Education Resources

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MPU provides a variety of in-school materials and programs on a variety of subjects:

Path-to-Ground Demonstration
Why can a bird sit on a power line and not get electrocuted?

This simple question has a complex answer, but can be easily explained with MPU’s Path-to-Ground demonstration.

This demonstration gives viewers a realistic view of the danger and power of high voltage lines. The display board is a model of a high-voltage line, which is actually energized to over 12,000 volts. A trained lineman demonstrates for students the dangers of flying a kite near power lines, climbing trees near power lines, or what to do if you see a downed power line. For adults, crane boom contacts and downed lines following a car accident can be realistically simulated.

Energy Cycle
The Energy Cycle is a fun and effective way to teach youngsters and adults about the flow of energy in the world around us and its uses in our society. The demonstration employs a bicycle powered generator that can be used to teach basic scientific concepts about the conversion of energy from one form to another and its use for lighting, heating, and transportation.

It consists of three main components: a bicycle for creating mechanical energy, a generator for converting the mechanical energy into electricity, and a display panel that has the necessary wiring and a range of gadgets that use the electricity to teach different lessons about energy.

National Theatre for Children
Each spring, MPU sponsors The National Theatre for Children, a Minnesota-based national touring company. Using creative audience participation techniques, The National Theatre for Children's acting troupe help teach young people the concepts of electrical safety and conservation using colorful sets and characters in comical situations that teach energy issues.