This paper outlines our work with children who use our smart textiles construction kit in a ›living lab.‹ In a bilateral learning environment we acknowledge children's ideas for future products and research directions. We equip them with tools that support their imagination, that facilitate technology immersion, and that allow rapid creation of high-tech prototypes with novel materials. Our constructionist approach to developing and employing a smart textiles toolkit is rooted in education and aims at the empowerment of children to express their ideas.