Workshop at British Museum will teach school children how to sew their own LED badge, providing an introduction into e-textiles and wearable technology
Children in London will have the opportunity to make their own piece of wearable technology at a free family friendly workshop in the Samsung Digital Discovery Centre at the British Museum on Sunday 21st June from 11:00 -16:00. The event is part of the Centre’s new Innovation Lab family session series, in which visitors are being encouraged to try out new technologies and ideas. This session will be led by experts from Codasign, a Hackney based company which organises workshops across the UK to introduce people to digital technologies, and will use products from Kitronik, a Nottingham based company which produces electronic project kits and resources for 3,500 UK schools as well as the home market. During the event children will learn how to sew their own LED badge which they will be able to take with them when they leave. The badge will use the British Museum’s collections for inspiration, and will be designed in the shape of an Egyptian Mummy! Kitronik’s conductive thread (a thread which can carry a current) will be used to sew together a circuit on the badge which will then make the Mummy light up. Commenting on the event, Codasign Director Emilie Giles said: “Workshops such as this are a great way of using digital technologies to engage families with the British Museum’s collection. The workshop introduces young people to e-textiles and wearable technology and can help them learn new skills which they can take with them into the classroom. Enabling children to create a finished product which they can take away with them has a powerful effect on children, providing a sense of completion and a wider perspective on what is possible with e-textiles. We expect the event to appeal to people who are interested in electronics but also those interested in craft activities as e-textiles is an excellent way to fuse those two areas together.” Kitronik Co-Founder Kevin Spurr adds: “Capturing the interest of young people and creating enthusiasm for electronics and design and technology has been a national priority for many years and events such as this will help children take an interest in what is a fascinating subject. We have designed our products to help people express their creativity and have fun with their own projects, so this event where families use electronics to explore the British Museum’s collections is a great opportunity.” Details on the workshop are available on the Codasign website here and the British Museum website here. The event is completely free and suitable for ages 7+.ENDS
Notes to editor: About Kitronik Kitronik is owned and run by two electronics graduates who believe that electronics should be accessible to everyone. Since forming the company in late 2005 Kitronik has continued to produce resources and products that allow teachers and hobbyists to get involved in electronics and coding. So far the Company has inspired over 1,000,000 people to solder and build their very own electronic project (the 1,000,000 figure is based on sales of electronic kits). The company supplies directly to 3,000 secondary schools and also via its website. In addition to basic electronic kits, Kitronik offer a number of products for people who want to customise their electronics. It offers a range of products that can be programmed by flowchart or code to implement in their projects. The company is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of educational e-textiles kits which allow people to add lights to their textiles project using its Electro-Fashion range. The parts are connected (sewn together) using conductive thread that Kitronik has specially made and require no soldering. Every Kitronik kit has an accompanying teaching resource pack, allowing people to not only build the kit, but to find out how it works. The resource section of its website is well received by teachers as it contains a range of tutorials, datasheets, project ideas and interactive teaching which all make the job of delivering exciting electronics easy. The extensive e-textiles resources cover all the basics as well as a wide range of projects. About Codasign Codasign is an education company founded in 2011. The company is a collective of twelve professional artists, designers, engineers, and developers who are passionate about teaching and believe that digital technologies have the same creative potential as paint and canvas. Codasign teaches coding and electronics in museums and art galleries, working with kids and families through to professional artists and educators. Whenever possible, the company tries to use unexpected materials in electronics such as conductive thread to sew circuits or conductive paint. Its clients include cultural institutions such as the British Museum, V&A, National Portrait Gallery, Historic Royal Palaces, Furtherfield, Southbank Centre, and Tate along with Samsung, BBC, Wolff Olins, and Greenpeace. Its help audiences connect to the collections and heritage of cultural institutions by engaging with them through digital workshops. Further information & interviews Further information can be found by visiting www.codasign.com and kitronik.co.uk and www.britishmuseum.org/samsungcentre. Kitronik Co-founder Kevin Spurr and Codasign Director Emilie Giles are available for interviews and further comments. Please contact Chris Mitchell at RedTree PR on 0115 925 5499, 07743 897 748 or email Chris.Mitchell@redtreepr.com to arrange. For further information about the British Museum please contact the British Museum Press Office on +44 20 7323 8583 / 8394 or communications@britishmuseum.org.©Kitronik Ltd – You may print this page & link to it, but must not copy the page or part thereof without Kitronik's prior written consent.
