Making batteries with lemons

Blanchardstown Library was the venue for some of the most exciting workshops for primary school children ever seen in Dublin 15. Pupils from eight local schools attended the library to take part in a series of 15 sustainable energy workshops organised by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI).

The ninety minute workshops covered such topics as energy sources, climate change, CO2 and what we as individuals can do to reduce the amount of energy we use. 

However it was not your typical dry theoretical presentation. Ben Bondaldi and Ciara Hinksman from SEI ran the event and had the children enthralled with a series of fun and interesting experiments such as making a battery out of a lemon.

With the help of three young volunteers, Ben connected three lemons together with a couple of copper and zinc discs and to gasps of astonishment used it to power up a small bulb.

The session finished with a game of “Guzzler’s Energy Challenge” where the aim of the game was to collect as many energy points as possible – and avoid the dreaded sin bin.

The event was organised by the Library’s Blanchardstown Europe Direct Centre and Enid Bebbington who co-ordinated the event was delighted with the response. “Ben and Ciara had a great way of explaining some very difficult ideas so that all the children understood exactly what was happening,” she said.

 

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