What To Teach Kids About Solar Energy
Teach Your Children About The Wonders Of Solar Energy
Solar energy is an important topic for children to know about. Children are the future, after all, and they will one day run the country—and energy is a topic that has become increasingly important for economic and environmental reasons. Children who learn about solar energy will be in a better place to make the right kind of energy choices when they’re older. Who knows? Your child may one day invent a new technology that harnesses the power of the sun for everyone to use!
Solar Energy Is Everywhere
One of the best things you can do to educate your children about solar energy is to point out that it’s all around them already. The sun provides energy that people have used since the days when man lived in caves. Plus, if we didn’t have the sun, then the earth would be a frozen wasteland.
Aside from heat, the sun is also responsible for the wind as well as the currents in the ocean. The heat from the sun produces rain, clouds, snow, and creates all the weather conditions on the planet—something your child may not know!
How Solar Energy Is Collected
Solar energy collects in photovoltaic panels that convert it into usable electricity. You can find these panels on homes, businesses, churches, and even schools in some places. Solar panels are also used on highway signs that flash messages about construction or traffic patterns. The flat, black panels on top of those signs collect solar energy. Point these out to your kids to make them more aware of the ways solar energy is already being used.
If you ever take your family to Walt Disney World in Florida, point out to your children the large Mickey Mouse-shaped array of solar panels Disney uses to help power their parks!
The Future of Solar Energy
Kids have great imaginations, but they don’t have to only use their imagination to discover the uses of solar power in the future. You can dazzle them with the idea of solar cars that run totally off the energy of the sun, converting it to electricity. Solar car prototypes are already in testing, and use solar panels to gather energy and fuel the battery that runs the motor of the car.
In fact, every year in Australia they have the World Solar Challenge. This car race uses the sun to power cars from all over the world that race across the continent. It’s all pretty cool for little kids to think about.
The Future Of Solar Energy
The fact of the matter is that Americans waste a lot of energy and the energy we waste comes from sources that aren’t healthy for people or the environment, such as coal. Future generations must understand the importance of using energy responsibly and feel comfortable with new technologies that the current generation of adults may not be, such as solar energy.
So, start grooming your kids early and get them intrigued by the limitless possibilities of the sun!
