Today we were totally blown away by the Year 4 and Year 6 children from St Peter’s C of E Primary School in Brotton (and this wasn’t just because they have their very own wind turbine on site) it was their passion, enthusiasm, and superb problem solving and teamwork skills during our Energy Academy Workshop funded by Redcar and Cleveland College.
The children had an extremely impressive knowledge base to build from for this interactive science session which focused on sustainable energy and we could see them making connections between previous learning taught in the classroom and even from Lego Club!
We started by looking at the important role renewable energy plays in Teesside looking especially at the development of the Teesworks site and the future career opportunities in the sustainable energy sector.
It was a privilege to work with the first school in the northeast to receive the Eco Green Flag Award for their commitment to a sustainable future, which included the installation of a wind turbine on the school site and we definitely had some young engineers of the future in the session today!
Over the course of the morning the children independently planned and built their own working model of a wind farm; carefully considering the financial and ethical implications of different routes.
We also looked at some of the mechanics behind the technology fueling today’s automotive revolution and in groups set up a hydrogen-powered car. We didn’t just stop there, we also had time for Hydrogen Grand Prix with children learning all about electrolysis to separate the hydrogen from distilled water to power the car! A buzz of excitement filled the room as the car named after Henry Cavendish – the discoverer of hydrogen – won the race!
What a morning with these young scientists of tomorrow!
