Easy E-Waste Recycled LED Lantern!!!

We are making these do-it-yourself recycled material kits. They are like recycled maker kits (we call them ReMakerKits) which are fun projects that people do that include recycled E-Waste. In this case we have used (LEDs) in the kit.

This is all part of our work as an FLL team working on this years theme Trash Trek. If you didn't know, First Lego League is a program for kids grades 4-8 where we program robots to accomplish autonomous missions and we research a problem and develop solutions like this lantern. More than 500,000 kids participate in the program world wide every year.

Find out more at www.gejcutie.wix.com/remakers.

You will be making a LED water bottle lantern.

1. You will need a clear disposable water bottle (12-16 Oz.) with a cap.
2. A few (3) LEDs from an old electronic or Christmas light strand with as much excess wire as possible. Strip the ends of the wire with a wire stripper.
3. A roll of tape (colorful tape makes it look FUN!)
4. Some cardboard from a cereal box
5. Scissors
6. Some extra wire (8- 12 in.)
7. A nine volt battery (found at your local hardware store)
8. A drill
9. Print the diagram for the lantern handle

You will want to strip the bottle of its wrapping (you would have to deal with this if you are using a soda bottle). Then you cut a hole in the side to fit the battery through (later on we will tape it into that hole to secure it to the bottle). Drill a hole in the top of the cap of the water bottle and drill another hole in the side of the cap while the cap is on the bottle (make sure that the hole goes through the bottle as well as the cap). This will be the ON/OFF switch. Drill one extra hole in the upper side of the bottle.

Tape one of the stripped ends of the Christmas light strand to the correct outlet on the nine volt battery. Then take the extra wire and connect it to the other outlet. Test your circuit before taping so you know which side of the Christmas lights are negative or positive so the circuit will work. Push the battery and the attached wires through the hole that you cut earlier in the side of the bottle. Tape the battery in place in the hole. Feed the remaining end of the light strand through the hole that you drilled in the top of the cap. Then feed the stripped tip of the wire through the hole in the side of the cap. make sure that it is only through the cap, nit the bottle top. It should look kind of like a loop on the top of the cap.

Put the extra wire through the hole in the upper side of the bottle. Then take that same wire and push it through the hole in the bottle top while making sure that the stripped side of the wire is on both sides of the hole. Now you have a twist switch. When you turn the cap the wires will touch and the circuit will power on. Alternatively you could tie a knot in the wire so that it won't pull back through the hole. It is important to keep some of the exposed wire on the outside of the bottle.

Your lantern is ready to use. Screw the bottle cap on until the wire through the cap touches the wire you put through the side of the bottle top. Bring the wires together to turn it on, and unscrew it to turn the light off and save battery life.