Overview
A pop-can speedster illustrates the conversion of elastic potential energy to kinetic energy. An Operation game becomes a lesson on electronic circuits. Simple machines built with Lego kits demonstrate the principals of levers,gears,and pulleys. Is it fun,or is it science? It's both! Classroom-tested and developed with funding from the National Science Foundation,Teaching Energy with Toys helps instructors teach about mechanical energy and energy conversion with confidence and students' full attention. Using toys,games,and hands-on activities,the experiments in this jam-packed resource book convey complex science principals to young people more vividly and effectively than any textbook on the market. All toys can be inexpensively purchased or created by students with readily-available household materials. Each motivating lesson,which includes reproducible activities and integrated cross-curricular connections,is linked to the NSTA's National Standards for Science Education,and is perfectly suited for home or school instruction.Classroom-tested projects using toys make learning about energy fun! This book of lively experiments for grades 4-8 doesn't just tell students about different forms of energy—it shows them! The use of toys to illustrate basic concepts of physical science means there'll be no more yawns when teachers students it's time for a science lesson. Topics include the energy of motion,stored energy,energy conservation,and more. Based on the successful Teaching Science with TOYS projects-funded by the National Science Foundation and Miami Unversity of Ohio—these energy activities got top marks during classroom testing students and teachers alike.Energy concepts are illustrated by activities like the following: Rubber Band Airplane—This easy-to-construct wingless aircraft demonstrates the relationships between the amount of stored energy and the distance the toy is able to travel. Homemade Roller Coaster—Kids can explore gravitational potential energy with a classroom-built loop-the-loop track. The Operation Game—As students play this computer game,they observe the light and sound energy produced from the chemical energy of batteries. Each activity contains a list of the key science topics covered and process skills used,estimated completion time,a materials list,safety and disposal procedures,step-by-step instructions,suggestions for varying the activity,explanation of the science concept,and reproducible student handsout. All activities are clearly referenced to the National Science Education Standards.