At Hopewell-Loudon Elementary School, pedaling plus energy equals light, cool air or warmth.
Sixth-graders got an opportunity to pedal a bicycle to generate energy that could light bulbs and power a fan, hair dryer, radio and thermal mug during an energy fair Tuesday.
The lesson involving the bicycle was one of six stations sixth-graders visited during the energy fair at Hopewell-Loudon. The other stations focused on energy transformation, heat, light, petroleum and sound.
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PHOTO BY JILL GOSCHE
When students pedal a bicycle, it creates energy to light bulbs and power a fan, hair dryer, radio and thermal mug.
Some sophomores attended a workshop at Bowling Green State University about offering an energy fair and assisted with Tuesday's activities.
Deb Weaver, who teaches sixth-grade science and social studies at Hopewell-Loudon, said she took four girls - Lizzie Erlanger and Grace Portentoso, current sixth-graders, and Maria Faber and Madison Klaiss, current seventh-graders - to Columbus in June to a workshop called "Activating and Energizing Girls in Science," which was offered through Ohio Energy Project and sponsored by American Electric Power.
The purpose was to get girls involved in science and exposed to science opportunities, she said.
"They did a lot of energy activities there," she said.
Girls participating in the workshop had to learn how to wire a board, and teachers were encouraged not to help. Weaver said it was powerful for the girls to learn how to do something that had seemed impossible.
"The girls wired that all by themselves," she said.
Weaver said five schools participated in the workshop, and each school had its own bicycle and light board. The two-and-a-half-day workshop came at no cost to her or the school district.
"Everything was paid for by AEP," she said.
Sixth-grader Alyssa Naus saw the bicycle work several months ago when her class was learning about energy. Two of students who built it are in her grade at Hopewell-Loudon.
"I thought that was pretty interesting," she said.
Tuesday, Naus reflected on learning about energy conversion and the power it takes to light various types of bulbs.
"The LED light bulbs, those took the least (pedaling)," she said.
