You Said It! Green Science Product Reviews

April 19, 2016

You Said It! Product Reviews - Educational Innovations NewsletterAt  Educational Innovations, we love green science all year long, not just on Earth Day!

With our planet’s fossil fuel resources becoming scarce and increasing global concerns over pollution, it’s more important than ever to explore alternative, renewable sources of energy.  One of the best ways to persuade people to “go green” is to make them realize how cool it is to rely on our sun, wind or water for energy.  That’s why we strive to choose green energy products that are educational… AND fun!  Read on for “organic” reviews from our customers.

If you have a favorite Educational Innovations product, send us a comment below!  We’d love to share your review with your fellow teachers and science lovers.

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Leave a Comment » | College level, Earth Science, electricity, Elementary level, energy, High School level, Middle School level | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti

Green Science Lesson

April 19, 2016

Lesson - Educational Innovations BlogHands-on lessons make learning more interesting and engaging.  We found a delightful green science lesson that enables kids to look at green energy in a new way.  Not only can your students quantify the work that wind can do… they’ll design their own windmills using paper, string, some clips and a cup.

And who doesn’t love a windmill?

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Leave a Comment » | College level, Earth Science, Elementary level, energy, High School level, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti

Should We Build a Dam?

June 17, 2013

Brandon DeBritzby Brandon DeBritz

A Junior High STEM Exploration into Hydroelectric Energy with the use of the PowerWheel

When we talk about electricity and where it comes from in the Pacific Northwest, hydroelectric energy production is a key source and natural opportunity for teaching.  Part of the curriculum used in the South Kitsap School District in Port Orchard, WA is SEPUP ‘Weathering and Erosion’.  Students explore the Earth processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition all the while considering where to expand residential development in an expanding fictional town along the northwest coast.

This year, students at Cedar Heights Junior High were presented with a new factor to consider for this situation, ’should we build a dam on the town’s river to provide energy for the expanding electrical needs of the city?’ This new situation opened the door for a STEM unit, ‘The Energy of Moving Water’ from the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project (free teacher and student curriculum guides are available from their website  www.need.org).

From this platform, students were engaged in activities and research to explore: what electricity is and how it is created, the designs of a hydroelectric dam and how they work, as well as many of the environmental, economic, social, and political issues around the construction and use of dams. Through a school partnership with RB Industries and the PowerWheel, students explored the fundamental elements of creating electricity through the transfer of moving water. 

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Posted by Tami O'Connor

The Old Dog and the New Tricks

May 15, 2013

by:  Ken Crawford

An amazing thing happened to me about 18 months ago…I learned something new!  Now, I know that might not seem like a major thing…but for a person who has been a social studies teacher and administrator for 30 + years…I sometimes think that I have seen it all…nothing much new out there…but a single phone call changed all of that.

I received a call from a friend asking if I would be willing to meet with a gentleman who had invented a new teaching “tool”.  He wanted to know if it would help teachers to be more effective in their classrooms.  More effective teaching is something that I am always interested in…so I agreed to meet.

What I had a chance to see was a teaching tool called the PowerWheel. A micro hydro generator, it had the capability of using water from a sink to create enough electricity to light up a string of LED lights, charge up a cell phone or even power up a notepad.

The PowerWheel

The PowerWheel

Roy Bentley, the inventor/designer, asked me if I thought it might be something that teachers could use to help them teach students about energy.  I remember telling him, “I’m a social studies teacher…we need to ask some science teachers”. I put together a focus group of teachers that represented grade levels from 3rd grade through college.  Some taught science all day long, others were expected to include science as part of their overall curriculum. We gathered them together in a room and just let them “play” with the PowerWheel.  We had a great time, received some great feedback and saw what fantastic teaching ideas can be generated by a group of enthusiastic educators! I think I learned more about science in one day than I had in the past 20 years….it was amazing!

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Posted by Tami O'Connor

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