This lab was created to help students explore energy usage in something as simple as the lightbulbs we choose to buy for our homes. This activity pairs great with a lesson on environmental science or sustainability, but also works as basic scientific method review.

Materials are required for this, but where there's a will there's a way!

You'll need:

- 4 different lightbulbs

- Light bulb bases or lamp bases (try a thrift store!)

- Watt meters that measure KWH (Amazon)

- Plus, make sure your room has enough open outlets to perform the lab.

This product includes:

- A teacher guide on things to know as you set up

- An article on power vs. energy to use as an intro if you choose

- A lab handout set up in the scientific method format

- 2 versions of the data table: 1 preset with the bulbs I used, 1 blank for you to choose your own options.

What I learned:

Measuring KWH is a slow process, and requires about 20 minutes of wait time. Plan to have an additional activity or video while you wait. The KWH will not grow crazy dramatically, but it's enough for kids to get excited about! My students shocked me with how invested they were in figuring out which bulb was best. They were "rooting" for bulbs they knew their parents used. This lesson lead to great conversations about how LED bulbs typically emit less green house gases and how bulbs that get super hot could be a hazard.