teaching children the language of caring for our planet
EARTH FRIENDS
WE UNDERSTAND OUR ENERGY
(20 minute lesson)
Objective: To understand that humans use energy every day to do and make all kinds of things
Vocabulary: power
Reading: Earth Hour
Creative Activity: The Three Sisters Dance
BEGIN LESSON
(move & discover - 8 minutes)
Earth’s Energies
We get energy to make and move and change things from Earth through our land, water, air, and sun.
LAND: Stomp your feet. Feel the land. Now stand still and rub your hands together. Do they feel hot? That’s called geothermal energy that comes from heat. There is a lot of heat down underground. Sometimes we dig up fossil fuels that we find deep in the Earth and burn them for energy.
WATER: Can you move your body like a wave? Throw your hands up in the air like a big, tall wave. Now let your hands come down like a wave crashing. That’s called hydropower energy and that comes from moving water from up to down. There is a lot of water all over Earth that can give us energy. AIR: Can you blow on your hand in front of you? Can you feel the air move on your fingers? That’s called wind power and it comes from wind. The air is full of wind, and wind makes energy.
SUN: Close your eyes. Can you see? We need light to see, and light also gives us energy. Open your eyes. The sun gives Earth a lot of light. It’s such a bright light we can’t look right at it, but it can light up our world and we can make that light into energy.
(sit & learn - 5 minutes)
Curious Question I wonder what we use energy for. Allow the children to share what they think uses energy. Prompts: What things move? What do we make?
Main Lesson Humans use energy every day. We need energy to make things move and go and work. We call this power.
Power is:
for turning lights and devices and tools on and off
for moving trucks and cars and boats and planes
for making things in factories
(move & learn - 7 minutes)
The Three Sisters Dance
Materials Needed: bean, squash, and corn plants or seedlings
Preparation: Either in a large space indoors or out, clear out an area for dancing.
We are going to use our energy to dance for our plants. A long time ago, before humans had factories and big farms, we had to grow all of our food. Indigenous peoples were very close with the land, and they danced to help their most important plants grow. These plants are called The Three Sisters, and we are growing them too. We are growing corn and beans and squash. We are going to honor the energy these foods give us by dancing and sharing our energy with our plants.
Play music or drums and allow the children to dance for the plants. Dancing may look like anything, so allow every move as long as it respectful of others and the plants.
Closing Sentiment: Humans use energy for all kinds of things every day. We need power for our houses and cars and to make our things, and we need food to power our bodies.
END LESSON
WE UNDERSTAND OUR ENERGY
(activities for the classroom)
Energy Detectives
Walk around the classroom and ask the children to find out what uses energy. Prompts: What is moving? What do we turn on and off? What is growing? Examples: humans, animals, toys that move or roll, lights, heat or air, toys that turn on and off, mobile devices, plants.
Discuss: the ways the classroom is using energy each day. When are we not using energy?
Explore: the energy you can find outside in nature. What energy comes from the sun? What energy comes from the air? How about water?
Create: a toy incline. Using blocks or tubes or books (anything found in the classroom or outside), create an incline to see how toys (vehicles, balls, blocks) roll and slide down an incline faster than when they move across the floor. Which one has more power?
Reading: Earth Hour
Vocabulary: energy, power
Good Choices:
I can pay attention to when I’m using energy to do things.
I can watch how things move and ask an adult where the power comes from.
WE UNDERSTAND OUR ENERGY
(families at home)
Discover: what in your house uses energy. This week, the children were energy detectives at school. You, too, can walk around your home and find out what uses energy. Prompts: What is moving? What do we turn on and off? What is growing? Examples: humans, animals, toys that move or roll, lights, heat or air, toys that turn on and off, mobile devices, plants.
Explore: energy in nature. No matter the weather, you can find a source of energy in nature. The wind can move things. The sun can provide heat and light. Lightning is nature’s electricity and thunder is a wave of sound. Water is always flowing.
Create: a tin can phone line with a friend. Many of us do not have landlines anymore, but this is still a great way to show how sound waves (a form of energy) travel.
Materials Needed: 2 tin cans without lids; 6 ft. of string or twine; 2 paper clips; a friend to talk to
First, ask 2 people to stand about 6 ft. apart and talk into the tin cans without the string.
Next, poke a hole into the center of each can (you can use a hammer and nail or a drill to do the job). Then thread one end of the string through each hole and tie a paper clip to it (this prevents the string from slipping back out after too many tugs). Now, ask 2 friends to stand apart and talk into the tin cans to see what happens. Did the sound change? What happens when your hand is on the string? What about if you pull the string tight?
Vocabulary:
Energy makes things move, change, and grow. Earth gives us our energy.
Humans use energy every day. We need energy to make things move and go and work. We call this power.
