Game harnesses children's energy

Saving energy can be fun - that is the message of a new board game from the Irish Energy Centre.

"Professor Bugsy's Energy Game" is aimed at primary-school children from third to sixth class and is designed to complement the new science curriculum for primary schools.

"I wanted to get the message across of why we need to save energy and how we can do it," says Aoife Cannon, inventor of the game and education officer for the Irish Energy Centre.

Five games are included in a pack for each school with two books on saving energy and the environment. "It's the intention that teachers should cover the background material with the class then divide them into groups to play the game. It's based on the snakes and ladders principal, moving forwards and backwards on the board depending on your answers to energy-awareness questions."

The game is intended to teach children how to be more energy efficient in their everyday lives. The questions relate to energy use in schools - such as turning off lights in empty rooms and closing windows when the heating is on - and energy use at home. "I based the game on the four strands of the new science curriculum - living things, energy and forces, materials and environmental awareness and conservation," Cannon says. "I liaised closely with teachers and concentrated on the things kids could do themselves."

Cannon hopes to develop a version for younger primary school children and is launching a web page for second-level schools during science week in November.