Introducing energy, hands-on, minds-on

Pitt Hild & Grégory Chatton – Introducing energy, hands-on, minds-on, Festival Science on Stage 2026, Klaipeda, Lithuania

Dealing with energy is a core element of STEM education. According to our Swiss curriculi, initial encounters with the key concept of energy should take place as early as possible (in kindergarden): young kids should learn to recognize and discuss (verbalize) energy conversion processes and be able to describe the occurrence and significance of energy in everyday life. This requires a rule-based, methodologically sound, and systematic approach.

Science educators at the University of Fribourg have developed four teaching and learning boxes that offer a variety of phenomena and activities to promote discovery and inquiry-based learning related to energy. Each of the four boxes addresses the core concept in a different topic. In line with each topic, the children discuss the influence of different variables on energy conversion processes and build and optimize a DIY object (water wheel, marble run, kite, and rubber-powered car). The language-sensitive learning opportunities enable children to have their first sensory experiences with energy in the form of movement (mechanical phenomena). Questions that can be addressed in class include “When does a wind turbine spin faster?” or “When does a marble roll faster?” A deeper insight into the teaching and learning objectives was be provided during the festival.