After our windmill generator outing last month we found a bunch of good books about wind power and have had some interesting conversations. When we found this science kit to build our own, we knew we had to try it!
This kit is to build a small windmill generator which, when the wind is blowing, will power an LED light attached to the bottom. The boys carefully followed the instructions to assemble the pieces.
When completed, we took it outside. The weather was perfect - cold and very windy. The instructions said it would take 15-25 mph winds to light the LED light (the goal, of course).
When it started whirring in the strong winds the light lit up! Woo hoo - very excited boys!
We weighed the two liter bottle a bit by adding sand in the bottom, and it can sit right outside our window so that we can watch it. I think the boys like it at night the best - the red glows so brightly it illuminates the sand below. Very cool!
20 comments:
oh my gosh...now that is one AWESOME project to do with your kids...what a great source of energy!!!!!
love the photo of your three boys' working hard on their project!
That's fantastic!
We bought a model solar car kit a while ago but haven't worked on it yet.
Oh, this looks like great fun. And the clear plastic on the generator itself means that the very excited boys can see it working.
As a parent, we all have those wistful feelings about the road not taken. I really wish I had homeschooled the Boychick earlier in his life because there are so many fun things to do with science. I want to play with all of those toys!
Very Cool!
This is so cool! Wind energy is a great idea. Wonderful project!
This kit is now on my wish list of things I want to get for my kids. Very cool.
What a great project!
this is really cool! where did you get the kit? i think we need to get one. :)
Another great project of yours...
Wow, neat find! Such simple technology offering such great potential.
so cool.
What???? That is so cool!!!! You have way too many cool ideas on your blog, and I haven't even gone out and bought candle wax yet. But I'm filing this away in my brain and one day we'll get around to it!
This project looks like something Owen would enjoy... I love the photo of three heads crouched over the pieces, figuring it all out!
Wouldn't it be great if we could generate our own power this easily??
that is very exciting--my kids would LOVE that.
Cool! How fun! We have a plain old pinwheel-like you find at the check out in the grocery store-and it's been sticking out of a pot on our deck for 2 years. It's a bit shreaded now but it's always neat to look out at it to get an idea of how windy it is. When we're hiking across the valley on a sunny day we can see it flashing on our deck. The first time I saw that I thought there was a fire in the house!
Oh, I love that kit! I'll have to keep an eye out for that one :) I didn't realize that our kids are the same age--5 and 3 (although we have a bonus 1 year old). They would really enjoy this, and I'm sure their father would too!
I think I could handle this one.
We have a physics kit that's a little much for me. (read: I have to work way too hard). Good thing the babes are 7 and 3, and I can ease into it.
But I noticed that the 3rd Boy was in on That One, so maybe that should be my way, too! :)
Thanks for sharing your ingenuity.
Stephanie
WOW! THAT. IS. SO. COOL! XXxx
My 5 year old daughter would LOVE this, so would my hubby. Thanks for sharing!
That is so cool. I'm going to look for that kit and do it with my kids for a science lesson. Thanks for sharing.
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