Posts Tagged ‘inventions’

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All About Energy for K-12!

June 28th, 2022

It’s Tuesday, June 28, 2022, and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

U.S. Energy Information Administration: Energy Kids

(www.eia.gov/kids/for-teachers/)

Grades K-12, with parental supervision

This website, sponsored by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, provides free energy-related lessons, printables, games, and activities designed for classroom use in grades K-12. (They can be tweaked for use in the homeschool environment.)

When you get to the website you’ll see a menu under the banner “For Teachers” that includes:

  • Lesson Plans for Primary (K-3), Elementary (4-7), Intermediate (6-9), and Secondary (9-12)
  • Teacher Guide with tips on extension activities
  • Career Corner to explore jobs in the Energy field
  • Science Fair Experiments
  • Field Trips with ideas for taking trips to power plants, etc.
  • Related Links to resources and energy websites

Once you’ve explored the “For Teachers” section check out the menu in the left margin of the page that offers:

  • What is Energy? – Learn energy basics including its forms, how it’s measured, and what it has to do with the periodic table of elements.
  • Energy Sources – Discover renewable and non-renewable energy, electricity, hydrogen, and the latest energy stats.
  • Using & Saving Energy – Learn how energy is used at home, work, in industry, transportation, and more.
  • History of Energy – Check out the timeline of energy inventions including Coal, Electricity, Ethanol, Geothermal, Hydropower, Natural Gas, Oil, Wind, and more. You can also read biographies of people who developed scientific breakthroughs with energy including Celsius, Curie, Edison, Einstein, Faraday, Joule, Marconi, Newton, Oppenheimer, and more.
  • Games & Activities – Enjoy riddles, puzzles, science experiments, and take a quiz to test your energy IQ.

There’s also a link to Energy Calculators and a Glossary. 

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The Life & Times of Archimedes

May 9th, 2022

It’s Monday, May 9, 2022, and time for Math at ClickSchooling!

Archimedes

(www.cs.drexel.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/contents.html)

Grades 6-12, with parental supervision

This site is a treasure trove of information on one of the greatest mathematicians of all time – Archimedes. The site was created by Chris Rorres, a Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Drexel University in Pennsylvania. It contains free information about the life and times of Archimedes, as well as examples of his work and inventions such as the compound pulley system, the planetarium, the water screw, etc.

When you get to the site you’ll see a menu and some fascinating “Quick Facts” about Archimedes. Click on any menu item to explore:

  • Archimedes’ Claw
  • Burning Mirrors
  • The Golden Crown
  • Archimedes Screw
  • Archimedean Solids
  • Spheres and Planetaria
  • The Lever
  • and much more!

Each item includes an explanation along with illustrations and animations. The documentation and resources for further exploration are terrific. Professor Rorres also indicates which inventions were arguably credited to Archimedes.

This site is a great blend of math and history and may springboard interest in learning much more.

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The Amazing History of Transatlantic Communication

March 31st, 2022

It’s Thursday, March 31, 2022, and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Transatlantic Cable Communications

(epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/301/ic/cdc/cable/contents.htm)

Grades 3-12, with parental supervision

Today’s website explores Canada’s historic part in transatlantic communications. You can hear the story of the official first transatlantic cable message (Queen Victoria to President Buchanan), as well as listen in on bits of history such as the distress call from the Titanic!

When you get to the archived site you will see a menu that includes:

  • Introduction – Get a brief overview of the history of the electric telegraph and why the locations of Canso and Hazel Hill on the Atlantic coast of Canada were critical to utilizing this technology.

  • Science – Learn about the invention of the telegraph and how the resin from the Gutta-Percha tree provided just the right properties for suitable insulation to waterproof underwater cables. Explore the science of telegraphy and discover Morse Code. Virtually examine the parts of a telegraph machine. Find out about other great inventions that were a result of the “Cable Era.”

  • History – Read an in-depth history of telegraphy and its socio-economic impact. Find out what the life of a telegrapher was like, and listen to some of the famous messages sent and received via telegraph – including the distress message of the ill-fated ship, Titanic.

  • Media Gallery – See photographs, watch video clips, and visit the sound studio to explore telegraphy.

  • Resource Center – Take a multiple-choice quiz to test your knowledge of telegraphy, print out a fun telegraphy-themed word-search puzzle, and discover more links to Internet resources on telegraphy.

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Is It Science or Fiction?

March 30th, 2022

TechNovelgy – Where Science Meets Fiction

(technovelgy.com/)

Grades 5 and up, with parental supervision 

This website offers a free archive that enables you to explore the inventions and predictions of science fiction writers that have come true or are coming true in today’s world. There are over 3,200 different inventions archived that were first introduced through the imaginations of science fiction writers.

When you get to the site you can explore the featured items on the home page, or use the menu at the top of the page to search by Dictionary, Author, Book, or Timeline. Once you find a topic that interests you, click on it and a new page opens. That page may contain some or all of the following:

  • A blurb from the novel mentioning the invention or idea
  • Commentary about the idea including comparisons and similarities to other sci-fi technology mentioned in other novels, television shows, and movies
  • Links to science articles that discuss the current development of these inventions and ideas in today’s world
  • Links to real-world video demonstrations of the inventions
  • Links to websites with further information.

If this doesn’t generate interest in reading a sci-fi novel, we don’t know what will. It will also springboard students to want to learn more about science and technology.

NOTE: We only reviewed a sampling of what’s available on this website, so AS ALWAYS, parents should preview and supervise their children’s exploration – not only to determine the suitability of content on the Technovelgy website but because the links take you to other websites that we have not reviewed.

One more piece of advice: Read the FAQs (see link at the bottom of the homepage). We found them to be helpful and we think you will too.

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All About Benjamin Franklin

December 7th, 2021

The Electric Ben Franklin: Benjamin Franklin!

(www.ushistory.org/franklin/index.htm)

Grades 4-12, with parental supervision

This ad-supported website offers a wealth of information and fun trivia on the subject of Benjamin Franklin!

When you get to the website, use the menu on the left side of the screen to explore:

  • A Timeline of Franklin’s Life with notable historic events and achievement
  • Franklin’s Inventions – including bifocal glasses, electricity, the lightning rod, a Franklin stove, a map of the Gulf Stream, swim fins, odometer – and find out what he didn’t invent too!
  • Franklin’s Entire Autobiography including an account of his famous kite experiment
  • You can also read an original work of historical fiction called Temple’s Diary in which a 15-year-old boy discovers that he is the grandson of Benjamin Franklin!

Explore Philadelphia and Franklin’s old haunts. Read his wise and wonderful sayings. You’ll even find experiments to do at home along with interactive games that help to explain the concepts of Franklin’s many discoveries.

This is a wonderful unit study online that will appeal to the whole family — don’t miss it!

Note: This website is part of the larger USHistory.org site. Be sure to visit the home page to see all that this site has to offer.

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Explore the Mystery Behind the Secret Life of Machines

August 10th, 2021

Tim Hunkin: The Secret Life of Machines

(www.secretlifeofmachines.com/index.shtml)

Grades 3-12, with parental supervision

Engineer and cartoonist Tim Hunkin developed a series of cartoons with simple explanations about how machines work.

Tim’s unique take on explaining the mystery behind the mechanisms resulted in a TV series that allowed him to further develop the explanations with more in-depth cartoons. These cartoons are featured on today’s archived website. When you get to the site you’ll see a brief introduction and then a menu of cartoon topics that include:

  • cars
  • central heating systems
  • electric lights
  • fax machines
  • internal combustion engines
  • refrigerators
  • sewing machines
  • telephones
  • televisions
  • vacuum cleaners
  • video recorders
  • washing machines
  • word processors
  • and many more!

Click on any one and enjoy reading the cartoons that explain how these machines work.

They made a series of videos from the cartoons that demonstrate the history and inventions of modern conveniences and other

machines. They are really fun to watch and are housed by the

Exploratorium website.

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