Using insulators as a teaching tool.

In early 2000, my daughter said that she would like to go to the NIA annual show in Bloomington, MN to keep her mother company, (while shopping at Mall of America), while I did the insulator show.

At the show, while viewing an exhibit by an elementary aged child and learning later that he was encouraged/inspired by his grandfather, Laurie became intrigued and wondered, "How could my father share his passion for the hobby with my class of thirty young children ages 4-1/2 to 6 years old?" 

Shortly after school started in September 2000, Laurie asked if I would help her develop a month long classroom program using insulators as a teaching tool. I gladly accepted. She began gathering ideas and developing a master plan for her insulator unit. By January 2001, she had a plan ready and chose to implement it during the month of April 2001. 

During the first week of April, as an introduction to the unit, Laurie buried two insulators in a tub of dirt. Two children discovered the insulators while playing in the dirt. She then asked each child in her class what they thought they were. She made a list of their answers. As a follow-up, Laurie explained to her class what insulators are and that her father would be coming the next day, bringing examples of different types of insulators with him. The class would be studying these insulators over the next three weeks. 

I gave the class a brief history of why insulator are used and where they were first used. I also told them that insulators are still being used today and that we would go outside to look for them at the top of telephone/power poles. I had them guess at the nicknames of the insulators. The children guessed "Mickey Mouse" and "Spaceship."

If they didn't like the nickname, they changed it. (i.e., "hoopskirt: to "spaceship") If the insulator didn't have a nickname, they gave it one (i.e., "water bottle", "alien", and "alien ship"). The last one I held up looked like a "bullet" and they all guessed that one. Then we went outside to look for insulators in use around the school's neighborhood. They enjoyed looking through my binoculars. One little boy would not leave my side. When we went back inside, the children sang the song "Here We Go To The Insulator Show," written by Laurie Haney.

In conclusion, I told them that I would come back in three weeks and I would bring each one of them their very own insulator. The children kept asking Laurie, "When is your daddy coming back and bringing our insulator?" Finally, Laurie had to mark the school calendar. 

Two children measure and weigh the insulators.

During the next three weeks, Laurie had activities planned, using insulators in the areas of:

MATH 
Classifying by shape, color, size and marks; Weighing; Measuring; Making patterns; Graphing our favorite insulator.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION 
A game called "Insulators On The Telephone Pole"

ART 
Making clay telephone poles; Painting with insulators.

LANGUAGE
Talking about similarities and differences; Matching the glass company embossed on the insulator; Labeling the insulators parts.

SCIENCE
Talking about electricity; Working on the coloring book given to the children by a parent who is an Electrical Engineer; Making a collage using pictures of electric items; Making a list of how we can save electricity.

Three students making telephone poles out of clay.

Two girls painting their insulators.

Students match embossings and company names 
and learn the parts of an insulator.

During snack time, a little boy ate a cracker down to a shape of an insulator and then proceeded to tell the teacher the parts (i.e., dome, base, grooves, etc.) Laurie named the new insulator design, "The Cracker"!

I visited the class again at the end of the fourth week and talked about why people collect insulators. I showed them a video clip of a real insulator show. Then Laurie and I set up a mock insulator show and divided thirty insulators into groups of six. We priced each group from fifty cents to two dollars. The children were given about three dollars in "play money" to purchase an insulator. After they picked their insulator, they went to the "cashier" and paid. The cashier explained how much change they would be getting back and another teacher helped them wrap their insulator. The insulators were put into paper bags with their name on it. Several of the "buyers" wanted an insulator with sharp drip points.

The Insulator Show featuring four students, 
Leonard Gibson and his daughter, Laurie Haney.

Closure: Before I came back the second time, Laurie asked the children what they had learned about insulators. With this list, the class made a book about insulators for me.

They drew a picture and they told Laurie what their picture was about. She wrote down their answers because many of the children have not developed writing skills.

Laurie Haney's dad, Leonard Gibson, 
enjoys the book about insulators.

When I first conceived of this program, I had no idea how it would interest this age group. This unit has not been taught at Portland, Oregon's West Hills Schools -- Early Childhood Learning Program before. Surprisingly, it was a great success and a good learning experience for everyone. One little boy has started a collection. By August 2001, he had about twenty-three insulators. He wants my dad to get him a CD 258 "Viking Helmet". This child was afraid to put his face under water during swimming lessons. So, I bet him an insulator that he could not do it. I lost! 

Another boy collected the insulators lying around his grandfather's farm with his dad. One father started collecting insulators because his son talked about them so much. 

While riding in the car, a little girl drove her parents crazy by pointing out all the insulators she saw. A lot of the children were amused because they knew something their family did not know. Another little girl would fret to her mom about where she was going to put her insulator. The insulator had to be in a "perfect place. " Another child placed his insulator in his bedroom window and made a special curtain for it. He taped up a sign that said "DO NOT OPEN". Some of the youngsters insisted that their insulator be displayed in the living room, family room or kitchen window. One boy took a picture of his insulator with his own camera. A little girl from Germany, who spoke very little English, drew a picture of me teaching insulators to the class.

A month after the unit was over, the children and parents were still talking about insulators. Because of its success, I have been asked to do the unit again. We begin this month, and this time I will have "Six Little Insulator Experts" helping me out. 

After reading several articles in "Crown Jewels of the Wire ", I suggested to my dad that we write this article. We are also creating an exhibit for the NIA national convention in Fort Collins, Colorado, July 5-7, 2002. So, why not attend the show and see what the Class of 2002 comes up with in the way of insulator knowledge? 

---- Laurie Haney