Pinwheels
Aim:
To understand that there is energy in the wind.
You will need:
Heavy coloured paper, pins and new pencils with rubbers on end (or plastic straws and paper fasteners), scissors.
Duration:
20 minutes
It can be hard to understand how we can get energy out of the wind - something we cannot even see. By making and playing with a pinwheel young people can see that the wind is able to turn things. On a large scale it can turn wind turbines, which convert the energy into electricity which we can use.
Cut coloured paper into 18cm squares.
Lightly fold the square diagonally (top left to bottom right, then top right to bottom left).
Use scissors to cut in about 3/4 along each fold (leave 2.5 cm uncut at the middle).
You will now have 8 tips. Fold every other tip into the centre. Hold them overlapped, and push a pin through all the tips at the centre, into a rubber at the end of a pencil. (Don't let the pin stick out the other side). Alternatively you could use paper fasteners, and plastic straws.
Young children will need some help with the cutting, and pins.
On a windy day, take the pinwheels outside and see them spin in the wind. Explain that this shows how much energy there is in the wind.