Renewable Energy lesson with Legos

When I was really young my parents got a Solar cooker & we used to cook our food in it. My father always claimed the food tasted better when we use natural resources to cook. From an young age they taught me how to be mindful of our environment. We used to grow our own vegetables & fruits. And now I am trying to raise my son the same way. Today I wanted to show him how mankind uses natural resources to create energy.

Firstly we built a Wind Turbine with Legos.

A wind turbine is a device that converts wind's energy into electrical/mechanical energy. It helps us reduce our reliance on Fossil fuels. The energy of the wind turns the blades which spins the generator to produce electricity.

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Lego parts needed to make the Turbine:

Steps to make the Turbine:

We used generic Lego parts to create our project. But there is an actual Lego kit to build a Wind Turbine. This one.

Then we built a Solar Cooker:

A Solar cooker is a device which uses the energy of the Sun rays to cook food. The solar cooker has a mirror which is used to concentrate the heat from the sun rays into a small area.The cooking pans are kept in these small areas. The cooking pans are usually black in color to absorb the maximum heat. And a glass sheet is used to trap the heat. In the picture the Aluminum foil is acting as the mirror.

Lego parts needed to make the Solar Cooker:

Steps to make the Solar Cooker:

We could not find any Lego kits to make Solar cookers.

Lastly we made a Solar Panel

Solar Panels are an assembly of photo voltaic cells, put together in a structure & are usually installed on roofs. They convert sunlight in to electricity.

Lego Parts needed for the Solar Panel:

Steps to make the Solar Panel:

P.S. There is actually a Lego kit to assemble Solar panels. It is this one.

After finishing the lesson we took a few minutes to think about what ways can we change our lifestyle to help the environment.

What are you doing to make the Earth a better place to live in?