Design Session 3
No Code Necessary
Basic E-Textiles
Teams got hands on experience and tested out the directions in the LilyPad kits, making light up buttons.
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How do we make a button light up?
The LilyPad lights are very small and come with button loop shapes that you can use to sew them onto material. With a coin cell battery, conductive thread and battery you can sew a light onto any material.
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What is conductive thread?
This tool is simple but important for the kids to understand. Conductive thread creates the electric circuit by connecting the LED to a power source. Many kids were not familiar with conductive thread, but if you have gloves that allow you to use a touch screen you have definitely benefited from this technology!
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February 24 - No Code Necessary, Basic E-textiles
Technique
Line voting
Goal
Identify how well kids can interpret directions from the LilyPad book. Assess how much help they need to understand basic sewing.
Materials
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Markers, stickies, pencil, paper, rulers, circle template from LilyPad kit
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Two per child: Scrap fabric or felt (8x8 inches)
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One per child: 6” embroidery hoop, embroidery thread, 2 needles
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One per child: Lily Pad Kit: individual battery holder, coin cell battery, led lights, button pin
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Computer queued to videos for quilters knot and embroidery stitching and connected to video screen
[3:30-4:00] Set Up
Camera (memory card, mic, 3 lights!)
Write out questions on the board for line voting: Too Hard, Too Easy, Okay
Put together and set aside one project kit per child (fabric, embroidery tools, LilyPad battery holder, and LED set)
[4:00-4:15] Snack Time
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[4:15-4:30] First Circle
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Ground Rules
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Name, Age, “Question of the Day”
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Have you ever sewn before? Do you think it is or will be easy?
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What did we do last week? Explore and explain LilyPad kits. First Brainstorm of project.
[4:30-5:15] Design Session
No Code Necessary, Basic E-Textile
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Follow instruction booklet to make a button
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Questions to consider while observing
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How clear is the booklet in giving instruction?
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How well do kids skill levels match up with their expected skill?
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What steps turned out to be the most difficult?
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[5:15-5:30] Closing Circle Time
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Look at buttons groups made
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Line voting:
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1) Using a template (easy or hard)
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2) Following the booklet (easy hard)
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3) Sewing small pieces (easy to hard)
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Sewing basics, threadings needles, tying knots (easy to hard)
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Debrief of what we’ve learned
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Share next week’s session focus.
[5:30-5:40] Wrap-Up
Clean Up, Debrief, Take out SD card and put the camera away