CD case illuminART - TEACHER guide
For Ages: 8-12 years
Activity Time: 1 to 1.5hrs
Activity Link: Student tutorial
Re-purposing unwanted CD cases (which are commonly dumped) to make illuminated art is a great way to get students thinking about the damaging environmental effects of ever-changing technology and what we can do to mitigate the effects.
You will need:
CD case
Coloured permanent markers or felt pens
Insulated wire (35-45cm)
3V coin battery e.g. CR2032
White LED
Cellotape
Soft foam packaging
Copper or metal tape, or tin foil
UPDATE: we have several packs available for purchase - $30 for 10, $60 for 20 (plus shipping costs). Contact us to buy.
1. Check the LED and battery work
Hand out LEDs & coin batteries to students. The LED legs should straddle the battery. The longest leg (anode) should be touching the smooth side with the + sign (positive), and the shorter leg (cathode) touching the bumpy side (negative). If it’s not working, see if students can problem-solve their way to success.
Questions:
Why does this work? What’s going on? What does a battery do? What are electrons? How does the LED make light? When were LEDs invented? Where might we find LEDs in everyday life?
2. Make a conductivity tester
Demonstrate how to test for conductivity, then give students ~5 mins to go around the room and test which materials electrons can race through (conductors) and which ones slow them down (insulators)!
Bring them back and discuss what they noticed. Was there anything which they thought would conduct electricity but didn’t?
3. Discuss CD cases & tech waste
Discuss CD cases and the change in stored music/video/data from physical media to digital files & streamed media:
Who knows what this is? (CD case)
What’s a CD?
Who’s got them at home?
Who uses them at home?
With more music being played via digital files & streaming, CDs and their cases are no longer needed/wanted. This is an unfortunate side-effect of changing technology. These items are made out of plastic, with no thought to end-of-life recycling or re-use, and that’s not good. Encourage students to design with end-of-life in mind. This is a good time to review all the Rs of waste minimisation.
One of the Rs is Re-purposing - talk about what we’re going to make, and bring out a demo if you have one.
4. Getting creative with CD cases
There are a couple of options here:
Draw on white paper (recommended, as students can change out their drawing, and maximises reusability) and insert into the widest side
Draw directly onto the plastic (inside of widest side) using coloured permanent markers, and cover with white paper to diffuse the light.
Use black paper to black out parts of the artwork.
If you have the resources for all, discuss the pros and cons of drawing onto paper vs plastic, and let students choose.
Hand out CD cases and get students to take out the middle bit which holds the CD.
Taking out the plastic middle bit which holds the CD can be tricky - I find if I can get a finger under the middle of the tray, it levers off with minimal effort.
If drawing on paper, students should trace around the case, create their drawing inside the rectangle, then cut it out and insert into the case.
If drawing directly onto the inside of the case, any writing will appear backwards.
Decide whether students will draw something that’s important to them, something that someone they know might like (to give as a gift), something related to your class inquiry, or it could be part of a mosaic with a friend or the whole class. Students should decide whether their drawing should be portrait or landscape.
5. Add your conductivity tester
Place your battery+LED on the smallest side of the case, so that the LED is in the centre of that side. Tape down the battery, then thread the wire through a side-hole then back through the other side-hole.
Which holes students should use depends on whether the drawing is portrait or landscape.
Students will often run into connectivity issues with the LED legs or wires not connecting. This is a great time to talk about debugging!
7. Test out your artwork in the dark!
Using the wire as a handle, hold it up against a wall - it should create a nice glow around it!
8. Create a switch (optional)
This is the hardest part of the activity.
First move the free wire end and LED leg apart about 0.5cm. Bend a ~4cm x 2cm bit of foam packaging in half, place it on the paper so that when the lid is closed it connects the free wire to the free leg, without touching the LED head or battery. Tape the bent foam down (not too tightly), and close the lid to check that it still touches the metal wire and leg. Reposition if needed. Cut and apply metal tape or foil on top of the foam, and tape down the sides if needed.
Test that your switch works by closing the lid - the LED should light up. If not, check where the break in the circuit is, and fix.
Extension
Think of how you could connect a micro:bit, Arduino, or other micro-controller and use it to make your artwork more interesting or useful.
Use a micro:bit, Arduino, or other micro-controller to turn on the LED when it is dark.
Group challenge: create a story with your artwork, with each CD case showing a different part of the story. Control the LEDs with your micro:bit, makey-makey, or Arduino, and connect to Scratch to programme the different CD cases to light up as the story is told.
Curriculum Links
Technology/Hangarau AOs
Level 1
Technological products (Knowledge) - Understand that technological products are made from materials that have performance properties.
Characteristics of technology (Nature) - Understand that technology is purposeful intervention through design.
Characteristics of technological outcomes (Nature) - Understand that technological outcomes are products or systems developed by people and have a physical nature and a functional nature.
Level 2
Technological products (Knowledge) - Understand that there is a relationship between a material used and its performance properties in a technological product.
Technological systems (Knowledge) - Understand that there are relationships between the inputs, controlled transformations, and outputs occurring within simple technological systems.
Characteristics of technology (Nature) - Understand that technology both reflects and changes society and the environment and increases people’s capability.
Science AOs
Level 2
Interacting systems (Planet Earth) - students will describe how natural features are changed and resources affected by natural events and human actions.
Ecology (Living World) - students reflect on how plastic affects living things
The Arts/Ngaa Toi AOs
Developing practical knowledge - Explore and use art-making conventions, applying knowledge of elements and selected principles through the use of materials and processes.
Social Sciences AOs
Level 4 (Social Studies) - Understand how exploration and innovation create opportunities and challenges for people, places, and environments.
Level 5 (Social Studies) - Understand how people’s management of resources impacts on environmental and social sustainability.
We're keen to hear your thoughts on how this activity links with the NZ Curriculum - please email us with your feedback.
We'd also love to see your class creations! Use #illuminART on social media, and mention us on Twitter (@RepairDetective) or Facebook (@RepairDetectives).