Playing with the Sun - Introduction

The educator David Perkins asks the question, "Where and how do learning processes flourish?" In our efforts to facilitate learning processes related to renewable energy, we focus on the following three aspects: - We aim to develop toys for a green generation that support the exploration of solar power and other renewable energy sources. - We aim to create learning environments that foster the emergence of authentic questions in communities where people can co-create and play with new ideas and concepts. - We aim to be part of a community of practice where people are connected across geographical boundaries, learn from each other, and where their ideas are taken seriously. For more reflections please go to the <a href="https://www.playingwiththesun.org/PlayingwiththeSun-wp1.pdf">Playing With the Sun working paper #1</a>.

Tinkering: Tinkering is a special form of meaningful play. You can learn more on tinkering and how to interpret it into a library context in our project podcast 'Creative Technologial Literacy' (insert link for English podcast episodes - coming soon!)

Introduction

Playing With the Sun was conceived by Amos Blanton and Ben Mardell and later incorporated into Amos' Ph.D. project in collaboration with Aarhus Libraries and the <a href="https://interactingminds.au.dk/projects/experimenting-experiencing-reflecting">Experimenting, Experiencing, Reflecting</a> project, supported by the <a href="https://www.carlsbergfondet.dk/en">Carlsberg Foundation</a>. The development of the Playing With the Sun construction kit is done in collaboration with <a href="https://moore.dk/">Mark Moore</a>. The development of activities, like the ones shown here, is in partnership with the Creative Technology Literacy program at Aarhus Libraries, with support from the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces. The team from Aarhus Libraries has been Jane Kunze, Mathias Kær Helge, Henrik Viking Hansen, Matilda Kristina Ejgreen Tjellden, and Sara Petrat-Melin.

You have to make a circuit for your machine using wires.

The crank is for when the sun is not out. 

Stores up solar energy until there is enough to pulse the motor.

What is Playing With the Sun?

The <a href="https://www.playingwiththesun.org">Playing with the Sun</a> is a project to develop pedagogy, activities, and a construction kit designed for children and families in libraries and museums. It encourages participants to follow their curiosity and build something powered by solar or muscle energy. You can read more about the project here: <a href="https://www.playingwiththesun.org">https://www.playingwiththesun.org</a> During the building process, participants have the opportunity to experiment with and develop a deeper understanding of sustainable energy. They create their own inventions using sustainable energy sources, fostering a sense of creativity and environmental consciousness.

A small battery that can be charged in seconds by both solar energy and manual power.

A master at spinning around when given a little energy.

The sun is the coolest source of energy in the world. Use it and bring your machine to life with this panel.

For putting together your construction - use it with the small black buttons.

The <a href="https://resources.playingwiththesun.org/#what-is-the-pwts-construction-kit">construction kit</a> is intended for use in libraries, museums, and schools. The kit can be used as a base for offering a range of activities tailored to participants' interests and motivation. It is open source under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons License</a>. This means that you can create your own set and contribute new activities, designs, and ideas. Source code for the project is on <a href="https://gitlab.com/playing-with-the-sun">Gitlab</a>, allowing for collaboration and further development.

On the following pages, you can see illustrations of what the Playing With the Sun construction kit contains. The kit is designed to be used for both simple constructions as well as more complex projects. The different components in the kit can be modified or new ones can be added to tailor the content to the specific activities or participants. You can learn more about how to build a kit <a href="https://resources.playingwiththesun.org/Const-Kit-Overview/">here</a>.

Activities in Playing With the Sun are designed to support participant's creative learning and playful experimentation. The frequent lack of sun in Denmark has pushed us to develop a hand crank as an alternative power source. The movement patterns of the machines vary greatly depending on whether you use the hand crank or solar panels.

The solar panel needs to be connected to the solar motor. If you're using a hand generator, it should be connected to the battery. Then, the power is directed to the motor, which converts the electricity into motion in the wheel.

“We have designed these activities as starting points for children to playfully follow their curiosity. We also invite you, the educator, to follow yours. The activities here are for you to reimagine to inspire your learners, and invite the kind of playful creativity you value the most.” Amos Blanton

<a href="bookcreator://page/4CdAdQvPSzG9XtpjE-8_uw">Introduction</a> 	<a href="bookcreator://page/4CdAdQvPSzG9XtpjE-8_uw">Who's Behind?</a> 	<a href="bookcreator://page/8DMYawZKQ0e4WeWLbSFHvQ">What is Playing With the Sun?</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/SL2Dqw6dQ1qiD27S2lILVg">The Construction Kit </a> <a href="bookcreator://page/aN_t-z56QnKOvLil8hlVQw">Activities</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/0zdzJtNVTmKN-OOx_Q4Imw">Philosopy </a> <a href="bookcreator://page/ycdu49k_RkiEb3GJzzpFqA">Word List </a> <a href="bookcreator://page/XuPbW79NQXK4c01Xh-dT1A">Parts of the Construction Kit</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/e8jB9O0OSBmnqoXeNq1-gg">How to</a>

Sample Projects: Models that are meant to inspire participants to explore different possible designs. It's important to include at least one model that is very easy to understand. Base Model: A simple model given to participants as a starting point for modification, in stead of starting with individual parts only. Its purpose is to help them get started more quickly. Entry Points: A good workshop should have multiple entry points to appeal to a wide range of participants across gender, interests and temperaments.

Name

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