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In this environmental engineering activity, learners build windmills using everyday items. The first challenge is to build windmills that spin when placed in front of a fan. The second challenge is to get the windmills to lift a cup filled with weights.
- 30 to 45 minutes
- 2 to 4 hours
- $10 - $20 per group of students
- Ages 8 - 14
- Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
- English
Quick Guide
Materials List (per group of students)
- 12-in or larger electric fan(s)
- plastic or wooden spool
- 12-in. long wooden dowel (diameter needs to fit through spool)
- 6-in. piece of PEX tubing or empty cardboard milk carton
- 4-8 index cards (4 in. x 6 in.)
- 4 wooden skewers
- Styrofoam ball (2 in. diameter) or squares cut from Styrofoam blocks
- 6 T-pins
- duct tape or sticky tack
- 18 in. piece of clear tape
- scissors
- safety glasses
- paper and pencil
- protractor (optional)
- 4 ft. length of string
- paper or plastic cup
- 15 steel nuts or washers, for weights
Subjects
-
Engineering and Technology
-
Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Technology
-
Engineering
-
Physical Sciences
-
Energy
- Work and Machines
-
Motion and Forces
- Machines
- Gravity
- Momentum and Velocity
- Rotation Motion
-
States of Matter
- Solids
- Gases
-
Energy
-
Mathematics
-
Geometry
- Plane Geometry
-
Geometry
-
The Nature of Science
-
The Scientific Process
- Conducting Investigations
-
The Scientific Process
-
The Nature of Technology
-
Technology and Society
- Impacts of Technology
- Technology and the Environment
-
The Design Process
- Research and Development
- Invention and Innovation
- Problem Solving
- Troubleshooting and Maintenance
-
Technology and Society
Informal Categories
- Nature and Environment
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Involves teamwork and communication skills
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Culture, ethnicity, and gender
-
Girls
- Explicity developed for this group
- Acknowledges this group's contributions to STEM
- Highlights STEM opportunities for this group
- Identifies role models or mentors in STEM fields from this group
- Uses inclusive images of people from this group
Other
Components that are part of this resource:
Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
Rights:
- All rights reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., 2010
Funding Sources:
- National Science Foundation, 0813519
- ExxonMobil