Project Title : LightUp: Learn by Making (with Augmented Reality)
Creator : Josh Chan (LightUp)
Description : I've been a supporter of this project since day 1, if I recall correctly, and though I wanted to get Josh and the LightUp folks onto the Bake Sale podcast, we just couldn't get our schedules to sync. No wonder, too, because their project's been a stunning success, raising more than $100,000 compared to their $50,000 goal.
What is LightUp? It's a little bit like Snap Circuits in its use of kid-safe electronic components (e.g., complete a circuit and turn on a light) except that the LightUp adds to that an augmented reality app via your smartphone that will allow kids to "virtually" see the electricity flowing through the circuit -- or not flowing, if you and your kids have failed to construct the circuit properly. That's the sort of thing that I think really makes the educational possibilities of this project shine.
There are lots of different types of kits available starting at $39, and the fancier ones will even allow you and your kids to do some Arduino programming. If you'd like to support the project, though, you'd better hurry as it ends Sunday night, June 30.
