Green technology is an expensive subject to teach – solar panels and wind generators can cost too much to let each student have one. Pitsco Education has solved this dilemma by creating three green energy kits affordable enough for students to build and keep.
“It’s nice for us to be able to develop kits that kids can build, take home, and expose Mom and Dad to what they’re learning about in school,” said Paul Uttley, Pitsco R&D Manager. “Plus, kids hear so much about global warming and the environment in the news that it’s nice for them to have a hands-on educational experience that they can relate [to that subject].”
These kits help students learn how to use the Sun or wind as an energy source. Projects that show how to use solar energy in the home are a nice change from solar car kits – and the Solar H
2O Heater and Solar Oven Kits accomplish that.
- The Solar H2O Heater demonstrates how homeowners can reduce gas and electricity bills by using the Sun to heat water. The heater’s aluminum tubing loops back and forth to expose the water to the energy source several times to heat the water. This kit can provide an opening to teach heat transfer theory, serpentine design, and passive versus active solar energy.
- Students will really cook with the Solar Oven Kit. After construction, they use the small oven to create tasty snacks in the sunshine. Plus, teachers have the opportunity to teach how heat gain, heat loss, reflection, thermodynamics, and Earth-Sun geometry affect the oven’s ability to function.
- The Eco-Wind Generator Kit is Pitsco’s most affordable way to tap into wind energy. Built of sturdy, die-cut cardstock parts, this little machine catches the breeze to light a bulb and show students that there really is power in the wind.
Ranging in price from just $4 to $8 each, these kits are built with simple tools and materials such as glue sticks, scissors, and hobby knives. To learn more about these and other green activities, visit us
online or call 800-835-0686.
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Note to media: Visit us
online or contact the
Communications Manager. High-resolution images of the green kits are available upon request.