Our Jewish Sources on energy and its uses

Instructions for Discussion Group Leader

Intended audience: Children 6-10

View a print version of this page.

 

This program will teach basic concepts about energy and why we need to save it. It will stimulate discussions about the use of appliances and ways to save energy at home, even on Shabbat.

Please provide snacks in washable, biodegradable or recyclable containers.

Details of the activities The leader can pick from the activities and handouts described below, according to the ages and size of the group.  Please review all materials before beginning the session and choose what will work best in your community.

Note: This set of activities draws on resources found in “Energy Activities with Energy Ant”, an online workbook created by the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy. 

1. Seat the participants in a small group, on the floor is fine.

 

1. Start the discussion with the attached, “Why Should We Save Energy?”

 

1. Distribute the sheet called “Energy Activity: Motion”, which is page 4 from the workbook, “Energy Activities with Energy Ant”.
   a. Go over which of the items use “some kind of fuel” for energy to move, and which use your muscles, or what we can call “people power”?
   b. Could you use “people power” instead of some of the things that use “fuel”? (like walking instead of using a car, etc.) Is this always possible?

 

1. Distribute and introduce the Canfei Nesharim handout, “Electrical Appliances We Use at Home – Could We Use Them Less Often or More Wisely?”  Have participants fill in their own marks in the appropriate columns, and discuss their answers.

 

1. If it’s a small group, at this level of arithmetic, you may also distribute the sheet titled “Energy Activity: Energy at Home”, from the workbook, page 6. Walk through the page with them, answering the questions as you go along.

 

1. “Energy Activities with Energy Ant” also has a fun board game called “The Race to Save Energy”, that you can easily make, found on pages 14-15.  To create the game, you will need a pencil and paper clip, clear tape to tape the two pages together, some small items to move along the board, like various colored paper clips. It would be best if you could use a color printer to print the pages, and some poster board to stiffen the “board”, but this is not essential.

 

1. If the participants are old enough, you can include the experiment demonstrating the efficiency of Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, found in the Chanukah Energy Activity for Teens. Materials needed for that experiment are listed there.

Optional additional activitiesFor further discussions or crafts projects, you may want to use:

 

• ““Wasted Energy – Home Energy Audit Check List”” to teach children about energy-saving opportunities in their home.
• Canfei Nesharim stickers and magnets on the theme of saving energy, to hand out as small gifts.

Much thanks to Judy Adler Sheer for preparing these resources.