The Energy WatchitActivity book

2Book

Division of Science Victoria

Energy in the home

It’s dark outside. You are home alone. You have only your dog, Fred, to talk to so you decide to make things more cheerful. You turn on the light. You put your favourite CD on. You warm the room by turning on the heater.

In less time than you can blink, the light comes on. You fl ick the switch, and there it is. You push a button, and the music plays. You turn a dial and the heater comes on.

But what makes these things work?Energy can be in the form of electricity or gas. It can light your house. It plays music and runs your refrigerator and heater. Perhaps in your home it cooks your food and washes and dries your clothes.

2

Room heating (50%) and cooling (1%)

51%

Hot water heating

25%

Refrigeration

9%

Cooking 8%

Lighting and Other appliances 7%

This is how energyis used in the home

3

Look at these appliances• Tick the ones your family uses.

• In the second column, tick the appliances your parents used when they were children.

• In the third column, tick the ones your grandparents used.

• In the last column, fi nd out what your grandparents used in place of each appliance.

Energy in the past

Appliance Your Family Parents

Grand-parents What was used instead of this appliance?

Dishwasher

Microwave oven

Oven

Blender

Electric can opener

Food processor

Coffee maker

Toaster

Slow cooker

Refrigerator

Vacuum cleaner

Clothes dryer

Heater

Water heater

Colour TV

B&W TV

CD player

Power saw

Electric blanket

Hair dryer

Electric shaver

Room air conditioner

Electric fan

Garbage disposal in sink

Globe lights

Fluorescent light

Sewing machine

Electric iron

Computer

DVD player

Your great-great-great grandparents would have thought electricity was some magical power, and natural gas from the sea was unheard of. Unlike them, you don’t have to light candles to read at night. You don’t have to dry your hair in the wind, unless you want to, and Fred’s dog meat stays fresh in the refrigerator. You can even watch TV and play computer games.

4

Energy is an important part of our lives. Some people, however, have horrible little habits which gobble up lots of energy.

Not too far from where you live is a place called WATCHIT World. The people living there had been put under a terrible spell. This made them gobble up lots of precious energy.

Don’t worry! Since the WATCHITs have moved in, the spell has been broken.

Come into WATCHIT World and meet the WATCHITs.

WATCHIT World

Join the dots and meet Eddie and his pet WATCHIT.

5

Here’s an elementary thought:

Choose the right element for the pot.

Big for big, small for small, it’s not diffi cult at all.

What WATCHIT message does the spiral contain?

MA

TCH T

HE

S I Z E OF

T

HE

POTS TO TH

E

HO

T P L A T E . A S M

AL

L

PO

T

ON

A LARGE PLATE WA

ST

ES

E

NE

RG

Y.

6

Help the toast fi nd its way

Overdone toast is such

a waste. And that’s not

to anyone’s taste.

to the toaster

7

Don’t leave the lights burningif you’re not returning

Every third word in this message is the real WATCHIT message.

He said when you and you are through, leave all by the very end room.

The moon’s at rest this night and day, remember all this to night. Just turn

and take off. Save all the energy, switch lights off.

8

I don’t want to go on if you leave me.

Unjumble the WATCHIT’s message.

nWeh royu VT

twachnig si gtrhohu

ntru eht tse fof dna

eht dc lapyer oto.

Don’t leave the lights burningif you’re not returning

9

Watchit says

1. NUTR FOF ETH STHLGI

2. KEPE EHT SILD NO

3. TUP A PERJUM NO DNSIEI

4. CELSO HET NUISTACR TA NGHIT

5. XIF A RIPD

6. TEL HET WERINT SIENUHSN IN

7. ESCOL EHT VEON OROD

8. EVAH A HFLA TAHB

Cre

ated

with

Puz

zlem

aker

on

Dis

cove

ryS

choo

l.com

Unscramble each of the clue words.

Take the letters that appear in and unscramble them for the fi nal message.

E Y V Y

10

Don’t make your heater

work harder than it has to.

Put on a jumper instead.

Open door decisionswaste electricity

1.

2.

3.

Let hot foods cool before placing them in the refrigerator.

What horrible little habits can you see in this picture?

11

Unscramble the tiles to reveal a message.

Created with Puzzlemaker on DiscoverySchool.com

Unscramble

12

Use the clues to fi ll in the crosswords. Then read the messages from WATCHIT World.

See a hot water tap with the drips,get Mum or Dad to fi x it quick.

A new washer is all it takes tostop the drip from being a waste.

1. First letter of the alphabet

2. Another word for dripping

3. Opposite to cold

4. ___ covers 2/3 of earth’s surface

5. You must turn it off

6. Rhymes with pastes

7. We need to save

1

2L3

5T4

6W 7E

Need just a cup?Why fi ll the kettle up?

13

Break the codes

19 1 22 5 3 12 15 20 8 5 19 21 14 20 9 12 25 15 21

have one full load instead of several small loads.

20 1 11 5 1 19 8 15 23 5 18 1 14 4 19 1 22 5

16 15 23 5 18

When there isn’t room for one thing more, turn on the washer, but not before.

This is also true for the dishwasher.

Washing just a thing or two makes a waster out of you

A=1 D=4 G=7 J=10 M=13 P=16

S=19 V=22 Y=25 B=2 E=5 H=8

K=11 N=14 Q=17 T=20 W=23 Z=26

C=3 F=6 I=9 L=12 O=15 R=18

U=21 X=24

The average shower lasting 5 minutes uses only half as much water as a full bath.

If you don’t have a shower fi ll the bath half way.

Save hot water for another day.

Save energy, take a short shower.

14

1. What did the light bulb say to the light switch?

Do you like riddles? Good! Here’s a page of them to answer.

Read each question and write your answer in the space underneath.

To fi nd out if you’ve solved the riddle, just hold the page up to a mirror and you’ll see all the answers at the bottom of the page. The drawings will give you clues.

2. What happens to a wall socket when it gets cold?

4. What did the sink say to the leaky tap?

3. How can you tell when a kettle is angry?

5. Why does the air-conditioner wear sunglasses?

6. What is the stove’s favourite song?

Kids quiz

15

Find these WATCHIT World rules

w e a r b u s e c e f z h b a t f g j ka k m n d j x g t b a b c y t i o n l er r s o q w a s h d f g z e u h p s r qm t l p u v b t e i s u n s h l i g h tb c l o t h e s m i n s i d e m q o p st n p r b o n a e f s i n t v w r n t wu l h e a t i n g u w b a w i n t e r hr p o q u b d e f d n t b b o g h i f en d s s x e c g a o a a o a m s p l p nt f h t a h a p q w b k l f s h o w e r

m e u v v j i o k n x e m g a p w v l en i t r w l r m n y v f a b v c e d e nv g h d r a p e s f m o g i e h r j l et u r n n r s p q b l i n d s a b k o ra j n t l v o u y x y w e h i z g c d gt b p o i j f r o g h l o c a q g f p yh e y p g l f u u w a m o d n a b l q oi f o e h o a s e l i r n o d o d m n un o u n t k w v t e j o q e n h o c r ek r k p s m h b d a y o a z o i o t d cb e m a q n e o u v k m x v r k r j u ac l d o o r n c f e u o b m p e s w y n

Circle the rules using different colours. You may use a letter more than once to make another word.

1. Wear warm clothes inside in winter. 2. Turn heating down.

3. Shut drapes, blinds and door. 4. Take a shower, save energy.

5. Turn lights off when you leave a room. 6. Think before you open a door.

in the maze

16

Look at how much energy this family is wasting! There is at least one horrible habit happening in each room.

Circle them when you see them. Maybe you can fi nd them all.

Then hold the page up to a mirror to see the answers.

How many horrible little habits can you fi nd?

Answers: 1. There isn’t any insulation in the attic. 2. The woman is using the washing machine to wash one sock. 3. The oven is on to bake just one potato 4. The dog is keeping the refrigerator door open. 5. The man in the too full bath should take a shower and save hot water. 6. The hot water tap in the bathroom is dripping. What a waste! 7. The children have left the TV on, but they are not watching it. 8. The heater is set too high. The window is left open too! 9. The sleeping man has left the TV and the lights on. 10. The front door is open, letting the heat out.

17

The energy

71 72 73 You fi lled the bath over half way. Go back 3.

74 75 76

70 69 68 Turn off the radio for a while. You’ll hear music of a different style.Move ahead 4.

67 66 65 Instead of watching TV, colour in a bumble bee. Move along 3.

47 48 Fill the bath just half way. Save the water for an-other day.

49 50 51 You need a cup. Why fi ll the kettle up. Go back 2.

52

46 45 44 Open a refrigerator door only when you know what you’re looking for. Go to 52.

43 42 41 More plugs than a socket can use can blow a fuse. Miss a turn.

23 24 25 26 27 If you shower to save energy, skip this one.

28

22 Forget to turn the CD player off? It goes round for evermore and you go to 14.

21 20 19 18 You saw a dripping hot water tap – you got Mum and Dad to fi x it fast. Go to 26.

1 Close the door, jump 2 more.

2 Turned off the lights on leaving the room. You’ll move ahead soon.

3 4 Put a jumper on inside in winter – have an extra turn.

5

WATCHIT game

What you need to play

1 dice

1 counter for each player e.g. coloured buttons

18

How to playTo decide the order of play, each player tosses the dice. The fi rst will the highest number on the dice. The next highest toss will be second and so on. If two players throw the same number, they will toss again. To fi nish, the winning player must throw the exact number to reach the fi nish box.

77 78 79

64 63 62 61 Element is too big for the saucepan. Go back 4.

60 59 Using Mum’s hairdryer to play space guns… is expensive fun. Go back 4.

53 Turned the dishwasher on when there was room for more. Go back to 49.

54 55 56 You see a kettle boiling for tea. Go tell someone and skip 3.

57 58

40 39 38 37 36 You used the sun’s light. Have another turn.

35

29 30 Overdone toast is such a waste. Miss a turn.

31 32 33 34 A frayed cord that’s ignored. Tell Mum. Have another turn.

17 16 15 14 13 Turn your heater off when not in the room.

12

6 7 You had a short shower to save energy – skip this one.

8 9 You forgot to switch the light off – go back 3.

10 11

You’re an Energy

WATCHIT.

19

Waste or save

Here is a list of situations.

Some are horrible little energy gobbling habits which waste energy. Others, however, are energy savers that watch it and save energy.

Write the word ‘waste’ or ‘save’ next to each of the situations below.

SITUATIONS WASTE OR SAVEWear warm clothes in winter

Leave the front door and windows open in winter

Heat all the rooms in the house even though you are only using two of them

At night close curtains

Let the sunshine in, in winter

Insulate your home

Have a bath full of water

Rinse all the dishes with running hot water

Fix a dripping hot water tap

Wash dishes in the dishwasher after every snack or meal

Fill the kettle up with water for two cups of tea

Leave hot water system on while on holidays

Cook food with lids on saucepans

Use oven as a room heater

Cook extra food every time you use the oven

Place clothes in a dryer on a nice day

Leave on lights

Use fl uorescent lights instead of globes

Switch off TV when no-one is watching

Iron everything you wear

Place the refrigerator next to the stove or by the radiator

20

1. Make a circuit.

2. Detach one wire from the battery and attach a third wire in its place.

3. Between the two free ends make a connection using one of the bits and pieces.

Investigation 2Conductors and insulators

Find some conductors and some insulators.

Ask an adult

to help you

You need:• Small torch bulb

• Masking tape

• Three lengths of covered wire with each end stripped about one centimetre to expose wires

• C battery

Collection of bits and pieces such as skewer, rubber band, aluminium, spoon, eraser, string, paper clip, plastic strip, pencil.

Safety: Do NOT touch or use any electricity that plugs into the wall or a socket.

21

Which things allow a fl ow of electrons through them? Which interrupt the fl ow?Conductors (allow fl ow) Insulators (interrupt fl ow)

Look at home:

What electricity safety measures are around your house? Are there rubber and plastic items that protect you from the fl ow of electricity?

Ask an electrician what safety clothes and tools he or she uses. What are these made from?

What do conductors have in common?What do insulators have in common?

Safety: Do NOT touch or use any electricity that plugs into the wall or a socket.

22

These suggestions will help you provide assistance when children attempt the investigation activity (pages 21 and 22). The investigation is broadly suitable for children in Years 3 & 4.

INVESTIGATION 2 - Conductors and insulators

Activity focus: Explore materials that are conductors and materials that are insulators.

SAFETY WARNING: Do NOT touch or use any electricity that plugs into the wall or a socket.

Materials

Basic set for each child

• Small torch bulb• Three lengths of covered wire with each end

stripped about one centimetre to expose wires• Masking tape• C battery

Alternatively

• A small bulb• Bulb holder• Three lengths of wires with crocodile clips at each

end• C battery• Thick rubber band

Plus: Bits and pieces such as a skewer, rubber band, aluminium, spoon, eraser, string, paper clip, plastic strip, pencil. These are used to test for conductivity.

Note: Test which materials allow electrons to fl ow through (conductors) and which interrupt the fl ow (insulators), using the basic circuit idea from Investigation 1 in Watchit book 1. Make your circuit and then detach one wire from the battery. Attach a third wire and between the two free wire ends (or crocodile clips) make a connection using one of the bits and pieces.

The activity: Using the bits and pieces, test which materials allow a fl ow of electrons through them. Classify them by dividing the items into two groups (conductors and insulators) then repeat with a different material. Ask: What do conductors have in common? (Metals) What do insulators have in common? (Non-metals) Allow children to experiment until they discover what works.

Skills: Predicting, Experimenting, Classifying.

Some useful facts: A current is the fl ow of electrons in a circuit. The size or strength of the current depends on the resistance. Conductors have free electrons that move all the time with little or no resistance. Metals such as copper are good conductors. Most non-metallic solids (eg wood) are good insulators because they have very high resistance to the fl ow of electrons through them.

Remember: Make sure children are supervised at all times and only use battery electricity.

More information: Try http://www.andythelwell.com/blobz/ for a fun way to learn more about circuits.

Helpful informationfor teachers and parents

23

Remember WATCHIT

Activities reviewed and updated by STAV Publishing (Division of Science Victoria).Investigations written by Dr Suzanne Peterson.Division of Science Victoria