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Safety

This project is built with children, so safety comes before everything else. These are practical notes for the lab team, not a substitute for your school's own safety rules.

Coin cells (CR2032)

  • A swallowed coin cell is a medical emergency. If a child may have swallowed a cell, get emergency medical help immediately (112 in Türkiye). Do not wait for symptoms.
  • Assistants load the cells, not the students. Cells stay in a counted box until the test step.
  • Close the holder cover before the ship leaves the table. Check that the cover cannot be opened by a child without effort.
  • Never short-circuit, heat, crush or recharge a coin cell. Keep used cells in a collection box and dispose of them as battery waste.
  • Count cells in and out for every class.
  • Tell students: the cell never goes in the mouth, nose or ears, and a loose cell goes straight to an adult.

LEDs and wiring

  • Use only the 3 V cell. Do not swap in stronger batteries (AAA or larger) without adding a resettable fuse, as described on the Electronics page.
  • If anything gets warm, switch off and remove the cell. Tell an adult.
  • Check the bench with a multimeter before the first class: wrong parts cause most failures.
  • Thin copper foil has sharp edges: cut tape with scissors or a cutter on the table, not in the hand.

Machines (adults only)

  • Children never operate the laser cutters, 3D printers or Roland machines. Demonstrations happen with the lid closed and behind a line.
  • Laser cutting needs working ventilation and fire attention, with an adult at the machine at all times.
  • Hand out 3D printed parts only after they have cooled.
  • Remove burnt edges and splinters: lightly sand laser-cut plywood before it reaches students.

Small parts and waste

  • Count small parts (LEDs, cells, tape pieces) before and after each class. Keep them out of mouths and off the floor.
  • Provide a small tray per student for leftovers.

Supervision

About 23 students per class with 3 adults. Peer check for LED direction is part of the lesson, but an adult confirms every circuit before the cell goes in. - Do not use student faces, names or class information in photos taken during the lesson.