Alexia Davis, an educator in Fruitport, MI, wanted to introduce circuits to her STEM students. With no set curriculum, she hoped Snap Circuits would be a great way to scaffold learning across various grade levels.
Excited to bring hands-on technology to her K-5 students, Alexia applied for a grant to bring Snap Circuits into her classroom. Though the kits were new to her, her students’ enthusiasm quickly won her over. “They are over the moon about the hands-on learning opportunities,” she shared.
Alexia first discovered Snap Circuits through STEM educator groups on Facebook, where teachers frequently praised the kits. Inspired, she applied for a grant, thinking, “What do I have to lose?” As a first-year teacher, she knew integrating STEM wouldn’t be easy—circuitry was new to her school, and none of her students had prior experience. But she believed in the power of discovery-based learning.
To introduce the kits, Alexia demonstrated how the pieces snapped together and challenged her students to turn on a light. She explained, “Depending on grade level, I would hand them a few of the blue connectors, battery pack, and lights. For example, kindergarteners received only the exact materials they needed, while 5th graders received extra pieces they had to sort through. There is a lot of power that comes from allowing students to learn through exploration and from each other.”
“I started off teaching about ‘what is a circuit’ and where we see them, then introducing what the Snap Circuits are. Students then had the opportunity to explore making a circuit themselves with the kits without any instruction. With the older students, we then did a lesson about conductors and insulators where students were able to test different materials to see if they were conductors or insulators. Students had lots of fun testing all kinds of different objects to see if they were conductors or insulators.” – Alexia Davis
Despite the success in her classroom, Alexia admitted she initially had doubts. “Before letting students have a go with them, I had to take home the kits myself first to teach myself about circuitry and how they worked. And honestly, after I did that, I wasn’t too excited about the kits. As an adult, I found them straightforward, and was so worried that kids would get bored of them quickly. But boy, was I wrong! Students LOVED THEM. They would come to class begging to use them again!”
The excitement extended beyond the classroom—Alexia set up a Snap Circuits station at her school’s STEM Family Night, and families didn’t want to leave! Looking ahead, she’s eager to take her students’ learning even further. “This school year, I am excited to dig deeper with our Snap Circuits now that all students in grades 1-5 have already been exposed to them and have a base level of knowledge. I’m hoping with the older students to be able to dig more into different types of more complex circuits and how they work.”
With Alexia’s enthusiasm and her students’ growing curiosity, the future of STEM learning at her school is brighter than ever.
We cannot wait to see what she accomplishes next!
Plus – check this out!
“Around Halloween I had 4th and 5th grade students make their own monster circuit headbands. I got this idea when I went to ISTE this past summer and knew I wanted to implement it in my classroom. My students were thrilled that they were able to make something like this themselves and were able to keep them!”
– Alexia Davis
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