Background information:

Content information: Energy is the lifeblood of our modern life. It gives us light and keeps our food fresh, it powers our industry, it fuels our cars, and charges our iPhones. Our energy is produced by burning fossil fuels and this has a range of environmental, social and economic impacts. One of the most significant being the emission of greenhouse gases. A solution is a transition to clean energy sources. The brilliant thing is that we have huge amounts of free, renewable and clean supplies of natural energies like wind, sun and oceans. Another solution is to reduce the amount of energy we use on a day to day basis.

About Earth Hour: Earth Hour is a WWF-Australia initiative, and is the world’s largest community-driven climate change campaign. At the centre of Earth Hour is switching off lights to show a commitment to taking action. Thousands of educators use Earth Hour’s education program to enrich their curriculum and provide pathways for young people to create change in their world.

Download the Earth Hour starter kit for your service: Earth Hour for Schools

Concepts and definitions:

Energy - Scientists describe energy as the ability of a body or system to do work. Energy is all around us and is constantly changing. When you feel the warmth of the sun on your back you're enjoying the heat energy from the sun. When you cook over a campfire you're using heat energy converted from the stored energy in the wood you're burning. There is energy in the food that we eat. This energy comes from plants who used the energy from the sun. And there is the energy we use for making electricity. In most parts of Australia, electricity comes from the heat produced when burning coal.
Electricity - Electricity is a form of energy. We use this energy in almost every aspect of our lives; heating and cooling, cooking, lighting, for charging phones and computers, for watching TV and listening to music, even for charging (some of) our cars. In Australia, we get most of our electricity from burning coal. To convert coal to electricity it needs to be dug out of the ground and then burned, a process which releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases contribute to global warming and climate change. Using less electricity and finding alternative and greener sources of electricity - such as wind or solar - is essential to addressing climate change.
Wind power - Wind power is electricity generated from the wind. Wind turbines harness the power of the wind and turn it into electricity.
Solar power - Solar energy can be captured and used to provide heating and to generate electricity.

New words for children to learn:

Electricity
Energy
Solar power
Wind power

Activity: Wind

Age group - 0 to 2

What to do

Preparation – Using the template, make a windmill for each child.

Begin by asking children about the wind: what is the wind and where can you find the wind? What does it sound like?

Head into the yard with children and experiment with turning the wheels, either by blowing on them, running with the wheels or holding them up in the wind.

For extra interest, help students attach streamers to the ends of the windmill ‘blades’ with sticky tape.

Provocations

I wonder what will happen if we hold the windmills up to the wind?
I wonder what will happen if we run with the windmills?
I wonder if the windmill will still spin when there is no wind?
I wonder where the wind comes from?

Possible lines of development

Finding other things that spin or turn or move.
Investigating wind speed and direction by throwing leaves and feathers into the wind.

Age group - 2 to 3

What to do

Preparation – Using the template, make a windmill for each child or help children to make their own windmills.

For extra interest, help students attach streamers to the ends of the windmill ‘blades’ with sticky tape.

As you make the windmills, ask children to share what they know about the wind: where does it come from, what does it feel like, can we see the wind, what does it smell like, how do we know if it is windy?

Head into the yard with children and experiment with turning the wheels, either by blowing on them, running with the wheels or holding them up in the wind.

Ask children to investigate how they can make the blades turn faster or slower.

Provocations

I wonder where the wind comes from?
I wonder what the wind looks like?
I wonder what the wind feels like?
I wonder what the wind smells like?
I wonder how we know if it’s windy?
I wonder what will happen if we hold the windmills up to the wind?
I wonder what will happen if we run with the windmills?
I wonder if the windmill will still spin when there is no wind?
I wonder how we can make the windmill spin really fast or really slow?

Possible lines of development

Finding other things that spin or turn or move.
Investigating wind speed and direction by throwing leaves and feathers into the wind.
Roleplay trees and animals being blown by the wind.
Other types of weather.

Age group - 3 to 5

What to do

Preparation – Using the template, help children to make their own windmills.

For extra interest, help students attach streamers to the ends of the windmill ‘blades’ with sticky tape.

As you make the windmills, ask children to share what they know about the wind: where does it come from, what does it feel like, can we see the wind, what does it smell like, how do we know if it is windy?

Ask children to think about how we can use the wind: for flying flags and kites, sailing, windmills.

Head into the yard with children and experiment with turning the wheels, either by blowing on them, running with the wheels or holding them up in the wind.

Ask children to investigate how they can make the blades turn faster or slower.

Explain to children that wind is a type of energy. We can use the energy from the wind to make electricity. Did you know that the sun is also a type of energy? We can also the sun to make electricity. This is called solar power.

Provocations

I wonder where the wind comes from?
I wonder what the wind looks like?
I wonder what the wind feels like?
I wonder what the wind smells like?
I wonder how we know if it’s windy?
I wonder what will happen if we hold the windmills up to the wind?
I wonder if the windmill will still spin when there is no wind?
I wonder how we can make the windmill spin really fast or really slow?
I wonder how we can use the wind to make electricity?
I wonder how we can use the sun to make electricity?
I wonder what solar energy is?

Possible lines of development

Investigating wind speed and direction by throwing leaves and feathers into the wind.
Roleplay trees and animals being blown by the wind.
Sun safety.
Being safe in a storm - staying inside, staying away from large trees, closing the windows.
Other types of weather.

Evaluation

Complete an analysis of learning listing evidence about:

Belonging	Finding something of interest
Communication	Expressing an idea or feeling
Exploration	Engaging with challenge and persisting when difficulty arises
Well being	Being involved

Embedding into daily practice

Switch it off. Practice a switch-off regime, encouraging children to monitor the switching off of lights and appliances when not in use.
Dress for the weather. Encourage educators, children and parents to dress for the weather to avoid the need for artificial heating and cooling. Before children leave to go home - give them an update of tomorrows weather!

Earth Hour - Wind

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