{"id":2573,"date":"2012-09-17T11:19:50","date_gmt":"2012-09-17T15:19:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/?p=2573"},"modified":"2021-08-14T14:36:32","modified_gmt":"2021-08-14T18:36:32","slug":"zap-electricity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/zap-electricity\/","title":{"rendered":"ZAP! Electricity!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69e9a2eb6a915\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69e9a2eb6a915\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/zap-electricity\/#ALL_ABOUT_ELECTRICITY\" >ALL ABOUT ELECTRICITY<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/zap-electricity\/2\/#HANDS-ON_ELECTRICITY\" >HANDS-ON ELECTRICITY<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/zap-electricity\/2\/#THE_FUN_OF_TAKING_THINGS_APART\" >THE FUN OF TAKING THINGS APART<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/zap-electricity\/3\/#ELECTRIFIED_BEN\" >ELECTRIFIED BEN<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/zap-electricity\/3\/#_LIGHTS\" >\u00a0LIGHTS!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/zap-electricity\/4\/#BLACKOUTS\" >BLACKOUTS<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/zap-electricity\/5\/#ALTERNATIVE_ENERGY\" >ALTERNATIVE ENERGY<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/zap-electricity\/5\/#INCREDIBLE_ELECTRICAL_ART\" >INCREDIBLE ELECTRICAL ART<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ALL_ABOUT_ELECTRICITY\"><\/span><strong>ALL ABOUT ELECTRICITY<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15887\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/switch-on-switch-off-300x241.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/switch-on-switch-off-300x241.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/switch-on-switch-off-1024x822.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/switch-on-switch-off-768x616.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/switch-on-switch-off.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Melvin Berger\u2019s <em>Switch On, Switch Off<\/em> (HarperCollins, 1990) in the Let\u2019s-Read-and-Find-Out science series is a simple picture-book explanation of how electricity is produced, transmitted, and used, with helpful diagrams and a simple experiment involving a magnet, a compass, and a length of wire. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15892\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/oscar-and-the-bird-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/oscar-and-the-bird-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/oscar-and-the-bird-1024x709.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/oscar-and-the-bird-768x532.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/oscar-and-the-bird-1536x1064.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/oscar-and-the-bird-2048x1418.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Geoff Waring\u2019s <em>Oscar and the Bird<\/em> (Candlewick, 2011) in the Start with Science series begins when Oscar \u2013 a curious gray-and-white kitten \u2013 wonders what makes a tractor\u2019s windshield wipers move. Luckily a competent brown bird arrives to tell him all about electricity, batteries, and circuits. For ages 4-7.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15898\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/magic-school-bus-300x251.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/magic-school-bus-300x251.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/magic-school-bus-1024x856.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/magic-school-bus-768x642.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/magic-school-bus-1536x1283.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/magic-school-bus-2048x1711.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Joanna Cole\u2019s <em>The Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip<\/em> (Scholastic, 1999), one-of-a-kind teacher Ms. Frizzle explains electricity and takes her class on a trip through the power grid, via the (lightning-bolt-patterned) magic school bus. Much of the information is delivered via hand-printed kids\u2019 school reports on lined notebook paper. For ages 5-9.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17382\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/you-wouldnt-want-to-live-without-electricity-265x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"265\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/you-wouldnt-want-to-live-without-electricity-265x300.jpg 265w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/you-wouldnt-want-to-live-without-electricity-905x1024.jpg 905w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/you-wouldnt-want-to-live-without-electricity-768x869.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/you-wouldnt-want-to-live-without-electricity.jpg 1061w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>One of the You Wouldn\u2019t Want to Live Without Series, Ian Graham\u2019s <em>You Wouldn\u2019t Want to Live Without Electricity! <\/em>(Franklin Watts, 2014) shows how people in the past made do without all the modern technological conveniences of today. Entertaining and informative for ages 8-11. Many other titles cover other things you wouldn&#8217;t want to live without, among them books, numbers, vaccinations, sleep, libraries, and clean water.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15896\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/max-axiom-electricity-230x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"230\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/max-axiom-electricity-230x300.jpg 230w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/max-axiom-electricity-784x1024.jpg 784w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/max-axiom-electricity-768x1003.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/max-axiom-electricity.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 230px) 100vw, 230px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Liam O\u2019Donnell\u2019s graphic novel, <em>The Shocking World of Electricity with Max Axiom, Super Scientist<\/em> (Capstone Press, 2007), illustrated by Richard Dominguez and Charles Barnett, is one of a series starring superhero scientist Max Axiom, whose multitudinous superpowers include being able to shrink to the size of an ant or an atom, travel through time and space (with the help of a magic lab coat), or surf on a sound wave. There\u2019s not much in the books by way of plot, but the text and cool comic-book graphics provide easily accessible information on the featured science topic, with help from supplementary fact boxes. For ages 8 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15897\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/manga-guide-to-elec-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/manga-guide-to-elec-227x300.jpg 227w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/manga-guide-to-elec.jpg 378w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 227px) 100vw, 227px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Kazuhiro Fujitaki\u2019s 224-page <em>Manga Guide to Electricity<\/em> (No Starch Press, 2009) is a black-and-white graphic-novel-style introduction to electricity. The frame story is that of failed high-school student Rereko from the electrically advanced world of Electopia, sent to Earth to learn the fundamentals of electricity from a knowledgeable tutor. Topics covered include the physical nature of electricity, voltage and potential, electrical circuits, Ohm\u2019s Law, resistivity and conductivity, current and magnetic fields, batteries and power plants, and semiconductors, diodes, and transistors. A reader-friendly and readily understandable approach to a complex topic for ages 12 and up. One of a series: other titles include <em>The Manga Guide to Physics<\/em>, <em>The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology<\/em>, and <em>The Manga Guide to the Universe<\/em>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15927\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/there-are-no-electrons-amdahl-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/there-are-no-electrons-amdahl-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/there-are-no-electrons-amdahl.jpg 322w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Kenn Amdahl\u2019s 200+-page <em>There Are No Electrons: Electronics for Earthlings<\/em> (Clearwater Publishing, 1991) is a quirky, irreverent, entertaining, and scientifically thorough explanation of electrical concepts. Chapter titles include \u201cStatic Electricity: A Cat\u2019s Nightmare,\u201d \u201cCircuits, Switches, Ants, Lizards and Pigs,\u201d \u201cThe Intergalactic Steam Circus,\u201d and \u201cVacuum Tube Diode: A Pickle Jar With a Purpose.\u201d Amdahl\u2019s inspiration for the book occurred when he realized that his sons, fans of <em>Star Wars<\/em>, had learned everything about Wookies, light sabers, and the Force &#8211; effortlessly. (\u201cYoda could have taught them Chemistry,\u201d he wrote.) So why not write a book that made physical science as easy and absorbable as a movie? Here it is. For teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-15886\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/the-battery.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"183\" height=\"276\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Henry Schlesinger\u2019s <em>The Battery<\/em> (HarperPerennial, 2011) is a history of that small but all-important device from ancient Baghdad batteries, Galvani\u2019s twitching frog legs, and Volta\u2019s stack of zinc and copper discs to the present day. For older teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~billb\/ele-edu.html\">Articles About Electricity<\/a>\u00a0is a collection of helpful reader-friendly explanations by an electrical engineer at the University of Washington. Topics include \u201cWhat\u2019s the relation between watts, ohms, amps, and volts?\u201d \u201cWhat is voltage?\u201d and \u201cHow transistors really work.\u201d Also at the site is a list of great \u201cBuild-It Projects,\u201d among them an ultra-simple electric generator, an electrostatic motor made from plastic soda bottles, and instructions for generating ball lightning in the microwave.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/learn.sparkfun.com\/tutorials\/voltage-current-resistance-and-ohms-law\/all\">Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Ohm&#8217;s Law<\/a> has background information, explanations, video demonstrations, and experiments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thehistoricalarchive.com\/happenings\/57\/the-history-of-electricity-a-timeline\/\">The History of Electricity: A Timeline<\/a> is an annotated chronology of electrical discoveries, from Ben Franklin\u2019s kite-and-key experiment to the first electricity-generating nuclear power plant.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15875\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/who-really-discovered-264x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"264\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/who-really-discovered-264x300.jpg 264w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/who-really-discovered.jpg 352w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 264px) 100vw, 264px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In the FactFinders series, Amie Jane Leavitt\u2019s <em>Who Really Discovered Electricity?<\/em> (Capstone Press, 2011) covers the principal contributors and contenders, among them not only Ben Franklin, but English physician William Gilbert who in the year 1600 coined the word \u201celectric,\u201d and Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, who invented the battery. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h4><strong>HANDS-ON ELECTRICITY<\/strong><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15920\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/batteries-wires-bulbs-261x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"261\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/batteries-wires-bulbs-261x300.jpg 261w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/batteries-wires-bulbs.jpg 435w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 261px) 100vw, 261px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>David Glover\u2019s <em>Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires<\/em> (Kingfisher, 2002), illustrated with colorful drawings and photographs, is a short (31 pages) overview of magnetism and electricity with simple hands-on projects, among them lighting up a light bulb with a simple circuit. For ages 5-9.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15919\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/battery-science-284x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"284\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/battery-science-284x300.jpg 284w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/battery-science.jpg 474w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 284px) 100vw, 284px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Doug Stillinger\u2019s <em>Battery Science: Making Widgets That Work and Gadgets That Go<\/em> (Klutz, 2003) is a catchily designed collection of electrical projects, with such names as Nervous Noodler, Lie Detector, Bugzilla, Swamp Boat, and Amazing Submergible. Included along with the book is a kit of useful dohickeys, among them a battery, propeller, light bulb, wire, and alligator clips. For ages 8 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15928\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/TOPS-elec-1-232x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"232\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/TOPS-elec-1-232x300.jpg 232w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/TOPS-elec-1-791x1024.jpg 791w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/TOPS-elec-1-768x994.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/TOPS-elec-1.jpg 1051w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.topscience.org\">TOPScience<\/a> has two terrific informational activity books on electricity, respectively targeted at grades 3-8 and 8-12. Illustrated instructions are presented in the form of panel cartoons; detailed lesson notes are included. The TOPS program is noted for doing substantive science experiments with very simple equipment \u2013 here, for example, think aluminum foil, paper clips, and clothespins. Sample activities from the Electricity modules include experimenting with series and parallel circuits, making electrical puzzles, building a fuse, and exploding a balloon with electricity. The modules are available as softcover books or downloadable e-books.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-20589\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/science-snacks-300x267.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/science-snacks-300x267.png 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/science-snacks.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>From the San Francisco Exploratorium, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.exploratorium.edu\/snacks\/iconelectricity.html\">Science Snacks About Electricity<\/a>\u00a0is a collection of short simple experiments (\u201csnacks\u201d) with electricity and magnetism, among them making a Leyden jar, an electrical (static, that is) flea circus, a hand battery, a magnetic pendulum, and an electric motor.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15916\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/blinky-bugs-231x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/blinky-bugs-231x300.jpg 231w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/blinky-bugs.jpg 385w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>With Ken Murphy\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.blinkybug.com\/\">Blinkybug Kit<\/a> (Chronicle Books, 2010), kids can make their own (blinking) electronic insects. The kit includes all necessary materials and a comic-book-style instruction book. For ages 8 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15888\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/squishy-circuits-227x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"227\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/squishy-circuits-227x300.jpg 227w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/squishy-circuits.jpg 378w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 227px) 100vw, 227px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Squishy-Circuits-LITE-Lite-Kit\/dp\/B01KVVOZ58\/\"><em>Squishy Circuits<\/em><\/a> uses conductive and insulating play dough to light up LEDS, activate buzzers, and spin motors. For ages 7 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15889\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/snap-circuits-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/snap-circuits-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/snap-circuits-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/snap-circuits-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/snap-circuits.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Snap-Circuits-Snaptricity-Electronics-Exploration\/dp\/B0013BL3LK\/\">Snap Circuits <\/a>kits contain easy snap-together components that kids can use to build electric circuits and operate working models of various devices, such as a flashing light and howling siren. For ages 8-15.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>From TeachEngineering, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachengineering.org\/curricularunits\/view\/cub_electricity_curricularunit\">Put a Spark in It!<\/a> is a multi-part electricity unit targeted at grades 3-5. Included are activities and printable worksheets.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>More homemade flashlights! <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chromebattery.com\/battery-kids\/projects\/build-a-flashlight\">How to Build a Flashlight<\/a> has a materials list, instructions, and a video guide.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/pbskids.org\/zoom\/activities\/sci\/flashlight.html\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/tryengineering.org\/teacher\/electric-switches\/\">Electric Switches<\/a>\u00a0is a lesson plan for ages 8-11 in which kids learn how switches work, build electric circuits with switches, and draw basic wiring diagrams. Included at the website are downloadable worksheets with background info, diagrams, and instructions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.teachersdomain.org\/resource\/phy03.sci.phys.mfe.lp_electric\/\">Electric Circuits<\/a>\u00a0is a lesson plan for grades 3-8 in which kids model and build electric circuits, draw circuit diagrams, and test the conductivity of a range of materials.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15931\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/circuit-board-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/circuit-board-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/circuit-board.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/teresacoppens.hubpages.com\/hub\/How-to-Make-a-Circuit-Board-to-Demonstrate-Simple-Electrical-Circuits\">Make a Circuit Board<\/a> has step-by-step instructions for making a circuit board \u2013 a great way to demonstrate simple electrical circuits for kids.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.all-science-fair-projects.com\/category29.html\">All Science Fair Projects: Electricity<\/a>\u00a0has a list of projects based on electricity and magnetism, among them building a magnetic linear accelerator (which looks fun), testing different combinations of metals in galvanic cells, and experimenting with number of wire coils in electromagnets.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>At\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencebuddies.org\/science-fair-projects\/Intro-Electricity-Electronics.shtml\">Electricity and Electronics Science Fair Project Ideas<\/a>, the projects are categorized by level of difficulty (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-19958\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/lemon-battery2-300x215.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/lemon-battery2-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/lemon-battery2-1024x734.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/lemon-battery2-768x550.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/lemon-battery2-1536x1100.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/lemon-battery2.jpg 1893w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WNx-bwlTATI\">Make a battery with a lemon<\/a>!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15930\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/bloody-current-300x149.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/bloody-current-300x149.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/bloody-current.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Find out how to light a light bulb with (red-dyed) salt water \u2013 a.k.a. <a href=\"http:\/\/tlc.howstuffworks.com\/family\/science-projects-for-kids-current-electricity3.htm\">The Bloody Current experiment<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-20590\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/images.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"219\" height=\"230\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Learn how to make a cool <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MSmlEHKr_0s\">electric pinwheel<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.neok12.com\/Electricity.htm\">NeoK12: Electricity<\/a> has interactive quizzes, games and puzzles, and many short videos on electricity. Titles of the latter include \u201cElectricity and Circuits,\u201d \u201cVoltage and Current,\u201d and \u201cIntroduction to Generating Electricity.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/tabletopia.com\/games\/circuit-breaker\">Circuit Breaker <\/a>is an interactive game in which players try to make a light bulb light up.<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/schools\/podsmission\/electricity\/\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h4><strong>THE FUN OF TAKING THINGS APART<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Find out for yourself what makes things go. Disassembling stuff &#8211; formally known as &#8220;reverse engineering&#8221; &#8211; is a terrific hands-on learning experience; and almost any yard sale is an inexpensive source of raw material.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-20591\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/eu7GARzL-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/eu7GARzL-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/eu7GARzL-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/eu7GARzL.jpg 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>From TeachEngineering, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.teachengineering.org\/view_activity.php?url=collection\/cub_\/activities\/cub_engineering_in_reverse\/cub_engineering_in_reverse.xml\">Engineering in Reverse!<\/a>\u00a0is a hands-on activity targeted at grades 5-8 in which kids disassemble a push-toy, draw diagrams showing how it works, and suggest improvements.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>For helpful safety tips and instructions on taking old appliances apart, see the Instructables\u2019 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.instructables.com\/id\/How-To-Take-Things-Apart-Without-Killing-Yourself\/\">How to Take Things Apart Without Killing Yourself<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>From Kids Building Things, <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/kidsbuildingthings\/products\/taking-things-apart\">Taking Things Apart<\/a>\u00a0has basic instructions, suggestions for machines to disassemble (and where to find them), and a recommended tool list.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15881\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/toaster-proj-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/toaster-proj-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/toaster-proj.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Thomas Thwaites\u2019s <em>The Toaster Project<\/em> (Princeton Architectural Press, 2011) is the story of Thwaites\u2019s struggle to build a toaster from scratch. First step was to deconstruct a toaster \u2013 a process any curious kid can relate to \u2013 and then to reproduce it, a process which took nine months and a lot of research and ingenuity. A fascinating read for teenagers and adults, after which you\u2019ll never take an appliance for granted again.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h4><strong>ELECTRIFIED BEN<\/strong><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15901\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/how-ben-franklin-stole-255x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"255\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/how-ben-franklin-stole-255x300.png 255w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/how-ben-franklin-stole.png 324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 255px) 100vw, 255px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Rosalyn Schanzer\u2019s <em>How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning<\/em> (HarperCollins, 2002) is a folksy\u00a0 picture-book account of Franklin\u2019s inventions and scientific experiments, with special attention to his studies of electricity, including the famous kite-in-the-storm experiment and Franklin\u2019s promotion of the lightning rod. For ages 6-11.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15926\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/big-idea-ben-franklin-234x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"234\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/big-idea-ben-franklin-234x300.jpg 234w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/big-idea-ben-franklin.jpg 371w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Jean Fritz\u2019s <em>What\u2019s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?<\/em> (Perfection Learning, 2001) is a witty and interesting biography of Franklin, filled with human interest, and emphasizing his many ideas and innovations, among them his electrical experiments. Don&#8217;t be deceived by the ugly cover. For ages 7-10.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15922\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/amazing-ben-franklin-inventions-240x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/amazing-ben-franklin-inventions-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/amazing-ben-franklin-inventions-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/amazing-ben-franklin-inventions-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/amazing-ben-franklin-inventions-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/amazing-ben-franklin-inventions.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Carmela Van Vleet\u2019s <em>Amazing Ben Franklin Inventions You Can Build Yourself<\/em> (Nomad Press, 2007) has both biographical background information and instructions for 30 different hands-on activities based on Franklin\u2019s many varied interests. In the \u201cElectricity and the Lightning Rod\u201d chapter, for example, kids make a potato battery and a kite. For ages 9-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15907\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/draw-the-lightning-down-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/draw-the-lightning-down-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/draw-the-lightning-down.jpg 429w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Michael Brian Schiffer\u2019s nearly 400-page <em>Draw the Lightning Down: Benjamin Franklin and Electrical Technology in the Age of Enlightenment<\/em> (University of California Press, 2006) is a well-researched history of Franklin\u2019s electrical experiments and his essential role in the history of electrical technology. For older teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-20592\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/1920_lightning-2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/1920_lightning-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/1920_lightning-2-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/1920_lightning-2-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/1920_lightning-2-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/1920_lightning-2.jpg 1804w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Learn all about lightning from NASA&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/lightning.nsstc.nasa.gov\/primer\/\">Lightning Primer<\/a>.<a href=\"http:\/\/thunder.nsstc.nasa.gov\/primer\/\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>From the Franklin Institute, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fi.edu\/benjamin-franklin\/kite-key-experiment\">Ben Franklin and the Kite Experiment<\/a>. (Don&#8217;t ever try this at home!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>For more Franklin resources, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/ben-franklin\/\">Ben Franklin<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Also see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/clouds-and-rain\/\">Clouds, Rain, and Storms<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h4><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>LIGHTS!<\/strong><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/picture-bk-of-edison-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/picture-bk-of-edison-300x255.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/picture-bk-of-edison.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>David A. Adler\u2019s <em>A Picture Book of Thomas Alva Edison<\/em> (Holiday House, 1999) is a short simple biography of the inventor for ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15906\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/edison-venezia-249x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"249\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/edison-venezia-249x300.jpg 249w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/edison-venezia.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 249px) 100vw, 249px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Mike Venezia\u2019s <em>Thomas Edison: An Inventor With a Lot of Bright Ideas<\/em> (Children\u2019s Press, 2009) is an entertaining biography in the \u201cGetting to Know the World\u2019s Greatest Inventors and Scientists\u201d series, illustrated with photos and clever cartoons. For ages 5-9.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15883\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-young-inventor-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-young-inventor-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-young-inventor.jpg 325w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In the Childhood of Famous Americans series, Sue Guthridge\u2019s fictionalized <em>Thomas Edison: Young Inventor<\/em> (Aladdin, 1986) concentrates on Edison\u2019s childhood, including his deafness (which led his mother to homeschool him), his home experiments, and the \u201claboratory on wheels\u201d that he set up in an empty box car while working on a train. (It exploded.) For ages 7-11.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15884\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-and-light-bulb-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-and-light-bulb-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-and-light-bulb-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-and-light-bulb-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-and-light-bulb-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-and-light-bulb.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Scott Welvaert\u2019s <em>Thomas Edison and the Lightbulb<\/em> (Capstone Press, 2007) is a catchy graphic-novel-style biography of Edison\u2019s race to develop an effective incandescent lightbulb, with appended book and resource lists. This is one of a series; other titles include <em>The Wright Brothers and the Airplane<\/em>, <em>Philo Farnsworth and the Television<\/em>, <em>Marie Curie and Radioactivity<\/em>, and <em>Isaac Newton and the Laws of Motion<\/em>. (For a complete list, see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.capstonepub.com\/product\/9781429601900\">Capstone Press<\/a>.) For ages 8 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15882\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-for-kids-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-for-kids-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-for-kids-1024x792.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-for-kids-768x594.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/thomas-edison-for-kids.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Laurie Carlson\u2019s <em>Thomas Edison for Kids<\/em> (Chicago Review Press, 2006) is a comprehensive biography of Edison, illustrated with photographs, period prints, and diagrams, and including 21 hands-on activities, among them making an electrical switch, a telegraph, and a zoetrope. For ages 9-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15921\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/back-in-time-with-edison-198x300.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Dan Gutman\u2019s <em>Back in Time with Thomas Edison<\/em> (Simon &amp; Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2002) stars thirteen-year-old Qwerty Stevens (his nickname comes from a third-grade typing goof) who digs up a mysterious device in his backyard that sends him and his sister back to Thomas Edison\u2019s laboratory in the late 19<sup>th<\/sup> century. Along with the exciting time-travel story, the book provides information about Edison\u2019s life and work. Included are period photos and patent drawings, and an Edison timeline. For ages 9-12.<\/p>\n<p>Also see <em>Back in Time with Benjamin Franklin<\/em> (2005).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15905\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/edisons-gold-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/edisons-gold-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/edisons-gold.jpg 429w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Geoff Watson\u2019s <em>Edison\u2019s Gold<\/em> (Egmont USA, 2010), seventh-grader Thomas Edison IV, great-great-grandson of the famous inventor, believes he may have found clues leading to his ancestor\u2019s secret formula for changing base metal into gold \u2013 but he and his sidekicks have competition in their quest, primarily in the form of a descendant of Nikola Tesla, Edison\u2019s arch-enemy. A mystery\/thriller for ages 9-13.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15874\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/wizard-of-menlo-park-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/wizard-of-menlo-park-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/wizard-of-menlo-park-670x1024.jpg 670w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/wizard-of-menlo-park-768x1173.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/wizard-of-menlo-park-1005x1536.jpg 1005w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/wizard-of-menlo-park-1341x2048.jpg 1341w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/wizard-of-menlo-park.jpg 1584w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/>\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Randall E. Stross\u2019s <em>The Wizard of Menlo Park<\/em>(Broadway, 2008) is a fascinating biography of Thomas Edison (\u201cthe patron saint of electric light\u201d), his many inventions, and his overwhelming public persona. For teens and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15904\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/empires-of-light-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/empires-of-light-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/empires-of-light.jpg 409w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Jill Jonnes\u2019s <em>Empires of Light<\/em> (Random House, 2004) details the 19<sup>th<\/sup>-century battle among Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse to forge an electrical empire, including the \u201cWar of the Electric Currents\u201d between the supporters of AC current (Westinghouse and Tesla) and DC current (Edison and followers). For teens and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><strong> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15914\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/brilliant-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/brilliant-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/brilliant.jpg 328w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/strong><\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Jane Brox\u2019s <em>Brilliant<\/em> (Mariner Books, 2011) is a history of artificial light, from the torches of the Stone Age to the light bulb to the sometimes overwhelming illumination of the modern day. For teens and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/thekidshouldseethis.com\/post\/19783357736\">Build your own light bulb!<\/a> With adult supervision.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Build a cool <a href=\"https:\/\/invention.si.edu\/build-lego-lightbulb\">Lego lightbulb<\/a>!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17381\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/edison-miracle-of-light-300x190.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/edison-miracle-of-light-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/edison-miracle-of-light.jpg 474w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<td>See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/americanexperience\/films\/light\/\">Edison\u2019s Miracle of Light,<\/a> a film in the PBS American Experience series, and accompanying resources.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nps.gov\/edis\/forkids\/index.htm\">Thomas Edison for Kids<\/a> from the National Park Service\u00a0has period photos, an Edison biography and timeline, info on Edison\u2019s inventions, and more.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/edis\/learn\/education\/index.htm\">here<\/a> to listen to early Edison sound recordings &#8211; including a really creepy talking doll &#8211; and try and Edison employment test.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>At the Franklin Institute, see (and learn all about) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fi.edu\/history-resources\/edisons-lightbulb\">Edison&#8217;s Lightbulb<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/sciencenetlinks.com\/tools\/acdc-whats-the-difference\/\">AC\/DC: What\u2019s the Difference?<\/a>\u00a0is a nicely designed animation on direct and alternating currents.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17597\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/nikola-tesla-for-kids-300x232.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/nikola-tesla-for-kids-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/nikola-tesla-for-kids-768x594.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/nikola-tesla-for-kids.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Amy M. O&#8217;Quinn&#8217;s Nikola Tesla for Kids (Chicago Review Press, 2019) covers the Tesla&#8217;s life and inventions, with 21 hands-on projects and activities, among them building an electric circuit and a soda-bottle submarine, making a batch of fluorescent slime, and taking a virtual tour of the 1893 Chicago World&#8217;s Fair. Includes maps, period photos, diagrams, and a timeline. For ages 9 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15953\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/tesla-187x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/tesla-187x300.jpg 187w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/tesla.jpg 299w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 187px) 100vw, 187px\" \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<td>From PBS, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/tesla\/index.html\">Tesla: Master of Lightning<\/a> has information on Nikola Tesla\u2019s life and work, interactive explorations of Tesla\u2019s inventions, a tutorial on electricity, timelines, and lesson plans on energy and electricity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Take a virtual tour of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yurope.com\/org\/tesla\/uvode.htm\">Nikola Tesla Museum<\/a> in Belgrade.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h4><!--nextpage--><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>BLACKOUTS<\/strong><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-15917\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/blackout-252x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/blackout-252x300.jpg 252w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/blackout-859x1024.jpg 859w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/blackout-768x916.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/blackout-1288x1536.jpg 1288w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/blackout.jpg 1717w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In John Rocco\u2019s <em>Blackout<\/em> (Hyperion Books, 2011), it\u2019s a normal city summer night \u2013 hot, loud, and busy \u2013 until, suddenly, the lights go out. Deprived of computer, television, and cookstove, a family is left to its own devices: making flashlight pictures, stargazing, eating ice cream with the neighbors. The experience is so rewarding that when the lights come back on, they decide to turn them off again and play a board game together. The illustrations, for which <em>Blackout<\/em> won a Caldecott Honor award, include panels and full-page drawings and segue from full color to a lights-off blue, black, and white; the stars are Van-Gogh-esque pinwheels. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15924\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-charlie-lost-power-1-300x255.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-charlie-lost-power-1-300x255.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-charlie-lost-power-1-1024x871.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-charlie-lost-power-1-768x653.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-charlie-lost-power-1-1536x1306.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-charlie-lost-power-1-2048x1742.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Suzanne Collins\u2019s cartoon-illustrated <em>When Charlie McButton Lost Power<\/em> (G.P. Putnam\u2019s Sons, 2005), Charlie is a total techie kid (\u201cThe things that he liked involved handsets and bots\u201d), whose world disintegrates when a lightning bolt knocks out the electrical tower. Desperate, he steals batteries from his sister\u2019s talking doll, which only gets him in trouble; and eventually he comes to terms with his electricity-less situation and finds that imaginative play with his sister is fun. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15876\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-i-was-young-in-mts-234x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"234\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-i-was-young-in-mts-234x300.jpg 234w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-i-was-young-in-mts-798x1024.jpg 798w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-i-was-young-in-mts-768x986.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-i-was-young-in-mts-1196x1536.jpg 1196w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-i-was-young-in-mts-1595x2048.jpg 1595w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/when-i-was-young-in-mts.jpg 1994w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Cynthia Rylant\u2019s <em>When I Was Young in the Mountains<\/em> (Puffin, 1993), with enchanting illustrations by Diane Goode, is a gentle story of what life was like in the rural hills of West Virginia \u2013 without plumbing or electricity, when there were kerosene lamps in the kitchen, water pumped from the well (and boiled for baths in the kitchen), and candlelit trips to the outdoor \u201cjohnny-house.\u201d For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15872\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/zap-9781534405585_hr-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/zap-9781534405585_hr-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/zap-9781534405585_hr-678x1024.jpg 678w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/zap-9781534405585_hr-768x1161.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/zap-9781534405585_hr-1016x1536.jpg 1016w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/zap-9781534405585_hr-1355x2048.jpg 1355w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/zap-9781534405585_hr.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Martha Freeman\u2019s <em>Zap<\/em> (Simon and Schuster\/Paula Wiseman, 2018), when a disastrous blackout hits Hampton, New Jersey, two sixth-graders tackle the mystery of who turned out the lights. An exciting mystery, plus science, for ages 9-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15954\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/living-without-electricity-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/living-without-electricity-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/living-without-electricity.jpg 323w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>By Stephen Scott and Kenneth Pellman, <em>Living Without Electricity<\/em> (Good Books, 1990), illustrated with black-and-white photographs, explains how the Amish make do without electricity or modern appliances. Chapters cover various aspects of Amish life: \u201cHow Do You Light a Room Without Electricity?\u201d \u201cHow Do You Keep Warm Without Centralized Heating?\u201d \u201cWhat Do You Do for Entertainment If You Don\u2019t Have TV?\u201d \u201cHow Do You Get Around Without a Car?\u201d 128 pages long; for ages 12 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15955\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/winter-of-disconnect-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/winter-of-disconnect-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/winter-of-disconnect.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Susan Maushart\u2019s <em>The Winter of Our Disconnect<\/em> (Jeremy P. Tarcher\/Penguin, 2010), the author and her three teenaged kids pull the plug on technology for six screen-free months \u2013 no computer, no cell phone, no iPod, no TV. A funny and fascinating exploration of the pros and cons of our now-electronic world. For older teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15893\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/off-the-grid-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/off-the-grid-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/off-the-grid-664x1024.jpg 664w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/off-the-grid-768x1185.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/off-the-grid-995x1536.jpg 995w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/off-the-grid-1327x2048.jpg 1327w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/off-the-grid.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Journalist Nick Rosen\u2019s <em>Off the Grid<\/em> (Penguin, 2010) is a journey in search of the growing movement of people seeking to live \u201coff the grid,\u201d free from dependence on electricity, telecommunications networks, government services, and mainstream culture. This is a human-interest book, rather than a how-to manual; it concentrates on many reasons for and ways in which different people attempt to live free. For older teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15885\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/the-good-life-192x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"192\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/the-good-life-192x300.jpg 192w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/the-good-life-656x1024.jpg 656w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/the-good-life-768x1198.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/the-good-life.jpg 769w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>The classic off-the-grid story is certainly that told in Helen and Scott Nearing\u2019s <em>The Good Life<\/em> (Schocken Books, 1990), an account of how the Nearings left New York City in the 1930s to life a self-sufficient life on a small farm, first in Vermont, then later in Maine. For older teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15895\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/no-impact-man-bk-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/no-impact-man-bk-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/no-impact-man-bk.jpg 666w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Colin Beavan\u2019s <em>No Impact Man<\/em> (Farrar, Straus &amp; Giroux, 2009) is an account of Beavan\u2019s heroic year-long attempt to live with as little environmental impact as possible, smack in the middle of New York City. This involved giving up plastic, toilet paper, electricity, and motorized vehicles; eating local food; conserving water; and cutting down on trash. The book is peppered with observations, insights, and a lot of (sometimes appalling) statistics. Included is a helpful resource list. For families.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15894\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/no-impact-man-movie-213x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"213\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/no-impact-man-movie-213x300.jpg 213w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/no-impact-man-movie-726x1024.jpg 726w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/no-impact-man-movie-768x1083.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/no-impact-man-movie.jpg 1039w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 213px) 100vw, 213px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1280011\/\">No Impact Man: The Documentary<\/a> (2009) is a 93-minute film based on the book.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15918\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/before-the-lights-go-out-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/before-the-lights-go-out-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/before-the-lights-go-out-677x1024.jpg 677w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/before-the-lights-go-out-768x1162.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/before-the-lights-go-out.jpg 793w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Maggie Koerth-Baker\u2019s <em>Before the Lights Go Out<\/em> (John Wiley &amp; Sons, 2012) is a thoroughly interesting and wholly reader-friendly overview of the energy crisis that faces us and its possible solutions. There\u2019s no easy fix, Koerth-Baker explains, and the solution will inevitably involve multiple approaches rather than a single miraculous one-size-fits-all. Readers also learn where our current electrical grid came from in the first place and meet a lot of innovative and optimistic energy pioneers. For older teenagers and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15910\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/city-of-ember-204x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/city-of-ember-204x300.jpg 204w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/city-of-ember-696x1024.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/city-of-ember-768x1129.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/city-of-ember-1045x1536.jpg 1045w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/city-of-ember-1393x2048.jpg 1393w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/city-of-ember.jpg 1556w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Jeanne DuPrau\u2019s aging <em>City of Ember<\/em> (Yearling, 2008) would exist in perpetual darkness if not for the (increasingly feeble) floodlights that struggle to provide twelve hours of gloomy \u201cdaylight.\u201d The inhabitants of Ember have long since forgotten their origins, and it\u2019s left to two twelve-year-olds &#8211;\u00a0 Lina Mayfleet, put to work as a messenger, and Doon Harrow, assigned to the Pipeworks, site of the city\u2019s failing electrical generator \u2013 to solve the mystery of the city\u2019s past and save its inhabitants. Three sequels. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>Also see the film version of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0970411\/\">City of Ember<\/a> (2008), directed by Gil Denan. It\u2019s rated PG (for peril).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15956\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/running-out-of-time-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/running-out-of-time-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/running-out-of-time-672x1024.jpg 672w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/running-out-of-time-768x1170.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/running-out-of-time-1008x1536.jpg 1008w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/running-out-of-time-1344x2048.jpg 1344w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/running-out-of-time.jpg 1491w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Jessie, the protagonist of Margaret Peterson Haddix\u2019s <em>Running Out of Time<\/em> (Simon &amp; Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1997) believes that she lives in the village of Clifton, Indiana, in 1840. When diphtheria strikes the town, however, Jessie\u2019s mother reveals that Clifton is really a reconstructed museum village, project of an eccentric millionaire \u2013 and Jessie must escape to the outer world of 1996 to find help. Not only is this an exciting adventure, but a clever twist on time-travel as Jessie suddenly has to cope with a world of electric lights, telephones, and automobiles. For ages 9-13.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15911\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/changes-trilogy-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/changes-trilogy-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/changes-trilogy-672x1024.jpg 672w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/changes-trilogy-768x1170.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/changes-trilogy-1008x1536.jpg 1008w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/changes-trilogy-1344x2048.jpg 1344w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/changes-trilogy.jpg 1575w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Peter Dickinson\u2019s <em>Changes <\/em>trilogy, originally published between 1968 and 1970, England is suffering from a time known as \u201cThe Changes\u201d in which suddenly, inexplicably, the populace has turned against machines and reverted to a state of medieval peasantry. The few hold-outs who hoard modern machinery are accused of witchcraft. The three books in the series are <em>The Devil\u2019s Children<\/em>, <em>Heartsease<\/em>, and <em>The Weathermonger<\/em>. All, though out of print, are readily obtainable through libraries and used-book suppliers. For ages 12 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15923\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/alas-babylon-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/alas-babylon-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/alas-babylon.jpg 327w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Pat Frank\u2019s now-classic <em>Alas, Babylon<\/em> (Harper Perennial, 2005), originally published in 1959, was one of the first post-apocalyptic novels of the nuclear age, based in a small town in central Florida. The protagonist, Randy Bragg, has some warning of the impending strike from his brother, a military officer, who sends his wife and young children to stay with Randy, hoping this will keep them out of harm\u2019s way. The little town does survive \u201cthe Day,\u201d as the global holocaust comes to be called, but their way of life is gone forever, as electricity fails; food, water, gasoline, and medical supplies are exhausted; and \u201chighwaymen\u201d take to preying on the townspeople. For ages 12 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15899\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/long-tomorrow-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/long-tomorrow-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/long-tomorrow.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Leigh Brackett\u2019s <em>The Long Tomorrow<\/em> (Phoenix Pick, 2011), now a sci-fi classic, America has been destroyed in a nuclear holocaust and the survivors blame technology for the disaster. The protagonists, young cousins Len and Esau, live in a New Mennonite farming community called Piper\u2019s Run, but long for a different way of life, having been fascinated by their grandmother\u2019s stories of a time when there were electrified cities, airplanes, televisions, and automobiles. After discovering a radio set said to come from Bartorstown \u2013 a mysterious town attempting to bring back the old technologies \u2013 the boys run away to find it. For ages 12 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15909\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/dies-the-fire-187x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/dies-the-fire-187x300.jpg 187w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/dies-the-fire-638x1024.jpg 638w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/dies-the-fire-768x1233.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/dies-the-fire-956x1536.jpg 956w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/dies-the-fire.jpg 1256w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 187px) 100vw, 187px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In S.M. Stirling\u2019s <em>Dies the Fire<\/em> (Roc, 2005), \u201cthe Change\u201d has inactivated all modern technology, including electricity and explosives. Survivors group themselves into bands and communities, struggling to forge new lives and to protect themselves from warlords and marauders. Among the survivors: a Marine pilot, now leader of the Bearkillers; folksinger Juniper Mackenzie, now leader of Clan Mackenzie; and Norman Arminger, ex-medieval professor, now leader of the threatening Portland Protective Agency. The first of a series. For ages 14 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/into-the-forest-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/into-the-forest-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/into-the-forest.jpg 464w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Jean Hegland\u2019s <em>Into the Forest<\/em> (Dial, 1998) is the story of Nell and Eva, two teenage sisters who live in the redwoods of northern California at an unspecified time in the not-so-distant future when the world as we know it is coming to an end. Their parents die; electricity and phones go out; fuel and food supplies dwindle; and in the outer world, violence prevails. Eventually the girls must come to terms with their new primitive life in the forest. For ages 14 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15890\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/REVOLUTION-2-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/REVOLUTION-2-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/REVOLUTION-2.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke\u2019s NBC series <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nbc.com\/revolution\/\">Revolution<\/a>, the lights have suddenly gone out, cars have stopped, planes have fallen out of the sky. For fifteen years now, the world has been in a black-out; survivors live in small farming communities, under the thumb of an ominous leather-armored militia. The Matheson family possess an artifact that may hold the key to the power collapse and the means of reversing its effects, which puts them at risk from various malefactors. Young Charlie Matheson (a girl and a whiz with the crossbow) sets off with a band of companions to distant Chicago to rescue her brother, kidnapped by the militia, and solve the mystery.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h4><strong>ALTERNATIVE ENERGY<\/strong><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15903\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-isalnd-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-isalnd-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-isalnd-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-isalnd-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-isalnd-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-isalnd-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-isalnd.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Allan Drummond\u2019s <em>Energy Island<\/em> (Farrar, Straus &amp; Giroux, 2011) is the picture-book story of the Danish island of Samso, which has come to rely almost entirely on renewable energy, using wind turbines, solar panels, and biomass converters, riding bicycles, and driving electric cars. For ages 6-10.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15915\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/boy-who-harnessed-wind-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/boy-who-harnessed-wind-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/boy-who-harnessed-wind.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>By William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, <em>The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind<\/em> (William Morrow, 2010) is the story of 14-year-old William who, determined to bring electricity to his poverty-stricken Malawi village, finds an old physics book with diagrams of windmills and manages to fabricate a working windmill from scraps, junk, and old bicycle parts. The book \u2013 an inspirational story of hope and ingenuity \u2013 is targeted at teens and adults. A Young Readers version of <em>The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind<\/em> (Dial, 2012) is available for ages 6-11.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>Listen to William Kamkwamba\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/william_kamkwamba_how_i_harnessed_the_wind.html\">TED talk<\/a> on his windmill project.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>From PBS\u2019s SciGirls, <a href=\"https:\/\/wqed.pbslearningmedia.org\/resource\/bfa23876-e527-4bd0-a9d1-10cdff7e0491\/blowin-in-the-wind\/\">Blowin\u2019 in the Wind<\/a>\u00a0is a project for building a model windmill capable of hoisting a weight.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15912\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/catch-wind-harness-sun-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/catch-wind-harness-sun-235x300.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/catch-wind-harness-sun-803x1024.jpg 803w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/catch-wind-harness-sun-768x980.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/catch-wind-harness-sun-1204x1536.jpg 1204w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/catch-wind-harness-sun-1606x2048.jpg 1606w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/catch-wind-harness-sun.jpg 2007w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Michael J. Caduto\u2019s <em>Catch the Wind, Harness the Sun<\/em> (Storey Publishing, 2011) is an informative activity book on energy and global climate change, illustrated with cartoons, diagrams, and color photographs. For example, kids build mini-windmills, power a battery with a bicycle, and make a solar heater. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15902\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-nomad-239x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"239\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-nomad-239x300.jpg 239w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-nomad-815x1024.jpg 815w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-nomad-768x965.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-nomad-1223x1536.jpg 1223w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/energy-nomad.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 239px) 100vw, 239px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Kathleen Reilly\u2019s <em>Energy<\/em> (Nomad Press, 2009), subtitled \u201cInvestigate Why We Need Power and How We Get It,\u201d is an informational activity book with chapters devoted to electricity, hydrogen, petroleum, coal, nuclear power, wind, hydropower, solar power, geothermal energy, and biomass.\u00a0 Included are fact boxes, word lists, and 25 hands-on projects, among them building a steam-powered boat, a solar-powered water heater, and an electric burglar alarm. For ages 9-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15908\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/doable-newable-209x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"209\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/doable-newable-209x300.jpg 209w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/doable-newable.jpg 474w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 209px) 100vw, 209px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Mike Rigsby\u2019s <em>Doable Renewables<\/em> (Chicago Review Press, 2010) is a collection of \u201c16 Alternative Energy Projects for Young Scientists.\u201d Among these are a \u201cSimple Heat Engine\u201d made from corrugated cardboard, rubber bands, and a sewing needle that runs off an incandescent desk lamp; and a fascinating solar-powered seesaw, operated by sunlight focused through a magnifying glass. (You\u2019ll need a bimetallic strip for this one, that you obtain by tearing apart a large-dial thermometer, but it\u2019s worth the effort.) Other projects involve fooling around with devices that you buy outright, such as a solar drinking bird, a thermobile \u2013 dunk it in a cup of hot water and the wheels go around, and a radiometer. (Sources provided.) Each project includes brief background information and a list of \u201cMore to Think About\u201d questions. For ages 9 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/sciencenetlinks.com\/interactives\/powerplay.html\">Power Play<\/a>\u00a0is an interactive activity in which players, by clicking and dragging, assemble Rube-Goldberg-like machines for capturing power from various sources such as wind, water, and heat.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h4><strong>INCREDIBLE ELECTRICAL ART<\/strong><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15913\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/captured-lightning-300x208.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/captured-lightning-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/captured-lightning-768x532.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/captured-lightning.jpg 964w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sciencetech\/article-1232908\/Captured-lightning-The-artist-traps-fossilised-bolts-electricity-inside-acrylic-blocks.html\">Captured Lightning<\/a> has information about sculptor Bert Hickman, whose works are fractal-like Lichtenberg structures, made by blasting a block of acrylic with electricity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>From Popular Science, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/diy\/article\/2008-02\/trap-lightning-block\">Trap Lightning in a Block<\/a> shows just how to do it, with explanations and a cool video.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-19963\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/619-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/619-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/619-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/619.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Find out about fulgurites &#8211; a.k.a. &#8220;petrified lightning&#8221; &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treehugger.com\/fulgurites-when-lightning-strikes-sand-magic-is-formed-4863909\">here<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ALL ABOUT ELECTRICITY Melvin Berger\u2019s Switch On, Switch Off (HarperCollins, 1990) in the Let\u2019s-Read-and-Find-Out science series is a simple picture-book explanation of how electricity is&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[772],"tags":[338,327,51,337,325,333,340,324,328,689,688,326,334,332,329,330,336,339,331,335],"class_list":["post-2573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","tag-alternative-energy","tag-battery","tag-ben-franklin","tag-blackouts","tag-books-about-electricity-for-children","tag-electric-lights","tag-electrical-art","tag-electricity","tag-electricity-experiments","tag-electricity-lesson-plans","tag-electricity-teaching-resources","tag-history-of-electricity","tag-lightbulb","tag-lightning","tag-make-a-circuit-board","tag-make-an-electric-switch","tag-nikola-tesla","tag-renewable-energy","tag-taking-things-apart","tag-thomas-edison"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2573"}],"version-history":[{"count":52,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20704,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573\/revisions\/20704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}