We all recognize the power of making with LEDs. (Arduino “Hello World!” anyone?) LEDs have been the lure drawing many into the world of making. However, LED projects have remained inaccessible to many young ladies. No more! LiteSeeds LED stickers are about to change all that.
While walking the aisles of Maker Faire’s Start-Up Pavilion I came across a different type of crowd huddled in front of a booth. It was a sea of young ladies wanting to make their own LED sticker. This craft project resonated with many other simple LED projects with one important exception. There was no soldering or wiring involved, only conductive tape and a sticker LED. The magic of this booth was the ease of incorporating an LED into a craft project.
Jill MacKay is a product maker with lots of experience in the craft industry. Inspired by Leah Buechley’s LED projects, she started working with conductive ink and paint in crafting. Finding LEDs hard to work with she had an epiphany, “We need an LED sticker!” After two years of development and after five different prototypes, LiteSeeds are now available via a Kickstarter campaign.
Stepping back a bit, many of us realize we need to do more to bring STEM to kids in exciting and engaging ways. This means providing a wide array of options. Not all kids get caught up in the same things. If delivering LED stickers to crafts brings more young ladies into making then it’s a good thing.
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