St. Patrick’s Day isn’t often thought of as a good time to teach science, technology, engineering, and math, in St. Patrick’s Day STEM , but it turns out, with a little imagination, you can help children learn through any holiday! You’ll be surprised at how much fun it is to build this little light up shamrock as a fun electrical engineering project on St. Patrick’s Day. Teach the basics of circuits for kids with this light up shamrock! Tons of fun for learning that will last beyond March 17th.
This St. Patrick’s Day, add a bit of STEM thinking and STEM activities to your holiday by completing this lucky light up shamrock circuit activity for kids!
Table of Contents
What is a Circuit for Kids?
Here are the basics of the electrical engineering and electricity science that kids can learn while making their lighted St Patricks Day Irish shamrocks.
Imagine a circuit like a pathway for electricity to travel. It’s like a loop that lets electricity flow through it. Just like how cars need roads to travel, electricity needs a circuit to move around.
Parts of a Circuit
Every circuit has 3 main parts. The parts are as follows:
- Power Source: This is where the electricity comes from. It could be a battery or a plug in the wall.
- Wires: These are like roads for electricity. They carry electricity from one place to another.
- Components: These are things like light bulbs, buzzers, or motors. They use the electricity to do something, like lighting up a room or making a noise.
How Electric Shamrock Lights Work
When you connect a circuit, you create a path for electricity to follow.
Electricity flows from the power source through the wires and into the components. Then, it goes back to the power source, completing the loop.
Types of Circuits for Kids
There are two main types of circuits: series and parallel. Here is a bit of info on how each type of circuit works!
Series Circuit
In a series circuit, the components are connected in a single loop. If one component breaks or is removed, the whole circuit stops working.
Parallel Circuit
In a parallel circuit, the components have their own separate loops connected to the power source. If one component breaks, the others can still work because they have their own paths for electricity.
Teacher Apparel for St. Patrick’s Day
Here are some of the cutest shirts you can wear for St. Patrick’s Day at school!
Sequin Clover St. Patrick’s Day Teacher Shirt
Shenanigans Coordinator St. Patrick’s Day Teacher Shirt
My Students are Lucky Charms St. Patrick’s Day Teacher Shirt
Inclusive St Patrick’s Day Teacher Shirt
Lucky Clover St. Patrick’s Day Teacher Shirt
Have a Lucky Day Teacher Shirt for St. Patrick’s Day
Irish Alphabet St. Paddy’s Teacher Shirt
St. Patrick’s Day Shirt for Math Teachers
One Lucky Teacher St. Patrick’s Day Shirt
Electric Shamrock Lights Safety Considerations
It’s important to be safe when working with circuits.
Always make sure to turn off the power before touching any wires, and never touch bare wires with your hands.
Shamrock Circuits Activity
You can make your own simple circuit using a battery, some wires, and a light bulb.
Connect the wires to the battery and the light bulb to see it light up!
Get the full instructions on how to make a light up Shamrock this Saint Patrick’s Day below.
Squishy Circuits Light Up Shamrock
Squishy Circuits are a type of circuit kit that is kid-safe and fun to play with!
Kids experiment with electrical engineering and completing circuits.
Go here to learn more about how to use squishy circuits.
More St. Patrick’s Day Activities
Here are some other fun St. Patrick’s Day activities for kids!
- 50+ Charming Saint Patrick’s Day Games for Kids
- St. Patrick’s Day STEAM Lesson Plan Bundle
- 20 Easy Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Science Worksheets
- St. Patrick’s Color by Number
St. Patrick’s Day Classroom Decorations
Here are some fun St. Patrick’s Day classroom decorations you can add to your classroom this March for festive flair and St. Paddy’s Day pride!
St Patrick’s Day Door Wreath for the Classroom
Pot of Gold Tinsel Tabletop Decoration
St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Welcome Sign
St. Patrick’s Day Classroom Door Decorations
St. Patrick’s Day Window Clings for the Classroom
St. Patrick’s Day Door Decorations for the Classroom
Pot of Gold and Rainbow Ceiling Hanging
Lucky Hanging St. Patrick’s Decorations
St. Patrick’s Day Banner Decoration Set
Colorful St. Patrick’s Day Classroom Decoration Bundle
And check out even more St. Patrick’s Day teaching resources below!
- St. Patrick’s Teaching Resources
- St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
- St. Patrick’s Day Classroom Kits
- St. Patrick’s Classroom Decorations
Older kids will have a blast making a light up shamrock.
Of course, you won’t want to miss making rainbow slime for ST. Patrick’s Day! You can also try this glitter rainbow slime recipe or this fluffy rainbow slime recipe.
Circuits for Kids: Light Up Shamrock for St. Patrick’s Day
This little shamrock is the perfect way to learn about circuits on St. Patrick’s Day.
Kids will love putting together a shamrock that lights up!
This activity is one of our favorite technology activities for kids!
St Patricks Day Irish Shamrock STEM Connections
Why should you make a light-up shamrock?
For fun, of course!
It’s a fun way to bring engineering and the study of electricity into the classroom during the St. Patrick’s Day season.
When kids use squishy circuits, they can learn about several STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) topics in a fun and hands-on way.
Conductivity
Kids can learn about conductivity, which is the ability of materials to conduct electricity. With squishy circuits, they can experiment with different materials like dough and learn which ones conduct electricity well and which ones don’t.
Electronics Components
Using squishy circuits, kids can become familiar with basic electronic components such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), resistors (in the form of play dough with varying resistance), and buzzers. They can learn how these components work and how they can be used to create different effects in a circuit.
Problem Solving
Working with squishy circuits encourages problem-solving skills as kids experiment with different configurations and troubleshoot when things don’t work as expected. They learn to identify issues in their circuits and come up with solutions to fix them.
And if you like this shamrock engineering activity, then you’ll also want to check out this list of St. Patrick’s Day coding activities.
Supplies for St. Patrick’s Day Light Up Shamrocks
Here is what you need to make light up shamrocks with your students!
St. Patrick STEM Activity Resources for the Classroom
Here are some fun St. Patrick’s themed STEM products you can use with your students this March!
St. Patrick’s Day STEM Activities
MagiCoders Rainbow Unicorn Coding Kit
St. Patrick’s Day Bingo Classroom Kit
Kaleidoscope STEAM Kit for the Classroom
Clixo Rainbow Engineering Classroom Set
Disappearing Rainbow Science Experiment
Fools Gold Science Dig Classroom Kit
Leprechaun Trap STEM Classroom Kit
Squishy Circuits Lesson Plan for St. Patrick’s Day
Before setting up any circuits activity, you need to talk to kids about circuit safety.
Even though the Squishy Circuits have a low chance of hurting a child, if you touch the bare metal to the LED lights while the switch is turned on, it will cause a short in the system and can give the kids a shock.
Some dough is conductive while other is insulating. You need both types of dough to make the circuit shamrock work. Regular salt-based play dough is conductive, while non-dry modeling clay is insulating.
In the shamrock, the insulating dough in the center keeps the two sides of the shamrock apart and completes the circuit.
You’ll need four balls of green conductive play dough and one ball of yellow insulating modeling clay (and of course the Squishy Circuits kit!)
How to Make a Light-Up Shamrock
Explore the magic of St. Patrick's Day by building a light up shamrock! Introduce middle schoolers and students in grades 4-5 to the wonders of electrical engineering with this dynamic Squishy Circuits activity on March 17th!
Materials
- Conductive play dough (green)
- Insulating play dough (yellow)
Tools
- Squishy Circuits classroom kit
Instructions
Objective
Students will construct a light-up shamrock using squishy circuits to learn about basic circuitry and electrical conductivity.
Introduction (15 minutes)
Begin the lesson by discussing the concept of circuits and electricity. Use simple language to explain how electricity flows through a circuit to power devices.
Introduce the activity by explaining that students will be creating a light-up shamrock using squishy circuits. Show them the materials and briefly explain their roles in the activity.
Activity (30 minutes)
Divide the students into pairs or small groups. Distribute the materials to each group.
Provide instructions for creating the light-up shamrock:
Form a center for the shamrock from the yellow dough.
Form three pieces of the shamrock and the stem from the green dough.
Press them together, ensuring the green dough is separated by the yellow dough.
Plug the LED lights into both sides of the green dough over the yellow dough.
Connect the positive side of the battery pack (red wire) to the same piece of dough where the long end of the LED light connects.
Put the negative black wand into the piece of dough where the short side of the LED light is.
Turn on the battery pack to test if the shamrock lights up.
Circulate among the groups to provide assistance and guidance as needed. Encourage students to troubleshoot any issues they encounter with their circuits.
Discussion (15 minutes)
Once all groups have successfully created their light-up shamrocks, gather the class for a discussion.
Ask students to describe their experience with building the circuit.
What challenges did they encounter?
Discuss the importance of ensuring the green dough is separated by the yellow dough to prevent short circuits.
Review the components of the circuit and their roles, such as the LED lights, battery pack, and conductive dough.
Encourage students to reflect on what they learned about circuits and conductivity through this hands-on activity.
Extension Activities
Challenge students to modify their shamrock designs or create additional shapes using the squishy circuits.
Explore the concepts of series and parallel circuits by incorporating multiple LED lights into the circuit design.
Recommended Products
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St. Patrick’s Day Books for the Classroom
Use these books about St. Patrick’s Day to supplement your St. Patrick STEM activities this March!
St. Patrick’s Day STEM Activities
The Story Behind St. Patrick’s Day
Celebrations in My World: St. Patrick’s Day
