EXPLORIT Science Center - Weekly Column

"Where do you get all of your energy?" is a common question parents, grandparents, and teachers ask youngsters. Now is the chance for said youngsters to find out how they get their energy so they can have a good answer the next time they hear this question.

Throughout Explorit's current exhibition "Watts Up! Explorations in Energy,” which is sponsored by PG&E, visitors can learn about the many ways energy from the sun is utilized in the world around them. From solar energy cells and heat to food production, the sun is the ultimate source for most energy.

One activity, "Eating Energy" focuses on food chains and food webs that ultimately begin with plants that utilize energy from the sun to make food for themselves in a process called photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, plants convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar. Then, in a process called respiration, the plants use this sugar to grow and reproduce.

Why is this process important to people and other animals you may ask? Think about the food you eat-it is either a plant itself, an animal such as a cow that eats plants, or an animal that ate another animal that ate plants. Confusing? Not really, if you check out this activity at Explorit.

Continue the exploration of how people get their energy by exploring how the human body utilizes food. The digestive system converts the food we eat to energy we can use to grow, move, and reproduce.

Take time to investigate the digestive process and learn some new things about how food is converted to useful energy during its journey through this intricate system. Think about how the types of food people eat affect the health of the digestive tract. What should people eat to make the digestive system run smoothly? How about fiber from whole grains, fruits and vegetables?

At Explorit, the activity "Healthy Compost" shows how plant matter is decomposed by microbes. The result: nutrient-rich compost that can be incorporated into the soil for other plants.

This compost contains the nutrients plants need, in a form that can be easily utilized by plants. The process of decomposition occurs naturally everywhere, even on forest floors and in meadows. Today, composting not only provides nutrients to soil that is used often, but is also reduces the quantity of waste put in landfills.

Compost not only provides nutrients, but also releases heat. Take time to test the temperature of the compost bin at Explorit. Where does that heat come from? Is the sun the ultimate source?

Now that this article has gone full circle discussing the sun as an energy source, gather those children who have lots of energy, and take a bicycle ride or walk to Explorit and learn how the sun provides energy to us all!

Explorit Science Center Weekly Column