First circuit: The switch, lamp socket, and six-volt lantern battery are all conventional hardware. The bulb is a special 50 watt 12 volt light bulb intended for use in RVs boats, or houses that use solar or wind electricity off the grid. Ask about it at a hardware store.
Block-o-trons: The model electrons we pass around a circle. We made these blocks on a table saw, but any similar objects would serve the purpose.
Snap Circuits: This kit, by Elenco, is available in some stores in Santa Fe and can be found on the Internet, try http://amazon.com or http://thetoyhunt.com. The Toy Hunt website has a plethora of add-on kits. For the very best price one should Google “Snap circuits.”
Balloon Fuses: We use high quality balloons. Thinner balloons will pop easily on contact with the steel wool. The steel wool is the coarsest grade we found in a hardware store. Be careful, it has sharp edges, and it is easy to cut one's fingers pulling it out of the bag. Cut it with snips or scissors. The aluminum foil wires are simple strips of aluminum foil rolled and flattened into wires. Masking tape binds the ends of the strips over the ends of the steel wool to the balloons. Connecting batteries will heat the wire sufficiently to pop the balloon if the steel wool is about half a centimeter or less long between the ends of the foil strips. Two “D” cells works faster than one, but one will do the trick, too.
Conductor or insulator?: The electronic parts of this are mostly available from Radio Shack. We use battery holders, alligator clip leads, light bulbs and light bulb holders. A more complete source is http://allelectronics.com on the Internet, or Google the items you are looking for. Science supply companies, like NASCO, have these items as well. The sample conductors and insulators can be a collection of any sort of thing from around the house or around school. Nails, aluminum foil, plastic items, wooden things, marbles, jewelry, etc. all are interesting to test.
