Powerpod Re-visits Gilmerton - Primary 1-4 this time! 31st October '07

The Powerpod (™ ;-) rolled into the Gilmerton Primary School playground to enlighten the
up-and-coming wind and solar engineers!
We set up the powerpod fully and had the wind turbine out; it was a very windy day so a lot of power was made.





Hectic day with primary 1-4 coming to do the solar panels and wind turbines.
The pupils were so amazed to see their own windmills spinning in the wind! - Angus Chalmers, Powerpod Peer Educator

Abbeyhill Primary, 30th October

Hertha, Morag, Joanne and Sara rolled into Abbeyhill's playground with the Powerpod, to a friendly welcome and a day of fun, games and renewable energy. As always, there were cries of "what is it?" "it must be a solar powered ice-cream van!" "ooh this is what our teacher talked about - it does stuff using the sun...".

Primary 4, 5, 6 and 7 got a chance to come along and learn about climate change, play the polar bear game and try out some renewable energy sources...

There were some outstanding wind engineers in the classes, designing some of the fastest wind turbine's we've seen! (and importantly, deciding where in the world to build them...)

All the classes also managed to make a 'solar circuit' and see the light from the sun turn a motor. Even when it was cloudy in the morning, the solar cells were generating electricity but we had to find a 'fake sun' (a torch charged up with renewable energy from the trailer) for the p4 class, when we were forced inside with the rain.



We saw how much energy is required to light just one lightbulb, by making our own power on the bike. And the answer (judging by the impressive effort and some of the coats that had to come off)- quite a lot!

All in all, a great day at Abbeyhill!

Carrickvale Youth Group, 24th October

Juniper Green Primary, 24th October

Roseburn Primary, 11th October

Flora Stevenson's Primary, 8th October

Wigtown Book Festival, 5th& 6th October

All 80 of Wigtown Primary School's pupils wandered along the road as a high visibility crocodile to pay a visit to the Powerpod at Wigtown Town Hall. In a crazy half hour - 40mins, the pupils crowded round the mini PV cells, hydrogen cars, wind turbines and tried to generate their own electricity on the bike, answering tough questions on renewable energy as they pedalled.
After school had finished, a few familiar faces dropped by to try things out again without the rush!

Saturday
We stayed outside the town hall on the Saturday, complementing the co-op's own 'green trailer', with a wind turbine and carbon caluculator. Early on, a group from Newton Stewart High School dropped by to help out, quickly learning how to deliver workshops to the younger visitors. Ami, Phyllis, Shannan and Caitlin also took on the role of media scouts for the day, interviewing Wigtown's residents and visitors and investigating the feelings and thoughts about renewable energy and climate change.

Post from the girls: "We had great fun today at the Powerpod. We have learnt lots of interesting facts about electricity. We had great fun making smoothies, teaching everyone else about it and interviewing people about what they know. It was an excellent day and we hope you come back to Wigtown. Thank you. Caitlin, Phyllis, Ami and Shannan"