Solar Energy Education: for kids of all ages.
Solar energy education: let's get the children thinking! I have been teaching Science and Maths in the Northern Territory and Victorian state education systems in Australia for the past ten years and have a passion for Solar Energy. I have an eight year old daughter so I will use "she" for the singular; of course these practical activities are for all children. I have taught kids of all ages from 4 to 17 and have found that regardless of their backgrounds, kids learn best when they are able to DO with their hands. Kids who DO, learn. Kids who watch, forget.
Regardless of the age of your child, she will get the most from these experiments if she is able to set up and run as many of the parts as possible. This will no doubt result in frustrations for you, but try to resist the "for goodness' sake, let ME do it" trap. There is no rush. It is vital that our children develop a solid understanding of the power of the sun and the many applications of Solar Energy. The experiments are sorted by appropriate age groups. I am including more experiments regularly and am focusing on those that require little or no equipment. These activities require parental supervision.
Solar Energy Education: Experiments by age
Simple and fun, these experiments will get your child's mind racing! Simply CLICK ON THE 4+ to go there!
These experiments are geared towards developing your child's curiosity while they enjoy themselves exploring new ideas. CLICK ON THE 8+ to see these practical activities.
These experiments are slightly more involved and lead into studies of science and chemistry at secondary school. They will make your child think, and the more she does of this the better her understanding of solar power will become. CLICK ON THE 12+ to see these practical activities.
These experiments build on the concepts of all the others and lead into some of the ideas that will be studied in senior secondary school Chemistry. This section, combined with the Solar Chemistry sections should give your child a firm foundation in this topic. CLICK ON THE 15+ to see these practical activities.
MATHEMATICS
Success in the sciences requires a solid base of mathematical skill. Our children benefit from strong basic maths skills and I will be providing the tools and techniques that will give your child the best chance of success in this very important subject.For free tips, worksheets and more see the
Maths Help mathematics freeware
section of this site. There are also lots of fun free math games to inspire your child, most of which only need pencil and paper!
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