The “Measure the Distance” activity is done as a walk. Students pick a prominent starting point such as a stop sign, building, or telephone pole. From that point, they walk in a single direction while using a measuring wheel. As students reach the “height” of one of their landmarks, they will place the appropriate flag in the ground at that point. This activity helps students visualize how large the turbines actually are. Adding in local landmark heights, such as your school or water tower, also helps bring this into perspective. The Kansas Energy Program created example flags (Wind Turbine Height Flag Document) that represent different turbines and landmarks and attached them to utility stake flags. Included on each flag is the height and basic information about the feature. The Wind Turbine Comparison Graphics document includes more information about several of the turbines.
