I’ve been passionate about educational programs for sustainability
from sustainablog’s earliest days, so I wasn’t surprised at all to
discover that I’d written about Minneapolis-based educational company KidWind way back in 2006. Founded by former science teacher Michael Arquin, KidWind
has developed an impressive array of educational programming both for
science educators wanting to introduce their students to renewable
energy, and for students themselves. The KidWind Challenge, the organization’s signature program, gives students a chance to compete in building small, working wind turbines.
KidWind plans to host 35 of these programs across the United States in
2014, as well as two international events. Take a look at this report
from last year’s event in Alberta, Canada, to get a sense of how
competition works:
No doubt, the kids have a great time with this (and I’m betting
teachers do, too). More importantly, though, this is a great way for
kids to learn math, physics, engineering, etc. – younger students pick
up concepts and information much better if they can “get their hands
dirty.” Of course, running events like these, as well as hosting teacher
training workshops, and creating and maintaining online resources for
students and teachers, isn’t cheap: KidWind notes that a single
Challenge event cost at least $2,000. In order to make sure that they’re
able to host all of the events planned for the coming year, they’ve
launched an indiegogo campaign to raise $70,000
for the KidWind Challenge and supporting materials. As I learned from
their press materials, a donation as small as $5 can get one student
started on an educational journey involving renewable energy.
Interested in helping? Head over to the campaign, check out the other
information they’ve shared about the program, as well as the specific
program elements you’ll fund at certain donation levels. If you decide
to kick in, let us know, and tell us what inspired you… Of course, if
you’ve ever been a part of any KidWind events, let us know about your
experience.
Sourcesustainablog.org
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