It's great that you're planning a hands-on Electricity Unit with your Year 5/6 students. Building a solar-powered house is a fantastic and engaging way to introduce renewable energy and basic circuits. Lets look at both in supplies and setup, with tips to make it age-appropriate and manageable.

🏠 Overview: What the Students Will Do

Each student (or pair/group) will:

Build a model house from cardboard or similar. Makedo would be a great addition here!
Wire up a basic circuit to power LED lights (and optionally, a wind turbine, a fan or buzzer).
Use a small solar panel to run the circuit in sunlight.

This combines construction skills, electrical basics, and environmental awareness.

🔌 What You’ll Need (Per Group/House)

Component	Purpose	Notes
Mini solar panel (3V–6V)	Powers the house	Look for 3–6V panels, 0.5–1W; comes with wires or clips.
Rechargeable AA battery + holder (optional)	Stores energy if no sun	You can skip this for simplicity or use a solar battery charger.
LED lights	Lighting the house	Choose 3mm or 5mm LEDs (any colour); avoid 12V types.
Resistors (e.g., 220 ohm)	To protect LEDs from overcurrent	Often needed when using batteries or strong sun.
Small DC motor (optional)	For extra challenge	Runs off solar; great for ventilation demo.
Wire (solid core preferred)	Connecting everything	Get jumper wires or a roll of 22 AWG wire.
Alligator clips or crocodile leads	Easy connections	Makes building easier for younger students.
Switches (optional)	To turn lights on/off	Adds realism; slide or toggle switches.
Cardboard, glue, tape, scissors	For building houses	Milk cartons or shoeboxes work well.
Multimeter (1–2 per class)	To test circuits/solar output	Optional but helpful.
Soldering?	No need! Use prewired parts or twist wires + tape.

🧰 Recommended Kits (Optional)

You could purchase basic solar house kits if you'd prefer a less DIY option. Look for:

STEM Smart House Kits for Microbit
“Build your own solar car” sets

🧠 Extension Ideas

Extensions:

Add a switch or sensor to turn on lights at night.
Include a small buzzer as an alarm system.
Run a design challenge (e.g., brightest house, most efficient, coolest design).

🪛 Teaching Tips

Start with simple circuits using a battery before adding solar.
Use a shared light source (like a torch or desk lamp) if outside sun is unreliable.
Test components before the lesson.
Assign roles in each group: builder, electrician, tester, documenter.

🔬 Science – Year 5/6 Curriculum Links

✴️ Physical Sciences

Year 6 Content Descriptor (ACSSU097)

"Electrical energy can be transferred and transformed in electrical circuits and can be generated from a range of sources."
ACSSU097 on ACARA

How your project links:
Students build a circuit using solar power to transfer electrical energy into light (LED), optionally a fan (motion), and learn about energy sources.

🌱 Sustainability Cross-Curriculum Priority

This project aligns with the sustainability priority by:

Exploring renewable energy (solar power).
Encouraging resource-conscious design.
Discussing energy efficiency and environmental impact.

ACARA: Sustainability Priority Overview

🛠️ Design and Technologies – Years 5/6

✴️ Knowledge and Understanding

ACTDEK020

"Investigate how electrical energy can control movement, sound or light in a designed product or system."
ACTDEK020

✴️ Processes and Production Skills

ACTDEP025

"Generate, develop and communicate design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques."
ACTDEP027

"Select appropriate materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and apply safe procedures to make designed solutions."

Electricity Unit with Stage 3 - yr 5 and 6