![]() Play Power Up!, a game from NASA’s Climate Kids program where the goal is to maximize your renewable energy sources to power homes.Go on an electricity scavenger hunt in your home to find all the places and items that use electricity.There are many solar energy activities for kids, so we’ve split it out into age group. Let’s inject some fun into these conversations about solar energy with some more hands on games and experiments for kids. That’s enough science and history for now. Once they’re done doing their jobs, the electrons that were knocked loose return to their original spots in the silicon, so there’s nothing that gets worn out or used up! This endless loop makes it so solar panels can make clean electricity for decades.Ĭheck out this TED-Ed video for a more visual explanation of how solar panels work: Inverters convert DC voltage to alternating current (AC) voltage, which powers your home. This direct current (DC) flows from your solar cells in your solar panels to what is known as an inverter. These electrons then flow through the conductive material to the positively charged side of silicon, creating an electric current. When sunlight hits the silicon, the energy from the sun knocks electrons in the negatively charged side of silicon loose. ![]() One side of the silicon sandwich has extra electrons (making it negatively charged), and the other has extra holes for electrons to move into (making it positively charged). There are two layers of silicon (the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust) that are sandwiched between conductive material. But how do solar panels take sunlight and make it into electricity?Įach solar panel is made up of lots of connected solar cells, and these cells are made up of a few layers of materials. While plants use photosynthesis to convert sunlight into the energy they need to live and grow, solar panels convert sunlight into energy to power your home. ![]() If you’d like advice on how to have a more serious conversation about climate change with your kids, NPR's Life Kit series has a great 20-minute podcast on the subject, “ How to Talk to Kids About Climate Change.” It’s a helpful resource for talking to younger and older kids about this complex issue. Solar energy is not only a fun STEM topic, but it’s also one of the many puzzle pieces that can address the climate crisis we’re facing. We’ve compiled solar related activities for a wide range of ages, and we also provide a quick primer on the science behind solar energy for kids. This one is for you, parents! Yes, it says solar energy for kids in the title, but we’re also hoping you get a moment of reprieve, too.
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