Electricity & Power Workshop

​On October 14th, AGSS hosted our Power and Electricity Workshop at Mission Hills Library, led by La Jolla High sophomores Anabel Weinstein and Siena Lin. We started off by exploring batteries, which the girls connected to the batteries inside of phones and TV remotes. What are some examples of electricity in our lives? Participants answered: “video games, lights in our house, and microwaves!” We witnessed real-life examples of electricity, such as the static electricity from rubbing a balloon on our hair, or creating a human circuit with ALL the participants and volunteers!

Diving into our first activity, we explored whether certain materials were conductors of insulators — whether they allowed electricity to pass through it or not. We created our own circuits using different halloween-y materials (i.e. paper ghosts, leprechaun coins, gummy worms, witchy erasers), and we discovered that some were conductors and allowed the LED light to turn on, and others were insulators, and the LED light stayed off.

We then explored different forms of renewable power, such as solar power, hydro power, and wind power. The average human, as it turns out, uses over 29,000 Watts of power a day! This is all the more reason for us to work towards conserving energy or finding more environmentally-friendly/sustainable forms of power.
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Our final activity was creating our own electrical circuit critters!! Using pipe cleaners, batteries, and LED lights, participants One student exclaimed: “The light is my favorite color, and I’m so glad I can make it light up!” We had many creative animals made, such as bats, butterflies, and bugs! We hope to see you at our next workshop, the Engineering Design Workshop, on November 21!