Activities With Lightbulbs

An incandescent lightbulb can inspire many entertaining activities.Clear lightbulb image by simbolocoma from Fotolia.com

Teaching children as well as adults the science behind a lightbulb as well as its energy implications is an effective way of helping the world to better understand its energy output. Rely on activities dealing with lightbulbs to entertain and educate people on the importance of energy conservation and recycling.

Compare Light Sources

To demonstrate the differences between an incandescent lightbulb and a compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb, use this activity. Gather your materials: a lamp without its lampshade, a thermometer, a 60-watt incandescent lightbulb and a 13-watt CFL bulb. These bulbs' watts generally give off the same amount of light, according to the Energy Star website. First, screw the incandescent bulb into the lamp. Then, hold the thermometer above the lightbulb for one minute. Switch the lamp off and record the degrees on the thermometer. Take out the incandescent bulb when it cools and screw in the CFL bulb. Perform the same steps you took with the incandescent bulb. You will find that the incandescent bulb gives off more heat yet produces the same amount of light as the CFL. Explain your findings to the group.

Use this entertaining craft activity to remind your group about the importance of recycling objects and using them for other purposes rather than just throwing them away. Use lightbulbs to prepare for holiday decorations, as per the All Free Crafts website. Collect craft materials, including spray paint, acrylic paint, string and super glue. Give everyone a burned-out lightbulb. Spray the lightbulbs with the spray paint and have the group decorate their colored bulbs with the acrylic paint and any other craft materials they like. When these lightbulb ornaments have been fully decorated, tie a small 5-inch string into a loop. Super glue the knotted end of the loop to the base of the lightbulb. Use these ornaments to decorate holiday trees or hang in windows.

If you want to instill the importance of energy conservation to younger children, use this activity, as suggested by the California Head Start Program. First, draw several lightbulbs, both CFL and incandescent, on a piece of paper. Make copies for every child in the group. Hand the papers out and instruct the children to look around their homes and color in as many of each type of lightbulb they see in the corresponding lightbulb pictures. They can also simply count the two kinds of bulbs. Discuss with them the difference between a CFL bulb and an incandescent bulb, as well as principles of energy conservation.