Powering Our Future: Exploring Solar Energy
Why Alternative Energy Matters
As our world grows and energy demands increase, finding cleaner and more sustainable ways to power our lives is essential to keeping Earth healthy for future generations. Alternative energy sources- like solar, wind and hydroelectric power- help to reduce air pollution, slow climate change, and lessen our dependence on fossil fuels that are limited and harmful to the environment. Solar power in particular has made incredible strides over the past few decades. Advances in technology have made solar panels more efficient, more affordable, and more widely used than ever before, turning sunlight into a powerful tool for cleaner air and a more resilient planet. Helping students understand these dynamics is a core part of what PS Science does in its curriculum, helping them to consider where energy comes from and the impact it has on our environment.
Hands-On Solar Science
At our booth this Sunday, students will get to experience solar energy in action by using real solar panels to power a variety of fun and fascinating gadgets. They’ll also explore the amazing invention of the generator, discovering how motion can be converted into electricity by using a hand-crank generator to power devices with their own energy. To top it off, each student will take home a small wearable souvenir that gets its ‘power’ from a special type of energy found in sunlight- a reminder that even something as simple as sunshine can be transformed into usable energy.
PS Science
PS Science was launched in 2006 as a project of the Crossroads Community Outreach Foundation, an initiative of Crossroads School in Santa Monica in response to a chronic deficit in public schools- the lack of meaningful early elementary science education. Our programs and curriculum provide elementary students with a foundational understanding of the world around them, using hands-on STEM lessons to promote curiosity and critical thinking.