Ever wondered how electricity is generated? Want to understand how motors work? Interested in building your own hand-crank motor? The Motors & Generators activity kit by Thames & Kosmos contains 25 different experiments to help children learn how simple electric motors and generators work. The Experiment Manual has instructions for building a wide array of electrical devices, including transmissions, circuits and conductors, motors, and generators! Each type of device is accompanied by a section in the manual explaining the hows and whys of the concept. The manual also contains experiments with magnetism and instructions on how to build a compass. This kit would be an excellent addition to science lessons about electricity, such as the grade 6 unit on electricity and electrical devices in the Ontario curriculum.
The Motors & Generators activity kit is currently on display at the OISE Library, on the ground floor coffee table next to the Circulation Desk. You can find this kit and many others in the OISE Library K-12 Manipulatives Database. Other electricity-related kits of interest in the OISE Library include the Electromagnetism kit and the Electric Circuits kit.
Please note: Additional supplies (including two AA batteries) will be needed to complete some of the experiments in the experiment manual. A full list of additional supplies may be found in the experiment manual.
