ScienceArt

Renewable Energy Public Art Installation

Grades 6-890-120 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Students design a small moving or solar-powered sculpture for a school courtyard that teaches people walking by about one kind of renewable energy.

Budget levels

Amazon prices checked Oct 9-10, 2026 and may change

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Digital downloads only.

$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.

Student time: one class period, one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one class period on a single day.

Scale back: Fit it into a shorter period, use fewer effects, or run a demo instead of a build.

Scale up: Add one extra effect, or spread the share-out across another day.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

Required materials for the class.

$9.99 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one school day.

Scale back: Fit the build into one period with fewer effects.

Scale up: Spread the work across days, or add more effects.

The bigger kit, with every optional item included.

$9.99 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day (one session, one-day event).

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one session, a one-day event.

Scale back: Shorten the event, or run a demo for a smaller audience.

Scale up: Spread the build and the event across days, or invite a bigger audience.

Recycled materials (frame); Small solar panel; Small motor; Wire; Direct sunlight; Design brief template; desk lamp or fan for controlled tests

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change.

As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Choose a renewable energy source to feature (solar or wind) and predict what condition will make the sculpture perform best.
Write a design brief with precise criteria: the moving part turns or lights visibly in direct sun or a set fan speed, runs at least 5 minutes, and a passerby can explain the energy conversion after reading the placard.
List constraints: budget under $15, fits a 30 cm cube, made mostly from recycled materials, no sharp edges or exposed wires, must survive light wind.
Cite the science: a solar panel converts light energy to electrical energy and a motor converts electrical to motion energy; output drops with shade, panel angle, and heavy loads. Explain how these limit your design.
Add an impacts section: courtyard safety, litter or broken parts, and resource use of new versus recycled materials. Turn each impact into a constraint.
Build the sculpture, test it under a controlled light or wind condition, identify one weak variable (panel angle, motor load, shading), change it, and repeat the same test, recording results against the brief.
Present the revised installation with a placard explaining the energy conversion and a checklist showing which brief criteria and constraints were met.

NGSS · MS-ETS1-1
Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.