Posted by Contributor: Carla Avitabile
Description: Make and take home a felt plushy, learn how simple circuits and LED lights work.
Supplies:
- 10mm Gumdrop LEDs
- Coin Cell Battries
- Craft Foam Sheets
- Electrical Tape
- Felt
- Batting
- Any other Decorations for Plushy
- Scissors
- Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
Target Audience: Teens
Prep Time: 1 Hour (if you want to pre-cut felt pieces) or None
Program Time: 1 Hour
Instructions: Make an LED
- Cut a small strip of the craft foam. Fold the strip in half and cut a small square shape from the middle.
- To test the LED light and the coin cell battery, place the battery between the two “legs” of the LED light and squeeze. If it doesn’t light up, flip the battery over. The LED should light up when both legs complete the circuit on both sides of the battery.
- Place the coin cell battery on one side of the foam strip, lining it up with the square cutout. Straddle the “legs” of the LED on either side of the foam-wrapped battery. The legs of the LED should touch the battery through the square cutout.
- Fold the foam to enclose the battery and legs of the LED and secure with a piece of electrical tape.
- Squeeze to test the LED.
- Lastly, bend into an L-shape.
Step 1A 
Step 1B 
Step 3 
Step 4 
Step 5 
Step 6
Instructions: Make the Plushy
Step 1: Cut out the following pattern (or make your own) and use to cut felt. You will need two matching pieces to create a whole plushy.
Step 2: Decorate your plushy (this step can be done either before or after stuffing).
Step 3: Cut a slit in the felt for the LED to pop through (below shows the LED as a nose). Slip the LED through the slit.
Step 4: Glue the front and back of the plushy using a hot glue gun, leaving a gap for filling.
Step 5: Fill with batting and glue the gap shut.
Step 6: Give your plushy a squeeze!
Bay Area Young Adult Librarians 