Students will use simple materials to build their own Mini Windmills. They will learn how wind can spin blades, how pitch angle affects motion, and how rotational energy can be transferred to lift weights. Through testing and redesign, students will explore the engineering design process and apply science concepts of energy transfer.

Time Required: 45-60 minutes

Materials Needed: Each group will need: 

The Firefly Wind Wheel - Blade Investigation activity introduces students to the concepts of wind energy, mechanical energy, and electrical energy. Students build a small wind turbine that captures kinetic energy from moving air, converts it into mechanical rotation, and then into electrical energy that can power a small LED or other low-power device. This hands-on activity blends engineering design and physical science. Students experiment with blade pitch, shape, and number to see how these variables affect energy output.  

Bring the engineering design to life with the KidWind Challenge. Check out a KidWind Turbine Kit and try out some free lessons! You could have students research previous wind turbine designs to see the purpose and results before creating their own design. You could use this sheet for students to test, let's say they start with the number of blades.

This activity was originally created for the 2023 KidWind Challenge as the Instant Challenge. During this 15-minute activity, students will create different gear ratios and evaluate which ratio would benefit electricity production the most.

Materials and Resources:

• Directions
• Graph Paper and writing utensils
• Gear Ratio Kit