Teachers.netEnergy: 25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power And How to Get It
Energy is a valuable resource that comes in many different forms. In Energy: 25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power and How We Get It kids ages 9 and up learn about the history and science of the world’s sources of energy, from nonrenewable fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. Sidebars and fun trivia break up the text, making it easily accessible and engaging, while hands-on projects encourage active learning. Requiring little adult supervision and using supplies commonly found in most households, activities range from constructing a battery to recreating an oil spill to explore how difficult cleanup can be.
SILVER MEDAL WINNER
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2009 Moonbeam Children's Book Award |
School Librarian's Workshop winter 2010 — Energy is a necessary resource that comes in many forms and is used in many different ways. This book defines and explains a dozen kinds of energy from electricity and petroleum to solar power and geothermal energy in a way that middle grade students will understands. It includes illustrations, sidebars and 25 projects to help them comprehend the text plus an interesting chapter on “The Future of Energy” and how students can perform a home energy audit
CLEAR REVIEW 2/2010 - Giving kids a hands-on opportunity to see energy in action, these 25 projects are an exciting introduction to the ways this hot topic affects both world politics and everyday lives. The tough topics of energy shortages are covered with enthusiasm in a lively discussion so kids can make educated, positive changes for their future
- National Science Teachers Association June 2009 Why We need power and how we get it are the topics addressed by this wonderfully informative book for middle school children; it teaches them about the sources of the energy used in everyday life. In this day and age, our students need to be educated on which resources are renewable and nonrenewable and why it is important that all resources be utilized.
Energy: 25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power and How We Get It is a wonderful book for a science-loving kid. It's recommended for ages 9-12, but my 7 and 8-year-old sons enjoyed it as much as my 10-year-old son. This is one of those wonderful books that you can leave strategically placed for your child to pick up, and the next thing you know they're coming to you asking for supplies to do the activities. They're learning and don't even know it! ....I learned a lot about energy from reading this book, and so did my sons. I would absolutely recommend Energy: 25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power and How We Get It. -Old Schoolhouse Magazine August 2009
This book is great fun, with energy education and visualization projects that will inspire middle-school to high school students and adults alike. It is high-time that someone captured the excitement and importance of energy, and Kathleen Reilly has done a clear and engaging job, and one that I can see capturing attention in schools, science camps, and in homes across the country.—Dan Kammen Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley Founding Directror, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory
BOOKS
Challoner, Jack. Eyewitness: Energy. DK Children, 2000.
Fridell, Ron. Earth-Friendly Energy. Lerner Publications, 2008.
Gleason, Carrie. Geothermal Energy: Using the Earth’s Furnace. Crabtree Publishing Company, 2008.
Green, Dan. Why Matter Matters. Kingfisher, 2008.
Hammond, Richard. Can You Feel the Force? DK Children, 2006.
Lafferty, Peter. Eyewitness: Force and Motion. DK Children, 1999.
Langwith, Jaqueline. Renewable Energy. Greenhaven Press, 2008.
Peppas, Lynn. Ocean, Tidal and Wave Power: Power from the Sea. Crabtree Publishing Company, 2007.
VanCleave, Janice. Janice VanCleave’s Energy for Every Kid. Wiley, 2005.
Walker, Niki. Biomass: Fueling Change. Crabtree Publishing Company, 2007.
Walker, Niki. Generating Wind Power. Crabtree Publishing Company, 2007.
WEB SITES
Energy Information Administration’s kid page (www.eia.doe.gov/kids/). Some energy facts and timelines about different energy sources.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (www.eere.energy.gov/kids/) by the United States Department of Energy. Games and information about saving energy.
Energy Quest (www.energyquest.ca.gov/) from the California Energy Commission. Learn about energy conservation by playing this online game.
Q & A from Explorit (www.explorit.org/science/energy.html). A great list of questions and answers from a California science museum.
Powerhouse Kids (www.powerhousekids.com). Learn about gas and electrical energy.
Florida Power and Light (www.fplsafetyworld.com/). Games and pages that explore energy.
Energy Star (www.energystar.gov/kids). Learn about ways you can help save the earth’s energy resources.
Mary Takacs-Moore, received a BFA with a concentration in Sculpture from Kutztown University in 1995. She has been working for a leading swimsuit manufacturer for the past 7 1/2 years and roughly a year and a half ago, she transferred into their graphics department. Mary recently returned to college to study Graphic Design. She lives in a small town in Pennsylvania with her husband of 11 years and two boys.
Learn how energy is transferred between objects.
