24 Make LED Bookmarks

JESSICA LOGAN / BRANCH MANAGER

Hamilton Mill Branch, Gwinnett County Public Library

Type of Library Best Suited for: Any

Cost Estimate: $50–$100

Makerspace Necessary? No

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Hamilton Mill Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library wanted to help teens and tweens gain an understanding of electrical currents and learn how to create simple circuits in a way that was both fun and encouraged creativity. From this desire arose our do-it-yourself LED Bookmarks program wherein participants could design their own light-up bookmarks with simple circuits using LED lights, colored felt, and conductive thread.

This program is a stand-alone event that can easily be held at any time of the year and is designed for middle school and high school students. This project could also work well for younger participants, provided they have assistance or supervision in using scissors and a sewing needle. Students can let their creativity flow by designing and constructing their own bookmarks that incorporate LED lights in unique and unexpected ways.

OVERVIEW

LED Bookmarks is a program that works well with teens and tweens, in grades 6–12. An hour is generally plenty of time for the participants to design and construct their bookmarks. Prior to beginning the project, discuss the use of circuits and demonstrate the construction of the simple circuit needed to create an LED bookmark.

We do not limit the attendance for this maker project, and we have found that the most expensive material needed, conductive thread, went a long way in terms of how many bookmarks could be created.

MATERIALS LIST

◦ Coin batteries
◦ LED lights
◦ Felt
◦ Needles
◦ Thread
◦ Coin battery holders
◦ Conductive thread
◦ Paper (optional)
◦ Pencils (optional)

NECESSARY EQUIPMENT

◦ Tables
◦ Tweezers
◦ Scissors
◦ Thimbles (optional)
◦ First aid kit (optional)
◦ Camera or other device to take pictures (optional)

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Discussing the use of circuits and demonstrating the construction of a simple circuit is a great place to start for this project. It is important that the participants understand the use of circuits, and the demonstration of a circuit is always an attention grabber. The basic idea is that the LED light will glow when electricity flows from the positive side of the battery through the conductive thread, through the LED light and back to the negative side of the battery creating a loop, or circuit. You can also use this as an opportunity to demonstrate other forms of simple circuits or encourage the participants to try their hand at creating one. Once all the participants have an understanding of how to create the circuit, encourage them to start thinking of a bookmark design that they would like to create. Some students may need inspiration and it helps to have some samples of bookmarks available, or even images of LED bookmarks if you have not had time to construct your own. Next, display the materials available for use and allow them to select their desired colors of felt. If you have colored LED lights available, you could also let them select those. Simple white LED lights work just fine if you prefer to avoid too many choices.

Prior to letting the participants begin creating their bookmarks, it is important for them to consider their circuit design and the conductive thread connections. Each circuit will have a positive connection, or trace, that connects the positive side of the battery holder to the positive side of the LED, and a negative trace that connects the negative side of the battery holder to the negative side of the LED. Having some paper and pencils on hand is helpful because some students may wish to sketch their design ideas first. Positive traces are traditionally drawn in red while negative traces are drawn in black. All bookmarks should be at least two inches wide so that the battery holder fits on it.

Prior to letting the participants begin creating their bookmarks, it is important to discuss safety with the group since they will be handling sewing needles. Once this has been covered, you can begin to distribute the rest of the materials. We also recommend having a first aid kit on hand that includes antiseptic wipes and Band-Aids should someone accidentally prick themselves with a needle. This has never happened during one of our do-it-yourself LED bookmark programs, but it never hurts to be prepared.

Remain available to assist the participants with any issues they may encounter or to answer any questions they may have. We have found it helpful to have some needles threaded ahead of time because this is a step that the students sometimes struggle with. Some students may also need assistance in sewing secure starting and finishing knots so that their stitching does not come undone. Make sure that participants are pulling their thread tightly when attaching the battery holder in order to create a snug connection.

Once the participants have created their bookmark and sewn in their simple circuit using the conductive thread, LED light(s), and coin batteries, let them have fun showing off their creation to friends and family. If a student is having trouble getting their circuit to work, check the traces to ensure that they are matching on both ends; if the LEDs are connected backwards they will not light up. You will also want to make sure that the positive and negative traces are not touching because this will cause a short circuit.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

◦ Develop an understanding of electrical currents.
◦ Explore circuits and learn to create a simple circuit using conductive thread, LED lights, and coin batteries.
◦ Practice design and sewing skills through hands-on creation.

RECOMMENDED NEXT PROJECTS

You may consider a variation on this project that allows participants to create LED bracelets. This makes for a logical progression in skill because it is a bit trickier to create, and you must ensure that the end product is smooth so that that you don’t have any threads poking or irritating your skin. Once this task has been mastered, you can broaden your projects to incorporate wearable tech . . . this is a broad category that can include circuits sewn into shirts, jackets, shoes, and so on. Let the participants use their imaginations to create all kinds of light-up fashions. If you do branch out into the wearable tech realm, just make sure your makers know that all electronic pieces used in this project are washable except for the coin cell battery. Should they need to wash their project, they will need to remove the battery prior to washing with a mild detergent.