Simple electronic circuit for kids – low light sensor

My 6 year old daughter is learning about electricity at school, so I thought it was a great opportunity to show her some electronics whilst she was interested.

We decided to create a low light sensor, as the circuit is quite simple, but it is still something that looks quite good when she shows it off to friends and family.

This is the finished product:

Whilst most of the wiring is just a case of plugging directly into the breadboard, it did involve some soldering which I let my daughter have a go at. It did involve some hand-holding (literally) as both the soldering iron and heat gun (used for heat shrink insulator) get very hot!

More details, including a circuit diagram are available from PenguinTutor electronics / Low-light-sensor page