PMC6352923_01
"Make yourself a battery" toolkit.. (
a) Basic components required to assemble a battery at home. Zinc and Copper plates (~5x10cm), wires, boiled potato, sealing tape, light emitting diode (LED). Test resistor and voltmeter are used for performance measurements. (
b) Process for a single cell and complete battery assembly. Assembly description of four potato batteries to turn on one LED lamp (
i) put 4 plates on a rigid substrate; (
ii) add 4 boiled slices of potato, once cooled, on the metal plates, recommended to cover the metal plates with the potatoes, as much as possible; (
iii) cover the potatoes with the Zn plates; (
iv) seal the cells with a tape and connect the batteries with the cables - each metal should be connected to the closest battery to the second metal except to metal plates on the edges; (
v) connect the not connected plates, to the LED lamp, the electric circle is closed; (
vi) in a case everything connected right, the LED lamp will be turned on; (
vii) to measure open circuit voltage, a voltmeter should be connected instead the lamp; (
viii) to measure the current in the system, connect the 100ohm resistor instead of the LED and measure the voltage on it. (
c) Schematic representation of a complete lighting device, powered by Zn/Cu/boiled potato battery. (
d) Lighting device performance example for book page illumination in a completely dark room.
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During the activity, the children used boiled potatoes, Zn and Cu electrodes (5X10 cm), wires, resistors, voltmeter and LEDs, as described Figure 2a. Figure 2b and c. Figure 2 shows a step-by-step procedure for battery assembly and use to generate LED light sufficient for reading ( Figure 2d)
PMC6352923_02
"Make yourself a battery" toolkit.. (
a) Basic components required to assemble a battery at home. Zinc and Copper plates (~5x10cm), wires, boiled potato, sealing tape, light emitting diode (LED). Test resistor and voltmeter are used for performance measurements. (
b) Process for a single cell and complete battery assembly. Assembly description of four potato batteries to turn on one LED lamp (
i) put 4 plates on a rigid substrate; (
ii) add 4 boiled slices of potato, once cooled, on the metal plates, recommended to cover the metal plates with the potatoes, as much as possible; (
iii) cover the potatoes with the Zn plates; (
iv) seal the cells with a tape and connect the batteries with the cables - each metal should be connected to the closest battery to the second metal except to metal plates on the edges; (
v) connect the not connected plates, to the LED lamp, the electric circle is closed; (
vi) in a case everything connected right, the LED lamp will be turned on; (
vii) to measure open circuit voltage, a voltmeter should be connected instead the lamp; (
viii) to measure the current in the system, connect the 100ohm resistor instead of the LED and measure the voltage on it. (
c) Schematic representation of a complete lighting device, powered by Zn/Cu/boiled potato battery. (
d) Lighting device performance example for book page illumination in a completely dark room.
f1000research-7-14352-g0001.jpg
PMC6352923_02_f1000research-7-14352-g0001.jpg
f2
During the activity, the children used boiled potatoes, Zn and Cu electrodes (5X10 cm), wires, resistors, voltmeter and LEDs, as described Figure 2a. Figure 2b and c. Figure 2 shows a step-by-step procedure for battery assembly and use to generate LED light sufficient for reading ( Figure 2d)
PMC6352923_03
Developing Environmental and Energy-responsible literacy.. (
a) From rudimentary knowledge and budding awareness to responsible environmental behavior: the environmental literacy continuum. (
b) The stages of developing environmental and energy-responsible literacy in education.
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In addition, to demonstrate to children that it is possible to provide human needs without damaging the environment, the complete life cycle of potatoes used in the process was shown ( Figure S1).
Educational activity description.. (
a) The schematic description of the educational activity involving youth leader and children in the summer camp. (
b) Teaching materials, lectures, and activity structure as performed during the camp.
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The study design is shown in Figure 3a. Additional activities for participating children included visiting natural open spaces near the city and conducting animals and plants surveys, building nesting boxes for birds, making creative artifacts from packaging materials to avoid dumping, learning to make healthy, natural food, plant ecological gardens, in a learning-by-doing approach ( Supplementary File 1 and Figure 3b).