By Michelle Harrison
The topics of renewable energy and climate change are mature in nature. Trying to explain these concepts to young ones can be a challenge. Michael J. Daley can help you overcome this challenge with two great e-books, Amazing Sun Fun Activities and Racing the Blue Monarch. Both these books are fun, appealing to young readers, and educational.
Amazing Sun Fun Activities contains 117 pages of sun facts and activities aimed at students in grades 5 through 8. The many illustrations throughout the book are engaging to young readers. This book has a good mix of science, history, social studies, and math. There are several checks on learning sprinkled throughout the book. Mr. Daley shows readers how to turn many fast-food containers into solar projects.
The first chapters provide a fun and easy way to understand sun energy and the relationship of the sun to the earth. A history of solar architecture is given along with how the Greeks were the first to implement this science. You will learn how to make your own sun dial and experiment with greenhouse designs.
The middle chapters educate young readers on how to capture the sun. It relates this science to the history of how people got hot water long ago. Readers are shown how to make their own solar water heater. You learn how to graph results which is a nice blend of math skills along with the science and history provided.
One of the most fun activities is learning how to make a solar oven. This activity is a great way to illustrate how the sun can be captured. Different designs are examined to help increase the temperature of your oven. The use of insulation to achieve this goal is introduced.
The final chapters address heating your house with the sun using flat plate collectors and getting electricity from the sun.
Racing the Blue Monarch is 134 pages of thrilling fun geared for ages 12 and up. Scooter Cochran misses his brother, Eddie, who went off to Daytona. Eddie was a championship race car driver, and Scooter helped out in the pit. A scientist named Karl Henson visits Scooter’s school sharing his concern about the world’s use of fossil fuels. Henson shows a model of a solar race car called the Blue Monarch which peaks Scooter’s curiosity. Henson needs a driver for the solar car race in Daytona. He recruits Scooter to this task. Scooter sees this as a way to be reunited with Eddie.
Henson is a wealth of knowledge regarding solar energy. Scooter (and the reader) learns how to address concerns about shading, storing energy, and capturing the sun. As Henson is working hard to improve solar technology, the big oil industry, headed by Kruger, is trying to bring him down. They want to buy Henson out and destroy the Blue Monarch, but Henson will not let him. Big Oil does not like to lose and comes up with another plan.
The reader quickly gets engaged in the subplots. What was the real reason Eddie left home? Will Big Oil win and destroy the Blue Monarch? Will the solar race be a success and who may win?
During the solar race Scooter notes the camaraderie among the different participants. They help each other for the bigger cause of showing solar technology can win. If solar wins, everyone wins by helping conquer climate change.
For more information about these e-books and others by Michael Daley, http://www.michaeljdaley.com/
Leave a Reply