Both my boys have liked trains and watched Thomas & Friends. We’ve gone on day trips to ride the train with the Austin Steam Train Association. What is it that they like so much about trains? They’re very powerful machines. There’s an opportunity here to teach about what makes it go. This can lead to beginning lessons of science and engineering. A whistling tea kettle is a fun way to show what steam can do. There are videos that have good visuals on the insides of steam engines. But there’s quite a few other hands-on activities that can show the many other ways that make things go. There’s a lot of energy sources to work with along with steam: wind, solar, electrical, magnetic, and even us!
With wind as your energy source, you can spend a Saturday afternoon investigating how it makes thin...
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