February 10 - Explorers! Electricity and LilyPad Kits

Technique 

Big Paper

 

Goal 

Introduce LilyPad Boards and kits, have kids help us describe what this technology is. Introduce ideas of electricity and conductive thread.

 

Materials

• Big Paper, Markers, White Board Markers

• LilyPad Kits

 

[3:30-4:00] Set Up

Camera (memory card, mic, 3 lights!)

Arrange tables on the edge of room, 

Set aside big paper, and markers

 

[4:00-4:15] Snack Time 

 

[4:15-4:30] First Circle 

• Ground Rules

• What did we do last week? Human Obstacle Course

• Name, age, “Question of the day”

  • What’s your favorite way to learn something new, like a game? Someone telling you, video, pictures, written directions.

• Short discussion on the concept of electricity 

  • ELECTRICITY = Flow of tiny particles called electrons and protons, it is energy

    • Electricity is like a train, it needs a track to run on and if something gets in the way it won’t work, positive and negative.

  • CONDUCTOR = a thing electricity can easily pass through; metals and electrolytes (The word “electrolytes” should be memorized in this context even if time doesn’t allow more than the defining of this word).

    • Magic Conductive Thread - ex: gloves that you can use a touch screen with. Explain how the thread CANNOT cross over itself or it will cancel out the conductivity and just become normal thread. 

• Introduce Explorers idea, and assign groups. 

  • We are explorers searching for a way to light up our world that has gone dark! Electricity is a way to send power from an energy source, a battery, to a light source.  

  • We explorers have discovered this box on your travels. Work in teams to explore your LilyPad Kit, check out the booklet, see if you can figure out what it’s all about.

 

[4:30-5:15] Design Session Explorers! [abt 30 minutes]

• Look through the kits, ask questions, talk with your team about what the parts are.

• Try to answer these questions using your big paper:

  • Can we name parts of the board without help? 

  • What do we think of the projects in the book? 

  • Is it better to talk about the projects or the LilyPad board first?

• Create a poster to explain your discovery to the other scientists from your home planet. Label the parts you think are important.

 

Drawing Electricity Pathways (Prep for No Code, Sewing) [abt 15 minutes]

• Start with paper, pencil, battery holder, LED lights. 

• Mark out a circle using the template, or free draw a shape on your fabric about the size of your palm. 

• Lay out the battery holder making sure to note where the positive and negative connectors are. Lay out LED lights on the paper, about 1 inch apart from the battery and each other. Don’t use more than two lights. Trace these onto the material and set the pieces aside.

• Mark out your electricity pathways from the lights to the batteries, make sure the lines don’t cross. 

 

[5:15-5:30] Closing Circle Time 

• Share your posters/tutorials that explain what is in a LilyPad Kit.

• Identify common/overlapping ideas that we see in the design ideas and responses

• Next week: No code necessary, Basic e-textiles 

 

[5:30-5:40] Wrap-Up

Clean Up, Debrief, Take out SD card and put the camera away