Activity Title: Insulation experiment
Eco-Schools Topic: Energy
Key Stage: 2 Activity 1
Learning
Outcomes
•Heat can be lost by convection, conduction and radiation.
•Insulation slows down the rate of heat loss. image
•Insulating houses and closing doors and windows will save energy and combat Climate
Change.
Description
Fill a container with warm water, ask a student to describe what they feel when they:
•put their hands on the container,
•hold their hand a small distance from the container,
•hold their hand over the top of the container.
Pass around examples of different types of insulation, explain they are going to design a test
to see which insulator is best. They can compare types of insulation, thicknesses and the
benefit of having a lid.
Show them the equipment; ask pupils to draw a picture of how they will set it up.
Ask “What will make our test really unfair?” Write down what they will do instead to make
the test as fair as possible.
“This is not a dangerous experiment, but write down what you will do to make sure we all stay
safe”
Pupils can record the temperature at the beginning and at the end.
Pupils discuss their results and write down what they have discovered.
Ask “If we had more time, what would you do?”
Materials
Required
Equal size plastic containers, digital thermometers, hot water (60 degrees C is plenty),
measuring cylinder, insulation (sheep‟s wool and foam camping mat are good examples),
elastic bands, stop clocks.
Extension
Record the temperature at fixed time intervals and plot a graph.
ESDGC Themes:
Climate Change
Links to subjects:
Science
Teachers Notes:
Insulation is one of the most effective ways of reducing energy use and a household‟s contribution to climate change. The
thermal resistance of a material (how well it insulates) is proportional to its density, so insulation that is light for its volume will
insulate best. The insulation value will increase with thickness for a particular material.
Virtual Version of the experiment
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/activities/keeping_warm.shtml
Oxfam Insulation activity
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/climate_chaos/day_four/files/afternoon1_how_does_insulation_work.pdf
Activity Title: Which technology?
Eco-Schools Topic: Energy
Key Stage: 2 Activity 2
ESDGC Themes:
Climate Change
Learning
Outcomes
•Light energy can be converted to heat.
•Dark colours absorb the most heat energy.
Description
Explain that hot water is usually produced using fossil fuels and contributes to Climate
Change. However if we use the sun directly, this is a renewable way of heating water. Show
the pupils a picture of the cross section of a solar panel, and get them to describe what they
see.
image
To make a model of a solar panel:
•Paint a ceramic tile black,
•Insulate a cardboard tray using scrap materials,
•Place the tile on top,
•Cover with a transparent piece of scrap or cling film,
•Put model in the sun.
Pupils can measure the temperature of their model using an Infrared thermometer.
Compare the temperature of their model to a spare white tile left in the sun.
Materials
Required
White ceramic tiles, poster paint, scrap insulation/fabric, clear plastic packaging or cling
film, cardboard boxes/trays.
Extension
Design a model which can heat water.
Links to subjects:
Science
Teachers Notes:
Heating water accounts for around 25% of home energy use and a typical solar hot water system will save around ¾ tonne
of carbon dioxide per year. On very bright days care must be taken as the tiles can become very hot, especially if pupils
have access to some of the more ideal packaging. A simple way of heating water is by painting a plastic bottle black. The
best position for a fixed panel is south, at an angle equal to the latitude (about 50 degrees in Wales), luckily this angle is
the same as many house roofs. However, for this activity, pupils can line their models up using their own shadows (not by
looking at the sun!)
Activity Title: The naughty classroom
Eco-Schools Topic: Energy
Key Stage: 2 Activity 3
Learning
Outcomes
image
•Positive energy saving behaviour.
•Most electricity and heat is made by burning fossil fuels.
Description
When the pupils are out of the room „set up‟ a number of examples in the class of items/
practices that have a negative impact on the environment. Explain class X has gone out for
break and left the room like this. The pupils then go in and spot the mistakes class X have made.
Pupils go into the room in small groups with a clipboard to report their findings.
Compare reports to discover which group are the best “Energy Police”.
Explain to the group that most electricity is made by burning fossil fuels and this is one of the
main causes of Climate Change.
Materials
Required
The “naughty classroom” could have IT equipment left on, stereo, phone charger, TV (either left
on or on standby), windows left open (if in the heating season), banana peel in the bin etc
Extension
Pupils set up the classroom for a parents‟ evening or school fair and see how many things the
adults can discover.
ESDGC Themes:
Climate Change
Links to subjects:
Science
Teachers Notes:
In most schools electricity use is now the largest part of a school‟s energy use and consequently its carbon emissions. Savings can be
made by training staff and students to turn items off when they are not in use. There are also savings to be made by changing
settings on PC‟s and replacing old style “fat” fluorescent lighting as it wears out. A meter reading should be taken before and
after holiday periods to help identify unnecessary usage.