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It’s no secret, STEM is here to stay. With increasing opportunities in academia, industry, and even entrepreneurship, we know it’s important to instill the foundational skills of STEM in the change-makers of tomorrow. Check out our STEM Design Challenge offerings below to bring a study of energy through STEM practice to your classroom.
Get wild about wind! The elementary wind challenge is a hands-on study of wind energy that tasks students in grades 3-6 to design their very own wind turbine. Using the engineering design process, students work in small groups to design an efficient turbine, learning all about this renewable energy source along the way.
The “problem” – We’ve got A LOT to lift! In this challenge, students are tasked with lifting a cup of pennies–who can lift the most?
If you are ready to sign up, go ahead and follow the link below to register. If you want more information before committing, reach out to Rosey Vasquez at rvasquez@ohioenergy.org for more!
Note: OEP recognizes participating schools will be implementing the program in different formats. Some will use it with their energy team or science club. Others may be implementing with an entire class. Our goal is to provide maximum flexibility in implementing the Challenge while at the same time providing adequate support.
Upon completion of training video and email signature, OEP staff will invite you to join Canvas for access to all MacGyver resources.
Teacher Evaluation available on Canvas
Must complete evaluation to receive teacher stipend. The evaluation requires photo documentation.
If your student does not have a signed photo release, please do not include them in the photo.
Primary Resources
Elementary Resources
Intermediate Resources
These documents can also be downloaded at no-cost as PDF’s at need.org.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, is the true story of William Kamkwamba. William was 14 when he was forced to drop out of school because his family was unable to pay his tuition. Using his own ingenuity, a book from the library and scrap materials, he built a wind turbine to provide light to his family’s home.
Elementary Resources:
Intermediate/Secondary Resources:
MacGyver is a fictional TV character with an extraordinary knack for unconventional problem solving and an extensive bank of scientific knowledge. He would improvise to solve a problem with whatever items he might have in his pockets. MacGyver has become a common term in pop culture and means “to make or repair something in an improvised or inventive way, making use of whatever items are at hand.” That is what you will be doing, designing a wind turbine to lift as many pennies as possible using materials from your classroom, home or recycling container.
In partnership with KidWind, the secondary wind challenge is a hands-on study of wind energy tasking students in grades 7-12 to design a wind turbine using the engineering design process.
The “problem” – How do we maintain maximum power? Let’s explore by designing, building, testing, analyzing, and refining our turbines.
If you are ready to sign up, go ahead and follow the link below to register. If you want more information before committing, reach out to Rosey Vasquez at rvasquez@ohioenergy.org for more!
Note: OEP recognizes participating schools will be implementing the program in different formats. Some will use it with their energy team or science club. Others may be implementing with an entire class. Our goal is to provide maximum flexibility in implementing the Challenge while at the same time providing adequate support.
Upon completion of training video and email signature, OEP will staff you invite you to join Canvas for access to all KidWind resources.
Teacher Evaluation available on Canvas
Must complete evaluation to receive teacher stipend. The evaluation requires photo documentation and student datasheet. If your student does not have a signed photo release, do not include them in the photo.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, is the true story of William Kamkwamba. William was 14 when he was forced to drop out of school because his family was unable to pay his tuition. Using his own ingenuity, a book from the library and scrap materials, he built a wind turbine provide light to his family’s home.
Intermediate/Secondary Resources:
OEP is proud to partner with KidWind on our design challenges. View their website.
KidWind’s WindWise curriculum may be helpful for students who want to futher their learning on a particular topic. Lessons listed below can be downloaded separately.
