Conservation

Temperature smart bingo

Let's get power smart about keeping warm and cozy during winter months.

French included

Grade

4-7

Duration

45 mins

Type

Game

Overview

Students will learn about saving energy with our water and space heating by investigating items that save energy and playing bingo to test their energy conservation knowledge.

BC Hydro

Instructions

What you'll need

"Temperature bingo" student template, print 1 per student or students can copy the template to create their own using the words provided
"Temperature bingo" teacher questions
"Temperature smart" slideshow
"What is energy conservation" video
Pencil or pen per student
Bingo chips or similar (e.g. Lego pieces, small pieces of paper)

Watch the "What is energy conservation" video with your students to help them understand the concept of energy conservation.
Explain to your students that we'll be learning about how to save energy for our water and space heating while still keeping warm during winter months in our homes.
Pull up the “Temperature smart” slideshow and at slides 2 and 3 share with students that we use a lot of energy in our homes heating our water and space to keep warm in winter. Discuss why saving energy is important like it helps protect our environment and saves money.
At slide 4 ask students to share how a sweater can save energy. Slide 5 reveals an answer; we can turn down the heat in our homes if we dress warmly. Continue through the slides to have students brainstorming various items and behaviours that can save us energy.
Hand out the “Temperature bingo” student template, one per student. Students create their own bingo cards by choosing words from the list and writing them in the bingo squares. Alternatively or if students do not have access to a printer at home, have students draw their own template and add the words from the list.
Explain to students that we will be playing temperature bingo to test their energy saving skills and hand out the bingo chips. Pull up the “Temperature bingo” teacher questions and start by reading the first question. Students guess the answer as a class and cover the square if they have this answer on their card. Students win if they get 5 covered in a line: vertically, horizontally or diagonally and call out “temperature bingo”!

Modify or extend this activity

Modification

Students can participate in these activities in school or at home. Students at home, that do not have access to a printer, can participate in the bingo by creating their own bingo template and adding the words from the list.
Remember to recycle any paper from the activity or take the bingo game home and play with your families to test their temperature skills.

Extension

Challenge students to get temperature smart by timing their showers. The goal is to keep their showers at 5 minutes or less but remember to get clean.

Curriculum Fit

Core competencies

Communication

Connecting and engaging with others

Thinking

Creating thinking: Generating and incubating
Critical thinking: Questioning and investigating

Personal and social

Personal awareness and responsibility: Self-regulating
Social awareness and responsibility: Contributing to community and caring for the environment

The activities also connect to a variety of grade-specific curricular competencies and content in a variety of subjects including Science, and Applied Design, Skills and Technologies.

Teaching Notes

Water heating

Heating water can use a lot of energy but there are some simple, inexpensive ways to reduce hot water heating bills and conserve energy. Here are a few tips:

Take shorter showers, ideally 5 minutes or less. A regular showerhead can use about 10 litres of water per minute so even a 5-minute shower can use about 50 litres of water. All of that water needs to be heated!
Switch your showerhead to a low flow showerhead. These can reduce the water flow to 6 litres per minute but it still feels like a great shower!
Install aerators on your faucets. They are easy to install and similar to low flow showerheads they can reduce the water flow to 6 litres per minute.
Repair leaky faucets. A leaky drip can waste many litres of water per day.
Wash your laundry in cold water; this saves energy and your clothes last longer.

Space heating

Space heating can account for 50% or more of your energy bills but there are some simple ways to save energy on your heating while still keeping warm. Here are some tips:

Regularly clean your heating system. Dusty air ducts, baseboard heaters or filters lead to inefficient systems that use more energy.
Make sure there is nothing blocking the heat being distributed to the room. Furniture, carpets, and curtains are common culprits.
Get a ceiling fan; they are great since hot air rises and they the fans send the hot air back down to keep us warm in winter.
Get a programmable thermostat and set it to 21°C during the day if you are home, and 16°C at night or during the day if you are out.

Winterize your home

Check for drafts. If you can feel cold air coming in, you’re wasting heat. Sealing gaps and cracks can help and, in some cases, reduce heat loss by about 10%.
Sticking weather stripping around windows and doors where you feel a draft is simple and inexpensive to do.
A lot of heat is lost through our windows. Close curtains or blinds at night and apply window film to your window glass. This is inexpensive and simple to install using a hair dryer.

See also Draftproofing your home for more information on saving energy with DIY videos for winterizing your home.

Young people can take action

A greater understanding of energy-efficient lighting empowers students to practice energy conservation and care for their near environment. With your help, we can foster a culture of Power Smart youth in British Columbia together.

Assessment

Assess students’ ability to share ideas, listen to each other and work collaboratively to investigate ways to save energy.
Assess students’ participation and cooperation during the bingo game.
Assess students’ understanding of ways to save energy at home with heating and why saving energy is important.