Saturday SAVY, Day 2 – “Wired Up! Electronics in Action” (5th/6th)
This week, our young creators explored the world of electronics in the Wired Up workshop. It was wonderful to see their excitement as they began discovering how technology comes to life. We started with the basics of using a multimeter, an essential tool for every engineer. The students practiced measuring voltage and checking connections to see how electricity moves through a circuit.
Then they met their Arduino board and learned how to set it up. After a few minutes of coding and curiosity, every student proudly watched their first light blink on and off. That single blinking light marked the beginning of their journey into programming and hardware control.
Next came breadboarding, where the children built their very first LED circuit. They explored how resistors protect components and how current flows between connections. The joy on their faces when their circuit came to life was unforgettable.
By the end of the session, they were controlling several LEDs at once, creating colorful light patterns that looked just like the decorative lights used in festivals across the world. The classroom glowed with creativity as the students tested different colors and timing sequences, learning how simple code can create beautiful displays.
Coming Up Next – The Final Session
Next week marks the final Wired Up session. The young inventors will connect a heartbeat sensor to their Arduino and learn how to detect and visualize real biological signals. It will be an exciting way to wrap up the series, showing how electronics and human biology can come together through creativity and curiosity.
Dinner Table Conversations
Keep the excitement going at home with a few fun questions:
- What did you enjoy most about making your LEDs blink?
- How does the Arduino tell the lights when to turn on and off?
- Why do you think resistors are important in a circuit?
- Tell me about the light-emitting diodes you worked with!
- What do you think the heartbeat sensor will show about your body?
Each week of Wired Up has built both creativity and confidence. As we head into the final session, we are proud of how much our students have learned — and even more excited to see what they create next.
As a Ph.D.-trained medical electronics engineer, I recall how my parents encouraged me to participate in an experience like this. Their support, alongside the mentorship of my teachers, my fellow students, and my counselors, provided me with the inspiration to pursue my career, building technologies to improve human health.
See you next Saturday!
Anupam Kumar, PhD