Teaching kids about hydrogen (and energy policy)
Sharp-eyed shoppers may notice two new fuel cell car kits in our store from Thames & Kosmos. We’ve been playing with both, and find them an amazingly fun way for kids to learn about hydrogen and energy. The kits are also plenty interesting for adults and offer an important policy lesson for those interested in hydrogen.
To test the appropriate age range for the toys, we invited 12-year-old Sasha to construct the Fuel Cell X7 in our office. She found the instructions clear and informative, and commented that “my science teacher would love this…There are lots of words in here that are on our quizzes.” Sasha’s only complaint was that the provided safety goggles hurt her nose.
Sasha left the car charging before she was whisked away by dad, so I had the delight of sending the car zipping around the office. Lots of fun, and an important policy lesson right in front of your eyes. Many don’t understand that hydrogen is an energy storage technology, and that well-meaning policies to encourage adoption now won’t help much without commensurate incentives for renewable hydrogen generation. This becomes clear when you attach regular old batteries to the fuel cell to generate hydrogen for the car.
The X7 gives kids hands-on experience building a fuel cell car, and is great for sharing when the car is complete. The Fuel Cell Experiment Kit takes things to the next level, adding a solar panel, a watt meter, and a book of 30 experiments for young scientists. These are not simple variations on a theme; each one is thoughtful and informative exploration of a concept in physics or chemistry that’s relevant and exciting to a budding scientist.
Many grew up tinkering with miniature radios and wiring kits. This is the modern clean tech alternative. You do pay an extra $50 for the experiment kit, and it’s for ages 12 and up, but it’s well worth the hours of entertainment and learning as your child gets excited about clean technologies.
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