DIY Homeschooler

Electricity for the 4-H Scientist by Eric B. Wilson is a book published by the University of Idaho College of Agriculture in 1962. While the book is geared toward those in the 4-H program, it is an easy way to introduce any student to the basics of electricity.

The book includes 15 lessons covering:

• Electrical basics.
• Tools of the electrician.
• How to rewire a lamp.
• Making a shielded trouble light.
• Motor basics.
• Motor servicing.
• How to read an electric meter and determine electricity costs.
• How an iron works.
• Identifying electric hazards.
• How electric bells and buzzers work.
• Electric first aid.
• How electricity makes heat.
• Magnetism.
• Electric fuses.
• Measuring electricity.

Each lesson includes a “What To Do” experiment that can easily be documented with a scientific experiment notebook page.

Another great feature is the “What Did You Learn?” section that includes prefect narration prompts.

Several lessons also include demonstration suggestions.

Electricity for the 4-H Scientist is a perfect spine to a beginner’s electricity course — and it’s free!

Free eBook

• Variety of formats (EPUB, Kindle)

Suggestions

Have your students do one or more of the following:

• There are 15 lessons — enough for a one-semester course. If you have a younger child, you may want to spend two weeks on each lesson to provide ample time for experiments and write-ups resulting in a year-long course with room for vacations and holidays.
• Keep an electricity notebook. Each lesson provides enough materials to document what is learned, narrations, and experiments.
• You’ll find many illustrations in the book. These can be sketched on Drawing & Writing Notebooking Paper and narrated.

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Additional Resources

10 Ways to Use Notebooking: #7 Science
Ideas and notebooking forms for keeping that notebook!