Wonderful Wind Turbine
Time:15 min
Difficulty:Easy
Harness the power of the wind! Build your very own wind turbine and discover how moving air can be turned into electricity.
Here’s what you need:
- An adult to help
- 2 small paper cups
- A bendable straw
- A toothpick
- Some coins
- Scissors
- Tape or hot glue
Step 1:
Make a hole in the bottom of one cup that’s just big enough for the straw to fit through. Then, turn the cup upside-down and push 5-6 cm (2-2.5”) of the straw into the hole.
Step 2:
To make sure your wind turbine doesn’t fall over when you’re using it, tape some coins to the inside of the cup to help weigh it down, then put this cup aside.
Step 3:
Make a hole in the bottom of your second cup that’s just big enough to fit a toothpick through. Then, to make your wind turbine’s blades, cut some slits around the rim of the cup. The slits should be the same distance apart and go about halfway down the cup. Then just bend the pieces back.
Step 4:
Tape or glue a toothpick to the inside of the straw. About 3/4 of the toothpick should be sticking out. Push the bottom of the second cup onto the toothpick and bend the straw to a 45-degree angle. Your wind turbine is done!
Here’s how it works:
When the wind blows against the blades of your wind turbine, it makes them spin. In a full-sized wind turbine, there is a generator that’s connected to the blades that makes electricity as they spin.
Don’t forget to share what you know with your friends and family!
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Want to learn more about where energy comes from? Check out the We’ve Got the Power Mission!