, you may do so here.

The post Sequence Slide Switch Pop-Up Mechanism: Guest Educator Kristin Osiecki appeared first on Chibitronics.

We’re Launching a NEW, STURDIER LED!

After spending countless hours working with educators around the world, and hearing their feedback, the Chibitronics team is thrilled to announce the release of our new Launchpad LEDs!

Like our safer, easier-to-use Launchpad Battery, our new Launchpad LEDs come with sturdy tabs that are easy to grip, sketch, and prototype with! 

Unlike our Circuit Sticker LEDs, which are designed to be used just like stickers, Launchpad LEDs are bigger, more durable, and easily reusable for learning—like training wheels for LEDs! 

Like Training Wheels for LEDs

Because they aren’t as permanent as stickers, Launchpad LEDs are perfect for tinkering, building temporary artworks, and conducting experiments. 

Since they are easy to reposition, remove, reuse, and store, they are especially ideal for learners in classroom, craftroom, and home school settings!

Like the tabs on a Launchpad Battery, the + and – polarity markings are large and easy to see—or use as a stencil.

Clear, easy-to-trace, polarity markings—cut out from each tab—will save you time and remove guesswork on where to stick your conductive tape traces! 

Made of sturdy metal, the tabs on our Launchpad LEDs may be connected to a Launchpad Battery or paper circuit with conductive tapes and even alligator clips!

This means that our Launchpad LEDs are especially ideal for building (and rebuilding!) models, as well as clipping to a variety of components and microcontrollers such as the Love to Code Chibi Chip!

NOW Shipping!

The post Introducing NEW Chibitronics Launchpad LEDs! appeared first on Chibitronics.

sketcher.chibitronics.com

1. Design and simulate your paper circuit virtually.
2. Export a printable template of your design.
3. Make your paper circuit!

TRY CIRCUIT SKETCHER

We’d love to hear your feedback on Circuit Sketcher.

Circuit Sketcher, by Chibitronics, is a digital design tool that allows you to experiment and play virtually with paper circuit components before using physical materials.

Designed with educators and students in mind, Circuit Sketcher allows you to choose from a variety of connectors, LEDs, battery holders, switches, and more!

In Circuit Sketcher you can move things around, test connections, receive immediate feedback in simulator mode, and even import your own artwork!

You can easily resize and change your design as you go—making sure everything works, fits, and aligns just the way you want it.

Once you are happy with your design, you can even export your circuit template and artwork as a printable PDF for quicker fabrication!

Learn More

The post Try Circuit Sketcher: Design Software for Paper Circuits appeared first on Chibitronics.

After considerable time, care, and investment into research and development, the Chibitronics team is pleased to announce the release of our new safer, easier-to-use 3V CR2032 Launchpad Battery!

To help protect children six years and under from potential risk of injury, the passage of Reese’s Law led to significant changes to battery warning labels and packaging requirements. As a result, Chibitronics has made sweeping modifications to our product line.

Novel in design, our Launchpad Battery is a safer, more learner-friendly option than traditional coin batteries!

Upon first glance, you’ll notice that our new battery looks very different, almost as if it has two arms raised up in a celebratory cheer! Yay!

Besides making our Launchpad Battery harder to swallow, these wing-like metal tabs enable easier gripping, sketching, and prototyping!

Shipping Now!

Clear, easy-to-trace, polarity markings—cut out from each wing—will save you time and remove guesswork on where to stick your conductive tape traces. 

Because a Launchpad Battery is easier to see, tape onto, and trace with a pen or pencil, they are an ideal choice for classrooms and other learner-centered settings!

You may also notice that our Launchpad Battery comes wrapped in a bright yellow coating that completely encases it. In addition to being a safety feature, this protective property has the added value of insulating the positive edge of the battery, shielding it from inadvertent contact with the conductive traces in your paper circuits. This can help prevent unintended connections, resulting in less frustration and longer battery life!

The label on the back side of the battery serves as a reminder that lithium batteries are not rechargeable and must be handled with care, to include proper recycling and disposal.

Launchpad Batteries are also alligator-clip friendly, with sturdy arms that are easily securable with conductive tapes or alligator clips!

To preserve your battery’s power and make storage easier between projects, our Launchpad Battery comes in a convenient zip-lock pouch.  Perfect for quick classroom clean-up or workshop prep!

Storage Tip:

Store only one battery per pouch to prevent accidental short circuits!

Available in our shop!

The post Introducing the NEW Chibitronics Launchpad Battery! appeared first on Chibitronics.