Ward's World Activity Guides

+ ward ' s science Page 3 Sunshine in a Jar: Do-It-Yourself Outdoor Garden Lanterns (continued) How to Put the Lanterns Together: The elementary level, middle school level, and high school level lab manuals also include step by step instructions on how to put the lanterns together. Lab manuals are available upon request by contacting the lantern kit's curriculum developer, Pam Ulicny, at psu@tvdawgs.net. Step by step instructions are also available in PowerPoint/Google Slides as well as a series of student developed step by step videos. What works best for me is to accomplish each lantern component one 'themed step' at a time: do a lesson on the 'science' of each component, then build that component and test it for 'quality control', according to the sequence below: Lesson 1: How Photovoltaics Work • Solder the Wires onto the Solar Panel • Check the Solar Panel's Output Using a Multimeter Lesson 2: How LEDs Work • Practice lighting LEDs Directly off the Batteries • Solder the LEDs onto the Printed Circuit Board Lesson 3: How Rechargeable Batteries Work, Series and Parallel Circuits • Solder the Battery Pack Onto the PCB Lesson 4: Putting it All Together: How the PCB Works as a Recharging Device as Well as a Dusk to Dawn Switch • Calculating Recharge Times • Solder the Solar Wires onto the PCB, Final Quality Check: LEDs Should Turn Off Under Bright Light • "Bundling" the System Components, Sealing them to the Underside of the Lid, Weatherproofing the Lantern Expected Results: This is a 'make and take': by the end of the module, students should have a functional garden lantern that perpetually charges itself during the day and lights the LEDs at night. To promote the STEAM objective, students are encouraged to decorate their jars, use different materials inside to refract the light, and even light up other objects than a glass jar (such as lighting up a Jack O Lantern for Halloween). Through the years, I've seen a lot of creative adaptations and extensions. Side Notes: This project has the intention of serving the greater good, with a portion of the proceeds serving communities in energy poverty. Nonprofit organizations such as Level Up Village have supported the Solar Lantern Project by creating a "Pay it Forward' educational approach: for every lantern made by one of their U.S. students, another lantern is made by a student in a lesser developed country. Religious and service organizations have also hosted 'Build a Lantern' workshops, with an emphasis on raising funds to provide solar lighting solutions to disadvantaged communities in South Africa. The solar garden lanterns have continued to evolve over the past decade. Vocationally trained students have offered assistance with helping me produce higher quality, more durable lanterns. Art students have designed opaque stickers with logos for corporate gifts.

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