Natural resources

Energy can come from two kinds of natural resources. Renewable resources, like wind and sunshine, are replaced by nature again and again, so we will not run out of them. Nonrenewable resources, like coal, oil, and natural gas, took millions of years to form underground. Once we use them up, they are gone. This set of activities, made just for kids in grades 3 to 5, helps you learn what renewable energy is, how it works, and why it can be better for the environment. You get to practice finding good information, choosing the best facts, and using them to explain your ideas or persuade others. Each activity focuses on one kind of renewable energy and even shares information about jobs people have in this field.

People use two main ways to pull energy fuels out of the Earth: mining and drilling. Mining is used for solid fuels like coal and uranium. Drilling is used for liquid and gas fuels like crude oil and natural gas. One kind of mining, called subsurface mining, digs deep tunnels and shafts underground to reach the fuel. This can be dangerous for workers, and it can hurt the environment too. It can make the ground cave in, pollute water, and damage the places where plants and animals live. That is why getting and using fuels always has an effect on the world around us.

Most of the energy used around the world comes from fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas. These fuels are nonrenewable, which means there is only a fixed amount of them on Earth, and nature cannot quickly make more. Different countries use very different amounts of fossil fuels. Countries with lots of factories and big industries usually use the most energy per person. Because fossil fuels will someday run out, and because burning them pollutes the air and changes the climate, many people are working to use more renewable energy, like wind and solar power, instead.

Wind energy uses the air moving naturally around the Earth to make power. Big wind turbines catch the moving air and turn it into electricity for homes and schools. Wind is a fully renewable resource, because the wind keeps blowing no matter how much we use it. It also causes very little harm to the climate and the environment compared with fossil fuels. Wind energy is one of the cheapest ways to make electricity, and it is one of the fastest growing energy sources in the whole world.

This course is about taking care of the natural world while still using what we need from it. It combines the study of nature and conservation with planning how to use and protect land, water, wildlife, and forests wisely. Some of the topics include what pollutes water, how to manage water and land, and alternative energy resources like wind and solar power. It also covers metals and minerals that come from the Earth.