4-H Alternative Energy and Sustainability projects are designed to teach middle school aged youth about non-petroleum energy sources and their applications. Activities include designing, creating, building and testing wind powered devices, solar cars, and other explorations of these renewable sources of energy.
Objectives
Youth will:
- Learn about the wind and how its energy is used to do work and produce electricity
- Become aware that all energy comes originally from the sun and that it can be transformed in many ways
- Learn how geography affects available wind power capacity
- Explore wind power projects in various parts of the US
- Consider the factors necessary for a successful wind power project
- Share what has been learned with community leaders
4-H Alternative Energy & Sustainability Curriculum
Available from the Extension office or online.
The Power of the Wind Youth Guide
Are you looking for something to spark engineering and science interest among middle school kids? The activities in The Power of the Wind curriculum involve young people in the engineering design process as they learn about the wind and its uses. Youth work with members of a team to design, create, build, and test a wind powered device.
The device must solve a problem and requires the designers to balance options and constraints. Participants are guided to make adjustments and retest until the vehicle or machine solves the original problem.
Washington 4-H Records, Forms, and Guides
For youth members
Coming soon!
For adult helpers and club leaders
Coming soon!
Helpful Resources
Activity Ideas
How Can We Use Wind to Lift a Load?
Take a load off! Learn how to use the power of wind to lift an object.
Water Windmill Challenge – Grow Next Gen
This unit asks students to create a windmill structure using the Engineering Design Process. A farmer has hired your company, Wind Power Technologies, to engineer a derrick to support a high-efficiency, wind-powered generator for a new electric water pump.
Build a wind-powered car using a Ziploc® brand bag as the sail. You’ll learn about the engineering behind basic vehicles and how different components impact the overall functionality. Conduct experiments to see how distance, speed, and time are all related. How far can you make your car go? How fast did it get there? How long did it take?
Engineering Explorers Challenge 1: Wind-powered vehicle
This independent learning guide is designed for youth in grades 3-8 to complete an engineering design challenge on their own. The challenge is to create an air powered vehicle that goes as far and as fast as possible.
Washington Specific Reference Material
Wind Energy in Washington from the US DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
Find wind data and information in Washington, including maps, capacity, ordinances, and more.
Puget Sound Energy: Wind Power
Other Reference Material
From 4-H Programs
Environmental Sustainability Issue Overview – National 4-H
From Higher Education Institutions
Wind Energy Factsheet from the University of Michigan
From Related Organizations, Journals, and Professionals
K-12 Resources and Curricula from the US DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
This page provides a list of wind energy curricula and teaching materials for elementary, middle school, and high school students that can bring wind energy into the classroom, even for students at schools without a wind turbine installation.
US Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
Explore Renewable Energy – KidWind
Dream big, but start small! Join KidWind as we help teachers and students creatively explore the science, technology and implications of a world powered by renewable energy.
Biofuel Basics – US Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
- Kits, Projects, and Activities from National 4-H
National 4-H Renewable Energy Curriculum Collection
Use common materials to explore buoyancy and power! Design a working electric motor boat with this activity. Find your hull in the recycling bin (milk jug, foam tray, pool noodles, etc.). Add the motor, propeller and other components. Set it in the water and watch it go. Learn through experimentation and tinkering. Evolve your boat through the engineering design process. This activity features Mini Hub Assemblies that allow you to create unique propellers by changing blade shape, angle and number.
This educational product pairs well with the Chapter 1 activity featured in The Power of the Wind Curriculum and is suitable for all ages, however youth 12 and under may require adult supervision.
Power Protectors STEM Challenge Kit
Through decades of neglect and waste, Energy Island is in danger of becoming unplugged forever! Now it’s in the hands of the next generation — The Power Protectors — to save it!
Kit is ideal for youth ages 8-14 years to spark an interest in STEM and inspire real-world actions. Each kit contains enough supplies for 6 youth and most supplies are reusable.
Included Activities:
Superhero Hideout – Kids will learn about renewable energy and apply this knowledge to analyze and assess their own energy use. They’ll design an electrifying Power Protector hideout using their imagination and critical thinking skills to protect Energy Island.
Amped Up Engineering – Using the Engineering Design Process, kids will design and build a model of a sustainable energy source to help Energy Island survive and thrive. They will use their Super Skills of creativity, problem solving, and innovative thinking to save the day!
Energy Island Adventure – Playing this collaborative board game, kids work as a SUPER team to achieve a common goal: Help the endangered Energy Island move from its unsustainable carbon-based energy use to renewable solar, wind and hydro power. They use decision making, communication and collaborative skills to play—and WIN—together as The Power Protectors of Energy Island.
Design a turbine to harness the power of the wind and convert it into electricity. Start with your example build, testing through inquiry and experimentation. Then, iterate new designs and additions to transform the wind turbine into your own unique design.
Create the blades utilizing recycling bin materials. Adjust the angle, pitch and amount of blades to observe the electrical output of your wind turbine. Then use our Testing Kit to measure just how much energy your wind turbine creates. We included plenty of extra components to try different designs.
This activity is a favorite for kitchen table innovation, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, universities, scout troops, camps, 4-H groups, and maker spaces. It’s a wonderful activity for parents, grandparents or teachers to work on with their kids.
This educational product pairs well with the Chapter 4 activity in The Power of the Wind Curriculum and is suitable for all ages, however youth 12 and under may require adult supervision.
Power of the Wind Activity Bundle
This activity bundle contains materials for youth to practice engineering skills to construct wind powered machines and various wind turbines. Youth use their turbine designs to lift a load and produce electricity. Youth learn how generators work using motors and multimeters.
The activities included in this bundle are a favorite for kitchen table innovation, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, universities, scout troops, camps, 4-H groups, and maker spaces. It’s a wonderful activity for parents, grandparents or teachers to work on with their kids.
Design and build a wind lift to capture and experience the power of the wind! Wind lifts make learning about wind power, energy, mechanical advantage, torque, work, and other scientific concepts fun and understandable. In this activity, youth will engineer a wind turbine to life a heavy load or raise a bucket with speed. Youth will learn how the shape, number and angle of turbine blades affects the output of their wind lift. There will be plenty of extra parts to try different designs. A real pick me up.
This educational product pairs well with the Chapter 3 activity in The Power of the Wind Curriculum and is suitable for all ages, however youth 12 and under may require adult supervision.
This kit has everything you need to test your Mini Wind Turbines! It includes one Digital Multimeter, five Alligator Clip Leads and five 2.7 Ohm Resistors. Durable and reusable, this kit will work year-after-year for testing your turbines or completing other electronics labs and activities.
From Elenco, the Teach Tech Tusk Solar Wild Boar is ideal for a do-it-yourself science fair, after-school, or summer workshop project with the bonus gift of learning mechanical transmission and electrical motor theory. With only 47 assembly parts, it’s a wonderful instrument for the beginner enthusiast 8 years and up, and a gateway to ignite opportunities in fun learning.
Power Protectors Energy Island Adventure Board Game
Purchase additional board games to allow more youth to complete the Energy Island Adventure activity as part of the Power Protectors STEM Challenge activity kit.
Playing this collaborative board game, kids work as a SUPER team to achieve a common goal: Help the endangered Energy Island move from its unsustainable carbon-based energy use to renewable solar, wind and hydro power. They use decision making, communication and collaborative skills to play—and WIN—together as The Power Protectors of Energy Island.