Blowin' in the Wind

Add to list Go to activity
Activity link broken? See if it's at the internet archive
In this environmental engineering activity, learners build windmills using everyday items. The first challenge is to build windmills that spin when placed in front of a fan. The second challenge is to get the windmills to lift a cup filled with weights.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Learning Time:
2 to 4 hours
Estimated Materials Cost:
$10 - $20 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • 12-in or larger electric fan(s)
  • plastic or wooden spool
  • 12-in. long wooden dowel (diameter needs to fit through spool)
  • 6-in. piece of PEX tubing or empty cardboard milk carton
  • 4-8 index cards (4 in. x 6 in.)
  • 4 wooden skewers
  • Styrofoam ball (2 in. diameter) or squares cut from Styrofoam blocks
  • 6 T-pins
  • duct tape or sticky tack
  • 18 in. piece of clear tape
  • scissors
  • safety glasses
  • paper and pencil
  • protractor (optional)
  • 4 ft. length of string
  • paper or plastic cup
  • 15 steel nuts or washers, for weights

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Environmental Engineering
      • Mechanical Engineering
    • Technology
  • Physical Sciences
    • Energy
      • Work and Machines
    • Motion and Forces
      • Machines
      • Gravity
      • Momentum and Velocity
      • Rotation Motion
    • States of Matter
      • Solids
      • Gases
  • Mathematics
    • Geometry
      • Plane Geometry
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
  • The Nature of Technology
    • Technology and Society
      • Impacts of Technology
      • Technology and the Environment
    • The Design Process
      • Research and Development
      • Invention and Innovation
      • Problem Solving
      • Troubleshooting and Maintenance

Informal Categories

  • Nature and Environment

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Culture, ethnicity, and gender

  • Girls

    • Explicity developed for this group
    • Acknowledges this group's contributions to STEM
    • Highlights STEM opportunities for this group
    • Identifies role models or mentors in STEM fields from this group
    • Uses inclusive images of people from this group

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., 2010

Funding Sources:

  • National Science Foundation, 0813519
  • ExxonMobil