Circuitry doesn’t need to be scary (or expensive) - these STEM brands make it simple!

Are you looking for an inexpensive way to integrate circuitry into your classroom, afterschool, makerspace, or at-home learning? Look no further than STEMfinity! Whether you are new to circuits or a seasoned veteran, STEMfinity has the largest selection of hands-on circuitry resources from the best STEM brands on the planet to meet your experience level.

Below, we have included several circuitry resources that range from early elementary through high school. Each of these STEM brands has a unique approach to teaching students about circuitry and electronics, and we recommend that you give each of them a look and see which one works best for your learning environment. While we only highlighted one resource from each brand, there are several additional circuitry kits offered by each of them on their respective brand pages. If you have any questions about these STEM brands or need help putting together a list of recommended resources for your learning environment, please reach out to our team for a STEM Consultation.

DFRobot | BOSON Inventor Kit

• Recommended Grades: 1-8
• About: The BOSON Inventor Kit by DFRobot teaches students about circuitry using a set of coding-free electronic building blocks that enable them to break down complicated circuits into simple modules that are easy to understand. Each of the BOSON building blocks have built-in magnets and can be used with velcro and screws, as well as a wide variety of materials including paper, wood, fabric, walls, and more. The BOSON Inventor Kit includes 20 lessons and has enough materials to support a classroom of 15-25 students, but it can also be used in other learning environments including afterschool programs, makerspace settings, and at-home.

Snap Circuits | Snap Circuits STEM Kit

• Recommended Grades: 2+
• About: Snap Circuits uses functional color-coded building pieces that attach to a circuit board grid and can be rearranged by simply snapping them together or pulling them apart. Each of these color-coded building pieces has a functional purpose that teaches students about circuits, electricity, magnetism, and how they relate to each other. The Snap Circuits STEM Kit is a beginner kit aimed at introducing students to the basics of circuitry. There are several additional products offered by Snap Circuits that are more advanced, and the good news is that these kits are compatible with one another.

MaKey MaKey | MaKey MaKey Invention Kit

• Recommended Grades: 3+
• About: MaKey MaKey is an invention kit designed to connect every day objects to computer keys by simply using a circuit board, alligator clips, and a USB cable. The MaKey MaKey Invention Kit works with any material that can conduct electricity - student makers have used everything from lemons and bananas, to pencil graphite and finger paint to create their invention. With MaKey MaKey, you can turn anything into a controller, and invent your own sensors using everyday materials like foil, pennies, and paperclips - the world is your construction kit! MaKey MaKey also offers a classroom invention STEM pack if you are looking to supply large groups of students.

Squishy Circuits | Squishy Circuits Deluxe Kit

• Recommended Grades: 3+
• About: The Squishy Circuits Deluxe Kit teaches students the basics of electrical circuits and key concepts like resistance, voltage, and current using conductive playdough. The colorful playdough doesn’t require soldering - after building your creation using the dough, just add batteries and connect your desired LEDs to light up your design, or add noises to your design with buzzers, and even animate your design with a motor. Squishy Circuits includes several pre-made doughs to get students started and new dough can be made easily at home with basic ingredients and recipes are includes for both conductive dough and insulating dough. Squishy Circuits includes lesson plans that are aligned to NGSS standards that include educator preparation materials, safety information, background knowledge and vocabulary on each topic.

Brown Dog Gadgets | Paper Circuits Kit

• Recommended Grades: 4+
• About: Brown Dog Gadgets introduces students to circuitry using conductive tape and paper. All that is needed to get started is to overlap two pieces of Brown Dog Gadgets’ amazing Maker Tape on a basic sheet of paper to create an electrical connection! Your design isn’t just limited to paper, the Maker Tape can also be used on walls, windows, cardboard, fabric, and much more! Brown Dog Gadgets provides online lessons, project guides, and simple curriculum that includes student and teacher documentation. The Paper Circuits Kit can be used in almost any learning environment, and includes an individual version as well as a classroom set that is intended for large groups of students.

Arduino Education | Arduino Student Kit

• Recommended Grades: 6-8+
• About: The Arduino Student Kit is designed to teach students the basics of circuitry, programming, and coding including concepts like current, voltage, and digital logic. This kit includes step-by-step lesson plans and projects so it is easy to implement into any learning environment even without prior experience for the educator or student. Lessons and projects can be paced according to each student’s abilities allowing them to learn at their own level and progressively build upon their prior knowledge. Arduino Education offers several more circuitry kits that we recommend you check out.

Mand Labs | Mand Labs KIT-1 Standard Edition

• Recommended Grades: 6-12+
• About: The Mand Labs KIT-1 is a do-it-yourself learning kit with 57 experiments that introduces students to the fundamentals of electricity including charge, current, resistance, and voltage, all the way through to advanced concepts of transistors in electronics and robotics. Some of the projects that you can build using the Mand Labs KIT-1 include an automatic night lamp, burglar alarm, and using a DC motor as a generator. While this kit is designed for students with no prior experience in circuitry, it is recommended primarily for middle school and high school students. Mand Labs also has a Premium Edition Kit that offers more projects and materials.