Electricity is ALMOST Magic

by Weston (grade 4)

Electricity is so cool it is almost like magic. Electricity is a form energy for humans to use to live comfortably for life. Electricity is carried in wires by moving little electrons in the wires. A generator is what makes the electrons move in the wires.

Electricity can make things hot or cold. It can make heat with a heater and you can also cook by using heat. You can make it cold with air conditioning and keep food cold with a fridge or a freezer. All of these are powered by electricity. Electricity can power a motor. Motors are in things such as circular saws, vacuums, washing machines, even cars and buses.

Electricity is transferred from a different form of energy by a generator. The generator needs something to make it move, like a wind turbine or hydro, nuclear, coal and oil power. Also, there is solar energy which does not need a generator. It just sends the electricity to the wires using sunlight.

    Some of the harmful forms of electricity to the earth are coal, oil and nuclear. Oil and coal put pollution in the air. Nuclear makes waste that we can’t get rid of and if a big storm comes it could destroy it and make a nuclear explosion.

Electricity is one of the best kinds of energy. In my opinion, I think it’s one of the most helpful ways to change the forms of energy. Lightning is one of the most dramatic effects of electricity.

Awesome Annie Painter!

by Audrie (grade 5)

Annie Painter  is the main art teacher here at Black Butte School. She is the best, she has been here twice this year, the first time she was here she taught us block art. We printed different shapes and shades with one block. And the second time she let us make windows inspired by Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

We won’t be able to see her as much as last year, sadly she is in the process of moving to Portland. She has been a teacher for a long time, she was actually my mom’s principal at Powell Valley grade school in Gresham. Then she wanted to teach at her own studio.  Lucky for her she has the last name Painter.

I have known Annie since I was 8 and now I’m almost 11. I have learned so much from her. She loves teaching new techniques. “Annie is inspiring and fun,” said Talon and Weston. “We will miss you so much Annie, see you soon and safe travels” says the entire school. If you want to learn more about Annie’s Adventures go to her website www.anniepainter.com.

COCC Solary Array

By Eniat (Grade 7)

On Wednesday the 1st of November the upper graders of Black Butte School went to COCC Redmond campus to see their solar array. Once we got to the campus we went to a classroom to learn about different types of energy. The main types of energy are hydroelectric, solar energy, fossil fuels, biofuel, and wind. In all of these 6 types of energy solar is the only one that does not use a generator.

On the bus we were asked to come up with questions to ask the professor we worked with. One of the more common questions was “will the panels work with snow on top of them?” The answer was yes the panels work with snow on top of them but not as well.  Another common question was “will the panels work with the reflected sunlight of the moon?” The answer was also yes but not as well.

The solar array has 1556 solar panels. This array  can power the campus during the summer and actually makes extra energy that they can to the power company, but in the winter they don’t make enough to power the campus, so they have to buy the energy from the power company. Ilya one of the 8th graders at BBS said “It was a really enjoyable field trip.” Athan, one of our 5th graders said, “I liked it and am happy that solar panels were invented so we don’t have to use fossil fuels as much.”

This field trip was fun because we got to go into a college classroom, touch an actual solar panel, and track the amount of energy they were making.

Bend Science Station

By Cody (grade 8)

The Black Butte School upper grades class went to the Bend Science Station on Friday, November 5. We went to learn about how to make a motor and a little bit about how electricity works. On the way there we got to talk about how we thought motors worked. When we got there, we met up with a guy named Dan who was going to teach us for the day.

The first thing we did was talk about magnets and how they work in motors and what types there are. The permanent magnet in a motor helps make the motor spin when the two different types of magnets are pushing against each other. Next we were told about how an electric motor works. An electric motor works by having a solenoid that then has power sent through it, then the electricity can make a circuit that makes the solenoid turn into an electromagnet.

We then went on to make our own motors. We made a type of motor called a brushed motor. A brushed motor is a type of motor that gets its power directly from the power source. It uses two brushes that rub against the armature. What we first did was work on bending some copper into a shape to work as brushes. Then we put the brushes that we made into a wood block with pre-drilled holes to act as a base. Next we worked on getting a D-size battery hooked up to the brushes. We last got an armature and permanent magnet to finish it off. This works by having the electromagnet and the permanent magnet push against each other. Athan said,“ I think it was fun, and everyone had a great time.” Last thing we did when we got back was teach what we did to the younger kids.