Sewing up Science

Electronic textiles (e-textiles)--fabrics embedded with electrical or electronic components--offer a new model for teaching this content. E-textiles also engage students in programming and engineering design through nontraditional projects and materials. This article describes a four-week electricity curriculum using three e-textiles projects that encompass 10 specific content lessons to cover concepts of electron transfer, electricity, circuits (simple, series, and parallel), conductivity and resistance, and short circuits. The first project introduces students to designing and constructing simple circuits using copper adhesive tape and LED lights on paper. Next, students design and sew bracelets that incorporate a parallel circuit using conductive thread and LED lights. In the third project, students choose their own product to design, incorporating preprogrammed, sewable microcontrollers to sequence the flashing of LEDs, focusing students' efforts on issues of short circuits and polarity. The project timeline accommodates time for both lesson instruction and project work.