A beautiful switch-on book light

You can create a book light with two LED sequins, some floral tape, a clothes pin, wire, and a LilyPad coin battery holder. The result is both functional and really pretty. In fact, making these would be a cool fundraiser idea for a school Science Club.

Visit ThingLearn.com to learn the science behind the fun!

Materials:

I used a plastic clothes pin that I repurposed from a helium balloon that I purchased at the grocery store. I found some silk flowers on an old wreath in my basement. Never throw anything away, you will find a use for it! :) Floral tape and conductive wire can be found in Joann's or any craft store.

You  need:

Glue dots or hot glue gun

Wired silk flower on its stem

Plastic clothes pin

Floral tape

Conductive wire

LilyPad coin battery holder with switch and 3V coin battery

2 LED sequins

Pliers

Step 1: Prepare the clothes pin and flower

Use a glue dot or hot glue gun to attach the stem of the silk flower to the clothes pin. There may be an indentation in the plastic of the clothes pin that will give you a good place to affix the stem. Use floral tape, which sticks to itself, to stabilize the connection between the stem and the clothes pin. Bend the flower down so that it will hover over your book's page.

Step 2: Attach the battery holder and battery to the inside of the clothes pin

Use a glue dot or two, or hot glue, to attach the back of the battery holder to the top of the inside of the clothes pin. The battery's switch should be at the top. Make sure the battery is well stuck onto the clothes pin.

Step 3: Attach the wires for the first LED

Here's where your eye-hand dexterity will come in handy. Twist a wire around the + end of the battery holder at the top, and twist it around the flower stem in a loose spriral. The wire should lie close to the stem, but the loops should not be too tight. Work the wire between two petals. Attach another length of wire to the - end of the battery holder, both on the right side, and carefully follow the spiral with the second wire BETWEEN the first wire's loops and up through the flower petal. The wires MUST NOT TOUCH. It will look like this: 

Step 4: Add the LED and cover with floral tape

Switch the battery holder to 'on' and, ensuring that no wires are touching, test that the LED lights up when touching the wires to each end of the LED. If it doesn't light up, try switching the LED around, maybe your polarities are mixed up. Make sure no wires touch and that the battery is on. When everything is working well, attach the proper ends to the LEDs, twisting the wire to tighten, and trim the wire. Cover the wire with floral tape.

Step 5: Repeat steps three and four on the other flower. 

Since you insulated the first wires with floral tape, you can spiral a new duo of wires around the stem, this time connecting the other flower. Cover everything with floral tape, twisting neatly. 

Add a leaf to cover the battery, making sure you can still switch it on and off easily from behind. You've created a useful and beautiful project!