This week, I am traveling across the State of Florida for the Children of Inmates (COI) program. One of the exciting things COI kids will be participating in this spring is a joint project with the kids at Hollywood Central Elementary School and the Light of Future School #1.

Together, the kids will participate in what I have deemed the “KidPower Earth Day 2015 Project”. Here is what they will be doing:

Children and youth from the Children of Inmates program, Hollywood Central Elementary, and the Light of Future School #1 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia will:

1. construct bicycle generators to power laptop computers. They will
develop engineering and math skills while learning a simple, clean energy
technology to generate electricity,

2. explore environmental protection and conservation needs in their countries,

3. share their learning experiences through video-conferencing, and

4. utilize the creative arts (music, visual arts, and dance) to express Earth Day
Network’s 2015 theme, “It’s Our Turn to Lead.”

In the next two weeks, my husband and a few of his friends will build a prototype of the bicycle generator in the COI “Think Tank” office space. By mid-March, they will have six additional bicycle generators ready to travel. Then, the COI kids will be taking these bicycle generators with them on the Spring COI Bonding Visits. The kids and their incarcerated parents will generate electricity – by pedaling – to power up a laptop computer.

Simultaneously, at Hollywood Central Elementary School, the prototype bicycle generator will be installed in Ms. Nunez’ 4th grade classroom. And on the other side of the world, children at the Light of Future School #1 will be constructing their own bicycle generator.

The laptop computer they utilize will be the first in the Light of Future School #1. For most of the kids, this will be their first exposure to a laptop. The electricity they generate will also be the first in the school.

We are all excited about the #KidPower2015 project! I will be writing more about the project and sharing photos in the coming weeks.