This workshop opens children’s eyes to the wonders of the world around them, and the responsibility we have to protect our natural resources from harm. Participants discover how their everyday habits and actions can make a difference, and learn to see themselves as caretakers of the planet.

 

Experiment Example: Styrofoam & Recycling

 

In this experiment, we’ll learn about recycling and chemical reactions, by combining two different materials: styrofoam and acetone. Styrofoam is a product used every day for containers and protecting things sent in the mail. We’ll make the styrofoam disappear by “melting” it in the acetone. This “melting” is actually caused by a chemical reaction--something that happens when two things interact with each other and change.

 

Other examples of reactions are:

 

• A bike left too long in the rain will react with water, creating rust.

• Our bodies react with foods to absorb vitamins.

• Baking soda and vinegar react, creating gas.

 

When the experiment is over, you’ll see that the styrofoam has broken down into smaller, styrene molecules. Molecules are small parts of a material--everything around us is made up of molecules.

 

Lesson: Responsibility

 

It’s our responsibility to take care of our planet. Many things that we throw away can actually be recycled--cardboard, plastic, metals, and more. Many people believe that it's impossible to recycle styrofoam because it doesn’t break down.

 

This experiment shows us that it is possible to transform styrofoam, but that it's not very easy to do. Instead, a lot of styrofoam ends up in landfills, which is bad for the planet.

 

There are many ways to recycle materials--but the easiest way to make our landfills smaller is to reduce the amount of resources we use, and re-use as many resources we can.

 

Practical Application

 

This experiment teaches us more about how we can conserve resources--it guides us in conserving food. Unfortunately, many children in the world do not have enough to eat.

 

There are a couple of ways we can try to solve this problem: 1) be more conscious about not wasting food, 2) give away extra food, clothes or help to those who are less fortunate than we are. This makes our planet a better and happier place.

Other:  During this workshop, worksheets are distributed to children encouraging them to come up with solutions and personal resolutions about not wasting.