ELECTRONICS

Learning basic electronics no longer needs to involve bread boards and insulated wires. The rise in interest in garments with lights and sounds can be used to expose children to electronics. These soft circuit designs are also useful to encourage girls to explore more STEM education options.

The following lesson involves a pattern and instructions available at SternLab and is adapted here for use in the classroom. It can be presented to students as young as elementary grades as long as they have the skills to use an embroidery or sewing needle.
Materials for Electronic Embroidery Lesson

There are a few items necessary to complete this electronic lesson. Many can be purchased at a sewing supply store. The LEDs, toggle switch, coin cell battery and holder can be found at an electronic supply store. The conductive thread is available online at a site such as Sparkfun. Another option is to purchase the LED sewing kit created to accompany the instructions at SternLab; one kit will be needed for each student.

* Pattern (a frog is included as part of the instructions, but any simple design can be used)
* carbon paper for tracing the design onto fabric
* wooden embroidery hoop (helps with the embroidery, and is used as the frame when finished)
* 8 inch square of fabric, solid colors work best
* pen/pencil
* scissors
* needle nose pliers
* two LEDs
* toggle switch or metal snap
* embroidery needle
* coincell battery and holder
* conductive thread
* embroidery floss
* regular sewing thread (any color)

Besides these materials, students will need to either be familiar with, or introduced to, simple sewing and embroidery techniques. These include using an embroidery hoop, the back stitch, and how to weave an end into the previous stitching when tying off thread.
Basic Electronic Principles and Competencies

Included with the instructions for this electronic craft is an electrical diagram. It shows that the conductive thread connecting the positive end of each LED to the positive pole of the battery holder and switch. It also shows the stitching between the negative end of each LED and a separate stitching line from the negative of the battery holder to the switch. This diagram is very simple, but is the introduction to the National Coalition for Electronics Education's (NCEE) competency 4.9: "Explain the methods of using flow diagrams/charts."

Since this is a very low voltage/amperage circuit the instructions do not include information about grounding when working with a circuit. This can be added at the teacher's discretion. It is, however, a basic DC circuit, which helps introduce the NCEE's competency 11.1: "Identify and describe the operation of common DC circuits."

Students are introduced to what happens when a short circuit occurs. The conductive thread has a tendency to easily unravel, so the ends must be tied off carefully so loose strands do not cross to the other stitches. This introduces students to the NCEE's competency 5.7: "Explain the effects of proper and improper termination."

SOURCE:
http://classroom-activities.suite101.com/article.cfm/teach-basic-electronics-with-a-sewing-and-embroidery-lesson