This week the Clarkia classes discovered a new book to love. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind is a true story about a 14 year old boy from a small village in Malawi, Africa. His village was hit by a drought and crops failed because they could not get water to the fields. William was curious about the way machines worked and was always tinkering. When he could no longer go to school because his family could not afford it, he was forced to sneak his way into the local library where he found the inspiration to build a windmill. After many trials and overcoming many obstacles he succeeds in bringing electricity to the water pump saving his family from starvation.
This was a perfect fit to the Clarkia's makerspace week and their focus on weather and its impacts on crops. I hope it brought some inspiration to our budding engineers. I would encourage you to pick up a copy of the chapter book or picture book to read as a family.