Today we had planned to capture the sun's energy to power our solar oven, but the weather had other ideas. So on this cold, cloudy day, we talked about other forms of energy ... fossil fuels.
First we talked about power. What do we use it for and why do we need it?
Then, we discussed different energy sources. Special thanks to our own expert, Hammond, who shared about when his family lived in a house powered by solar energy! But, we found out that solar energy (and other alternative sources) are rarely used. Over 90% of all the power used in the world comes from fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas!
We talked about some problems associated with getting and using fossil fuels. Then we did an experiment to see what happens when oil spills occur. The kids got into teams of two to simulate the effect of oil spills on water birds. They observed bird feathers when placed in plain water, and then in oily water. Finally, they cleaned the bird feathers just like real wildlife biologists -- with water and dishwashing liquid!
The kids are well on their way to becoming great environmental scientists. Keep your fingers crossed for sunshine and solar s'mores next Tuesday!
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