Wind at Work

This week, Girlstart students discussed innovations in renewable energy and built their own turbine systems! After School sessions opened with a conversation about the pros and cons of different energy sources like coal and hydroelectricity, which allowed students to review important vocabulary, including “alternative energy”, “power”, “turbine”, and “work”. After the groups had a solid base of knowledge, they gathered materials to begin constructing their very own wind turbines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using skewers, straws, cork, string, and foam, girls worked together to assemble turbine systems that would produce the greatest energy output possible. In their groups, girls addressed issues such as the number of blades on the turbine, blade angle, and the length of the entire machine. After they finished their turbine system design, the girls tied a cup full of paper clips to the turbine’s body, which would measure the amount of work done. Club leaders used blow dryers to simulate wind, and each group lined up to put their design to the test.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After observing their turbines in action, some students went back to the drawing board to tweak or redesign their turbines and everyone discussed possible improvements. Students identified factors that contributed to turbine efficiency such as the number of blades, the blade angles, and the length of the turbine. By designing, building, testing, and evaluating turbine models, Girlstart students began to think like wind energy engineers!

Exploring the Effects of Oil Spills

In April 2010, a new oil well in the Gulf of Mexico was severely damaged, causing oil to leak into the Gulf for more than 80 days. The entire local ecosystem, which included fish, mammals, plants, and birds, was negatively affected. This week at After School To-Go, Girlstart students learned about the deadly consequences of oil spills and explored cleanup methods used by environmental scientists to clean up real-world messes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For their first activity, girls were given a clean, white feather to observe. The feather was fluffy, soft, and light. Students learned about barbs – a structure on the feather shaft which gives the feather its shape and makes it waterproof. After dipping the feather in water, students recorded their new observations. The feather was still white, fluffy, and wispy. Next, groups dipped their feather in oil and used their five senses to record their observations once again. The oil made the feather heavy, sticky, and dirty. Naturally, the last step was to clean the feather and make it white, light, and wispy once more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girls quickly learned that the feather-cleaning process is not easy. Scientists use a solution of water and Dawn dishwashing liquid to rinse and scrub oil from birds’ feathers. After School To-Go girls followed the same routine and used a blow dryer to speed up the drying process. Some feathers looked almost as good as new, and some feathers were still covered with a thin layer of oil. Girls then discussed the best way to clean an entire bird.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, students observed three different oil spill cleanup methods – skimming, absorbing, and dispersing. Girls critically analyzed each method and offered pros and cons for each. This week, Girlstart students learned about the dire consequences of oil spills and began to envision innovative cleanup methods for the future!