Science Class

I have been teaching a science class at our home school co-op this semester. The kids are around AJ's age, and I struggled with what topic to teach them. I finally settled on energy. That topic encompasses so much, and it would provide a platform from which to jump into physics at a later date.

I don't know how much they are learning, but I have definitely put forth effort in creating a hands-on learning experience.

 

We started off with just an introduction to energy. We talked about distance, force, and work. Then we moved into the definition of energy: the ability to do work. From there, we moved into potential and kinetic energy, discussing elastic potential and gravitational potential energy. We then shifted our focus and discussed how energy is changed from one form to another and what we can do with it. We built a simple flywheel generator with a couple of motors and a bicycle tire to generate electricity to turn a propeller. This was a great visual for the kids to see and (hopefully) understand how windmills and turbines work. We also built a simple solar toy car. Then, it was time to build our own batteries using household items.

 

I explained that all that was needed was two different metals and an acid. I realize that there are alkaline batteries, but I didn't want to get into that. We used copper and zinc as our metals, and the kids each built their own potato battery and lemon battery.

I then showed them how to build a voltaic cell. They each helped with one layer.  We used zinc washers, copper pennies, and vinegar-soaked paper towel circles for this one. Unfortunately, our voltaic cell was the only battery which generated enough voltage and current to light our LED. I did bring along a multimeter to measure the output of their other batteries, though, and every one of the children built a functioning food-based battery.

 

Voltaic Cell

The following week, we used specially-formulated play-dough to build circuits. I showed them how to put LEDs in series and parallel, and they definitely enjoyed the wow-factor that this produced.


LEDs in parallel

After that, I let them loose to create their own circuits. AJ built a submarine, one girl built a bunny, and another girl built a cat. It was so much fun to witness their creativity. AJ's submarine boasted three lights, and this project allowed me to discuss short circuits and why their LEDs wouldn't light if they did not put them in the circuit right.

This week, we plan on continuing the circuit fun, and I also plan on reviewing what we learned so far this fall. Although I was a bit intimidated at first, I am happy I took on this task. While the kids have been learning about science, I have been learning about teaching. This should assist me as I continue in my quest to educate my children at home.