Energy Science Workshop

It takes energy to make electricity, that's one lesson elementary age children learned this week during a  free workshop at the Cheshire library.

Hands-on devices used in the workshop on Wednesday included small generators, dynamos, gear toys, green energy snap kits and solar cells. Participants were encouraged to create electrical current by blowing air through a drinking straw to make blades spin. Others powered solar cells by holding them up to a light bulb.

Workshop leader Eric Nelson said  he wanted to make the learning fun. “I try to provide the children with hands-on learning experience through play.” He said he wanted the lesson to stimulate interest and curiosity about how electricity is produced and stored.  “I like the creative aspect of teaching these classes," he said.

The most popular experiments used solar panels and hydraulic turbines.  A 12-year-old girl asked how solar cells make electricity. She was told it occurs when the sun shines on the solar cells and activates electrons which eventually create electric current. 

A second workshop Nelson will teach in April will show children how to produce small amounts of electrical current using plants, crystals, and water. He will also show the group how to make natural batteries out of  lemons, potatoes, vinegar and salt water.  There will also be an emphasis on energy efficiency, Nelson said, comparing compact fluorescent bulbs with incandescent bulbs and a demonstration of how rubbing a fluorescent tube with wool will make electricity flow through the tube.

To register for the April 20 program, go to the library's website at www.cheshirelib.org/