Lights On and Lights Off---Making slider cards

We spent a whole day on Edison, and a whole day on Tesla, but there was so much to talk about that we spent yet another day talking just about electric lights. It was really interesting to learn about types of lights and some of the newer innovations in lighting (CFLs, LEDs, etc.)

I wanted to take a bit of a break from doing electrical activities and circuitry (not that the boys needed a break; they could make models and do snap circuits all day every day, but I try to keep things well-rounded) :) so I thought we would make little slider cards that showed a light going on and off. It was fun to see the variations the children came up with!

A very easy and precise how-to video on how to make the slider cards is here. They aren't hard to make, but I still had to make one myself before I really understood how to do it and where to place all the different parts. Once we got it, it was really fun and we even made some extras!

Here is another slider card tutorial.

And here are some resources for learning about light bulbs:
How CFL bulbs work
How LEDs work
How fluorescent lamps work
How incandescent bulbs are made