Who better to teach young kids about being safe around electricity than the crazy coot who tied a key onto a kite string and flew it out in the middle of an electrical storm? Ben Franklin hosts this interactive program designed to teach middle school kids the basics of electricity, its history, how it's made, its recycling byproducts, and how to be safe around it.
This application was distributed to schools throughout Wisconsin along with a 17-page printed teacher's guide that includes pre- and post-viewing classroom activities. The app uses a combination of on-camera talent, voice-over narration, and engaging interactive exercises. Ben Franklin talent was shot on green screen and keyed over graphically created environments of Ben's 18th century workshop.
To continue to keep kids interested in learning, the app also includes a trio of arcade-style games that are designed to reinforce basic concepts of electricity, its history, and how it works. "Fossilize!" is based on the fact that coal was formed from compressed foliage. In "Generator", kids pilot a small ship around the interior of an electric generator, and "Get a Charge" features Ben's famous kite experiment. Each of the games includes a high score list that stores the top ten players' initials and scores, complete with a vulgarity detector to prevent students from entering inappropriate words.