Full Text:

Thomas Edison Lights Up Sandy Hook School

(with photos)

BY ANN MARIE COHEN

The Cultural Arts Committee brought Thomas Edison to Sandy Hook School earlier

last week. Dr Joseph French of Redford, Michigan presented a one-man show

about the famous inventor and conducted science workshops for the children.

Dr French is an actor with Mobile Productions, a theater company that educates

through entertainment.

During the workshop experiment, first grade students learned science

principles by engaging in group learning activities. Often the directions were

above their reading level, and like great minds, what answers could not be

figured out immediately, could be arrived at by trial and error.

How does a light switch work? Confronted with this question and four

connections, four wires, a bulb and a battery, children conducted their study.

How delighted they were to observe the bulb light up and blink after some

experimentation and debate.

Dr French told the children that Edison used the principle of

electro-magnetism in many of his inventions. This principle was demonstrated

with the use of a slanted board, a metal washer and a quarter. The students

were to determine which way the metals would slide. The metal slid to the

center of the board. "It's like putting money in a candy machine," said Dr

French.

Thomas Edison's boyhood interest in the telegraph was the beginning of many of

his experiments and inventions. Children tried their hand at Morse code with

the "telegraph."

"I wish I could buy this telegraph for one dollar," said Samantha Allen. "It

would make a neat toy!"