Stave Lake

To kick off our unit on Electricity this fall we took a trip up to Stave Falls Visitors Center.

Our self-guided tour started with a nine-minute video, "Rain", in the theatre. It introduced us to the life and times of the early 1900s. Next we played with experiments on the solar energy workbench in the "Alternative Energy" area, went through the "Science of Electricity" area and tested our knowledge with interactive displays that "shocked" us.

Lastly, we entered the "Generator Hall" and saw the actual turbines and generators from 1912!

Big Bang!

Sometimes electrictiy is just plain fun!  During Science Co-op, Levi explains how electricity can be used to pop a balloon (the switch is turned on, the current starts flowing through the narrow wire taped to the balloon, the resistance building up in thin wire causes the wire to heat up and the balloon pops).

 

 

The whole gang writing up their findings.

 

 

Circuits

We've been working on an electricity unit this month and today the kids were putting together circuits in series and parallel using paper "puzzle" pieces before doing the real circuit.  Great teamwork!

After building their circuits the kids enjoyed building with "Roominate" - a fabulous building toy that allows the kids to wire in various electrical appliances (in this picture the kids created a working elevator).