Not long ago, on the Fourth of July, the Makersmiths’ Middle School Solar Flares KidWind team built a solar-powered rocket to explore the universe. They brought with them Makersmiths’ High School solar team called La Wai and the team’s solar-powered desalination project.  They wanted to be sure to have clean water to drink if they landed on a planet with only salty water. They also included the Makersmiths’ Middle School Wind Turbine team, called the Vivacious Voltages, so when they landed on a planet and it was dark, they could generate power if there was wind. 

As the three KindWind teams soared through the universe, they approached a planet that seemed dark but intriguing. When the rocket landed, a gnome by the name of Sir Gerald Chadwick greeted them with a peace sign. He said, “Welcome to the Ungnome Planet!” He told the teams that he was the leader of all the gnomes who lived on this planet.

He invited the teams into his little hobbit house. The KidWind teams explored his house and then the land around the hobbit house. They found that Sir Chadwick was burning fossil fuels to keep warm and to cook his food. So the Kidwind teams told the gnome leader they could help him and all the other gnomes on the planet to learn to use clean energy because they were ruining their planet with greenhouse gases emitted by burning fossil fuels. The KidWind teams showed the gnomes a better way of powering their planet with wind turbines that produce energy day and night as long as the wind blows. They can also generate energy with solar panels when the planet’s sun was shining!

The gnomes of the Ungnome Planet were so grateful that they invited the teams to stay with them. They all lived a good clean life, happily ever after.

Seriously, we needed a story to go with our KidWind FLOAT for the Purcellville 4th of July parade!

Coaches Andrew Taylor and Diane Painter are seen here with members of the 2024 KidWind teams.