McCARRAN, Nev. – April Espinoza experienced global warming in an unusual way on Thursday. Kids warm up to solar energy She was covered with about 10 hooded sweaters, her peers chuckling as her face gradually disappeared underneath the black outerwear.

The 12-year-old student from Reno’s Traner Middle School volunteered for the task and kept a pleasant sense of humor about it, but started feeling warm several layers in during the demonstration.

An interactive lesson led by Black Rock Solar executive director Tom Price at the Food Bank of Northern Nevada encouraged the children to start developing good habits and to conserve energy in their homes.

“It helps our planet,” said Xeant Laroza, 12. “When there’s too much carbon, it gets hot and it melts the water around our ice caps.”

Price said there was no need to dumb it down for the students, who were on a field trip at the food bank to tour the facilities and learn more about its recent solar panel installation.

“It’s really straightforward: Sunlight can be transformed into electricity,” he said. “Making solar power accessible to children makes it much more likely they will understand and want to see it be a part of their lives. I think children intuitively understand why it’s important to protect the environment and we help create opportunities for them to express that.”

Children from Traner and Mountain View Montessori school learned about choosing better incandescent light bulbs and carbon that becomes trapped in the atmosphere. Price also showed the youth what one of the solar panels on the roof looked like, since they would not be allowed to go up on a scissor lift to see nearly 1,000 panels recently installed.

Quentin Hedgspeth, 12, said he would try to be more conscientious of his energy use at home.

“I’m going to try to leave the lights off and make sure the cell phone’s not plugged in (after it’s done charging),” he said.

Traner teacher Melissa Rountree, who teaches seventh grade science, said in April her classes will learn about ecology and alternative forms of energy and their knowledge from this trip and their lessons in classes could possibly help them to build solar cars, but she’s not sure if she will assign that project.

“They get a great visual (being here),” Rountree said. “It’s no longer abstract. It’s tangible, it’s concrete and they dig getting out of school. It shows there’s more to life than their iPods.”

She added her students have learned to conserve in the classroom.

“If I throw a paper in the garbage, they’re very aware,” Rountree said. “I think they have good habits.”

Price, whose first presentation to schoolchildren was Thursday, said having a hands-on element adds to the education of a child – or an adult – in good conservation practices.

“Kids are really smart,” he said. “All they need is education and encouragement to do the right thing.”