ZAP! It's Electricity

Join me on March 7 for Dr. Fred Bortz's Meltdown Blog Tour. Dr. Fred will write about his path from physicist and work with nuclear reactors to writing for children and young people. It's a fascinating story. March  7 will also feature Meltdown at The Blog for USA Science and Engineering Festival. Check back through the week for more blog tour dates  and updates as I receive them about where he'll be March 5-9.

Here's my post!

Zap! It's Electricity!

by Buffy Silverman

My Science Library Series

Rourke Publishing, 2012

ISBN #978-1-61741-753-5

Grades 2-3

Nonfiction

"Every day, we use electricity. Electricity powers the lights in our homes and schools. Computers, music players, cell phones, and refrigerators run on electricity."

Science writer Buffy Silverman  starts with this introduction to electricity by relating the use of electricity to power our homes and favorite appliances. Zap! traces the sources of power used and explains in a simple manner how the power moves to our homes. The book defines conductor and insulator and concludes with how a battery works by making a complete circuit.

Zap! It's Electricity is filled with large, colorful, and child-friendly photos and diagrams. Back matter includes a "Show What You Know" page, a glossary, index, and websites. The book is a terrific way to get kids interested in electricity and start to explore the power sources we use now and may use in the future.

NASA has some fun experiments and simulations with good information about electricity

Here's another science resource page for more information on electricity.

Activity

Use the NASA site to learn how to read your electric meter. Mark your reading at the start of the day. Then read it that evening. Use your electric bill to calculate the exact price for one day. Alternatively, use the NASA figure of $0.07 per kilowatt hour.

Then try it another day and see if you can cut down on your electrical use. Compare the two days.

National Science Standard: definitions of energy; conservation of energy and energy transfer; relationship between energy and forces; energy in chemical processes and everyday life

Book provided by Rourke Publishing