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Winding Wind

Winding Wind

  Secondary | Energy | Views: 824

You will Need:

  • 2 litre drinks bottle
  • A4 size paper
  • Play Dough or Blue tack
  • String
  • Skewer
  • Pin
  • Tape
  • Glue

Health and Safety: You will need to make holes in the plastic bottle and lid, ask for help if needed and take care when using sharp objects.

What to Do:

  1. Cut the top off the plastic bottle. Keep the lid for a later step.
  2. Turn the bottle upside down and carefully make two holes near the bottom of the bottle to freely slide in the wooden skewer.
  3. Cut a square of paper then make a cut half way from the corners to the centre of the square. Fold in half of each corner to the centre of the square and glue to make the paper windmill.
  4. Fix the paper windmill to the wooden skewer by pushing the pin through the centre of the paper windmill then pressing the wooden skewer on to the point of the drawing pin.
  5. Carefully make a hole in the centre of the plastic bottle lid. Use the lid as a washer to prevent the paper windmill touching the plastic bottle.
  6. Cut a length of string about 30cm long and attach one end to 3cm of masking tape, then with the wooden skewer inside the bottle, wrap this end around the skewer.
  7. Make a 2cm diameter ball of play dough or blue tack, cut a slot in it and close it around the other end of the string.

How does it work?

Blowing on or running with the windmill will wind up the modelling clay weight. When the weight is at the top stop blowing and then as the weight falls it will turn the
windmill. This shows energy happening in two ways – can you describe them?


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