Synopses & Reviews
Kids ages 8--12 will love these 22 exciting activities and experiments focused on producing and playing with renewable energy. Projects range from the quick and simple -- like the Pie Plate Wind-Maker -- to the thrillingly large-scale, like Pedal Power, in which kids use a bicycle to power a 12-volt battery. Each activity teaches children about renewable energy and larger environmental issues. Education doesn't get more fun than this! Catch the Wind, Harness the Sun offers more than enough to get any kid charged up about renewable energy.
Review
“Encourages a sense of both wonder and power in young global citizens.”
Review
The promised activities are only part of what this title has to offer. The serious topics of global warming and energy production, use, and conservation are combined with a self-empowerment, can-do message. The inclusion of stories,
humor, full-color photos, and cartoon illustrations and diagrams keep the presentation lighthearted. Each chapter begins with background information followed by the projects that range from the intensive bicycle-powered generator to a simpler energy-conservation board game. Several activities, such as the “Personal Solar Power” kit, require a considerable number of specialized supplies, tools, and adult help, while others, like the “Party-Balloon Wind Gauge,” do not. Each activity concludes with a series of extension ideas that encourage scientific and creative thinking. Young people or “Green Giants” who have made significant differences to the environment are highlighted. Clear photos and step-by-step instructions modeled by real students accompany the activities. Extensive back matter includes sources for supplies, lists of environmental organizations, and a list of endangered animals by continent. With its solid science and inspirational stories and quotes, this is a great guide for classrooms, youth groups, and motivated individuals.-Carol S. Surges, McKinley Elementary School, Wauwatosa, WI (Starred review, July 2011) New York Journal of Books
Review
"Encourages a sense of both wonder and power in young global citizens." New York Journal of Books
Synopsis
Get charged up about energy With more than 20 fun activities and experiments that will have children ages 8 to 12 enthusiastically engaged with making and using renewable energy, Michael J. Caduto takes a hands-on approach to fighting climate change. Step-by-step instructions for projects range from using the sun to make fires to charging electronic devices by peddling your bicycle. Additional energy case studies encourage kids to think about the basic tenets of resource management. Change the world one miniature windmill at a time.
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About the Author
Michael J. Caduto is an author, storyteller, ecologist, and musician. He is the author of
Catch the Wind, Harness the Sun and is well-known as the creator and co-author of the international best-selling
Keepers of the Earth series. He also wrote
Native American Gardening, Earth Tales from Around the World, Pond and Brook, The Crimson Elf, In the Beginning, and
A Child of God. His many awards include The Aesop Prize, NAPPA Gold and Silver Awards, and a Storytelling World Honor Award. His articles have appeared in
Cricket, Ranger Rick, and
Nature StudyJohn Hanson Mitchell is the editor of Sanctuary, the journal of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and the author of The Paradise of All These Parts and Ceremonial Time.
David Bonta is the founder and president of USA Solar Stores.