Orlando Science Schools, 6-8

Easter Bunny Wind Wave

It all started last month in school when we got to build a wind turbine for a wind energy unit. When we were building the wind turbine model, I really wanted to have my own model wind turbine, but I did not have the same materials that my school had, such as a proper base or a stable blade axis. However, after 1 hour of designing and 2 more hours of building I had finished making the rotor of my wind turbine. A lot of thought went into designing the rotors, such as using 4 blades. While it is common knowledge that most wind turbines have 3 or 2 blades, however I chose to use 4 blades because if I had used any more than 4 blades the rotor would have become too heavy, if I had used 3 blades the weight would become uneven, so it would not turn because I did not use any bearings or smooth ways to turn the rotor, and if it had 2 blades it would not catch enough wind. For the nacelle- (part that holds the rotor) I just decided to tape 2 paper cups together and put holes on each end. The rest of my turbine was really simple I used a big box as the foundation and some sturdy pressed cardboard as the tower.

But, it doesn’t end there, during Easter my mom told me to make something Easter related so after about 1 hour of very much needed TV time, the idea of making a machine to make the Easter Bunny wave popped into my mind. So, I went to my designing room and saw my wind turbine and that’s when it hit me that I can attach a joint and lever axis system. So, I started furiously cutting and gluing cardboard and after about 2 hours and 5 failed attempts I had finally finished the skeleton of the system. Now, that I was almost done, I printed out the bunny and taped it in place.

Note: I would have drawn the bunny, but I lack art skills (on paper at least). The last step was the most important I had to ask my mom for help so I could finally … (suspense)…- brag to all my cousins.

Video of Art Piece

Introduction

The message I hope to convey through this art piece is that renewable energy doesn’t necessarily mean huge solar farms or a full-size wind turbine it can also be as simple as making a small windmill out of recycled cardboard that makes a bunny move without using any electricity or batteries. Every small change matters, when it comes to reducing our carbon and disposal footprint.

Video of Art Piece Working

Credits

• Me for being awesome
• Also, me for being creative and resourceful
• And finally, me for building the whole project
• My mom for helping me recording