Reddit reviews Switch Craft: Battery-Powered Crafts to Make and Sew

Step 1 - check if you have a local hackspace/makerspace that you can visit. They frequently have all kinds of people, equipment, skills, and knowlage - our one in Manchester UK (hacman.org.uk) has all sorts of equipment. You can take a look if there's one near you here:

https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/List_of_Hacker_Spaces

Step 2 - research. What equipment is out there, what the costs are, and what your students and teachers are interested in. Maker projects in school work fantastically when they flow with classes, like models of the solar system when studying space, MP3 players for listening to amd recording sounds for a music class, or wearables for your textiles class. But this does require engagement with at least a few teachers!

Step 3 - budget and plan. 3D printers, laser cutters, arduinos, can all be had at a decent price if you know where to look (aliexpress.com will both save your budget and kill your wallet through the buying of shiny things). Arduino vairents can be had from China for £1.50, which is a huge bargin in comparison to buying them off the shelf at Maplins or Radioshack, especially if you happen to be buying 100.

If you're plannimg longer term, plan for what equipment you can aquire when, and remember software, parts, and maintinance costs. With 3D printing, software can be a big issue, but with most laser cutting, the open source Inkscape software is more than enough - but on the counterside laser tubes are glorified florecent tubes and need replacing every so often, and 3D printers just need gloop for the print bed and occationally the unjaming of the printhead.

That kind of information is why you really need to talk to your local hackspace and get some local knowlage and experiance, especially when rolling this kit out in a school.

As for wearable tech, this book might interest you - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Switch-Craft-Alison-Lewis/dp/0307395448