As the Rotor Turns: Wind Power and You
Teachers' Domain, WGBH Educational Foundation

In this hands-on engineering activity, students build a tabletop wind turbine. Students get acquainted with the basics of wind energy and power production by fabricating and testing various blade designs for table-top windmills, constructed from one-inch PVC pipe and balsa wood (or recycled materials). The activity includes lots of good media and web resources supporting the science content.
Click to ViewNotes from our reviewers
The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials.
-
There are broken links in this older resource, but the activity of building a wind turbine to understand the technology is still valuable. Educators may want to address the origins of wind, wind as a renewable energy resource, and the physics behind wind power generation. Hardware/home improvement stores may be willing to donate some of the materials needed for this activity.