Vacation game in Scharndorf: “We’re building a climate house”
This year’s KEM vacation game in Scharndorf was all about sustainable and climate-friendly construction. The children were allowed to lend a hand and learned about important building elements for an energy-efficient house in a fun way.
Simple shoe boxes were turned into creative model houses that were designed with great attention to detail. The aim was to integrate five central elements of a climate house:
- a bright façade,
- Greenery for cooling and a better microclimate,
- a photovoltaic system to generate electricity,
- Shading by blinds or external venetian blinds,
- and good insulation to prevent heat loss.
The model houses were imaginatively designed using natural materials such as leaves, popsicle sticks or craft cardboard.
A special highlight was the “insulation challenge” at the end: after the children had insulated their houses with various materials such as wool, polystyrene or straw, an ice cube was placed in each model house. An ice cube in a glass served as a reference – without any insulation. A thermal imaging camera was used to check how well the houses were insulated. And indeed: while the ice cube in the glass melted quickly, the insulated model houses kept their contents cool for a surprisingly long time. The children were astonished when they opened their houses and discovered almost intact ice cubes inside!
The reward was an ice cream and lots of new climate knowledge.
