Embedded Files
What is KidWind?
What is KidWind?
The GOAL of KidWind is to excite students about clean energy and careers in related fields, and to help educators understand clean energy technology. The student teams design and construct small wind turbines and solar devices that they test to determine how they produce energy. What is a KidWind Challenge? It is a hands-on design competition that engages students in STEM through the lens of wind and solar energy. During a challenge, the student teams meet with a panel of judges to present their wind and solar projects, discuss their design process, and demonstrate their conceptual knowledge about renewable energies. Teams also engage in a variety of Instant Challenges to gauge their on-the-spot teamwork and problem-solving skills.
As parents, educators students, interested others visit this site:
View the PBS KidWind movie published in September 2024. In this movie, you will see how Makersmiths solar and wind teams design, make, and test out their projects. The movie begins with a visit to a governor's school in VA that has a wind team testing their blades and learning to look at the performance data. It transitions to JMU where you meet Remy Pangle, the person who coordinates KidWind in Virginia. Then about 14 minutes into the movie, you will see the Makersmiths' high school solar team and the middle school wind team in action as the teams prepare for KidWind challenges.
Learn the benefits to youth who engage in KidWind. Read about why Makersmiths sponsors KidWind as an afterschool STEM initiative: Students Explore Real-World Energy Projects. There are other research articles that reveal reasons why programs such as KidWind are beneficial to promoting science understanding, independent and collaborative learning and problem-solving skills. Visit Research on STEM found on this website to learn more.
Meet the 2026 Makersmiths KidWind teams and read about their accomplishments (see below).
Follow the links on the table of contents above (Events, Resources and Pacing Guides) to learn how your school, nonprofit organization, or a homeschool network can become involved in KidWind.org!
Provide feedback to us, letting us know what you think of KidWind at Makersmiths by commenting on our Blog posts.
Makersmiths KidWind Teams
2026
Makersmiths KidWind Teams
2026
Five KidWind teams from Makersmiths came home winners from the March 17, 2026 Northern Virginia Regional KidWind Challenge at the Potomac Science Center in Woodbridge, Virginia. All three wind teams came in first place in their divisions and the middle school solar team came in first place and the high school solar team came in second place in their divisions. All five teams qualified to go to the KidWind-Virginia State Challenge on April 11, 2026 at James Madison University.
The 2026 Middle School
Solar Team:
1st Place KidWind VA State
The 2026 Middle School
Solar Team:
1st Place KidWind VA State
On April 11, 2026, five Makersmiths, Inc. KidWind teams competed in both the wind and solar events at the KidWind Virginia State Challenge at James Madison University. The Middle school solar team (called Error 404: Team Not Found) came in first place in their grade division and will go on to the KidWind Worlds Challenge at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin May 16-20, 2026.
The Solar Home
The Solar Home
This photo of the first place solar project won by the Middle School Solar team from Makersmiths, Inc. shows a solar home, complete with a working shower and electricity, in a landscape that has a lake and is off-the-grid. Lake water is filtered in stages to produce clean drinking water for the family living in the solar home. A solar-powered pump pushes water through a three- stage filtration process: mesh filter, carbon cleansing and UV lighting. After the water moves through the filters, it advances into a water tower container.
The other Makersmiths winning teams were the high school solar team (called Salamander 6) that tied for second place, the high school wind team (called the Cardinal Directions) came in third place, and the middle school wind team (called Microsoft Wind Support) came in third place. Although the elementary wind team (called the Hurricanes) did not place at the state level, the team won first place in the Northern Virginia Regional Challenge at George Mason University’s Potomac Science Center in Woodbridge on March 17. This means that in 2026, all our teams won trophies to put in our Makersmiths' showcases at our two locations.
Page updated
Report abuse