Grades 3–12 (Kit)
Harness the power of the wind! Engage students in an engineering design challenge where they construct a model barn and design a wind turbine that generates electricity to light up an LED. This interactive project is part of the Farming for Energy lesson plan and helps students explore renewable energy, problem-solving, and teamwork.
The kit includes enough materials for five small groups, making it perfect for collaborative STEM activities. Students will learn about electricity generation, agricultural engineering, and sustainable energy solutions while applying the Engineering Design Process.
Kit Contents
- Hobby motors
- Drill bit
- 5mm LEDs
- 5mm bidirectional red/yellow LEDs
- Test leads – alligator clip with pigtail
- 22 AWG solid hook-up wire – red
- 22 AWG solid hook-up wire – black
- Copper tape
Limit 4 kits per order.
Additional Supplies
The following materials are needed and not included in the kit:
- Wire strippers
- Drill
- Glue gun
- Craft knife
- Scissors
- Fan
- Construction materials (paper, cardboard, paper towel rolls, cups, 2-liter bottles, Legos, wood dowels, popsicle/craft sticks, corks, paper plates, wood skewers, push pins, paper clips, toothpicks, tape, etc.)
If you are new to working with wire, check out this helpful tutorial.
Lesson Plans
Use this kit with the featured lesson: Farming for Energy.
Find additional lessons on the National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix.
Extend the Learning
Encourage students to test different blade shapes, materials, or numbers of blades to optimize energy output. Challenge them to calculate efficiency, measure voltage with a multimeter, or design a wind farm layout to scale.
