Utilizing an object that no longer works is a good way to contribute in the efforts to save our planet. One example is by using recycled light and lamps, use of goods that have become garbage to be used again into something more useful. What you could do is prepare an environmental topic in which you, for example, tackle the greenhouse effect, air and/or water pollution and use practical examples of how to reduce waste by recycling.
While you confront a scientific topic in theory, you are then also able to bring in a creative portion that may as well involve the audience in some way. For teachers working on primary school projects, place less emphasis on students competing against one another and ask whether recycled paper breaks down faster than new paper. Bury two same sized pieces of recycled and new paper in soil, and leave a marker where the paper is. After one month, your students can dig up the pieces of paper and note the results.
To demonstrate the impact of non-biodegradable products, bury an aluminum can outside, leaving a marker where you buried it. Wait a week and dig the can up before discovering why, unlike food waste, aluminum does not biodegrade. A sample experiment appropriate for older students involves assessing the effect of using used coffee grinds as a fertilizer for growing organic gardens, or assess the environmentally friendly and economic ways of recycling Styrofoam, as an example, testing the impact of limonene, a chemical contained in the peel of several common fruits, such as apples, oranges, lemons and limes.
On WebEcoist, at the webpage webecoist.com/2009/01/06/creative-alternative-recycling-proj there are 10 fascinating projects which use recycled materials. As a project which combines art with the science of the home, the page lists Richard Tracy's Rich Art and HA Schult's Trash People, homes made out of shipping containers, diapers transformed into diesel fuel in Quebec and dresses made out of maps and coffee filters.
While you confront a scientific topic in theory, you are then also able to bring in a creative portion that may as well involve the audience in some way. For teachers working on primary school projects, place less emphasis on students competing against one another and ask whether recycled paper breaks down faster than new paper. Bury two same sized pieces of recycled and new paper in soil, and leave a marker where the paper is. After one month, your students can dig up the pieces of paper and note the results.
To demonstrate the impact of non-biodegradable products, bury an aluminum can outside, leaving a marker where you buried it. Wait a week and dig the can up before discovering why, unlike food waste, aluminum does not biodegrade. A sample experiment appropriate for older students involves assessing the effect of using used coffee grinds as a fertilizer for growing organic gardens, or assess the environmentally friendly and economic ways of recycling Styrofoam, as an example, testing the impact of limonene, a chemical contained in the peel of several common fruits, such as apples, oranges, lemons and limes.
On WebEcoist, at the webpage webecoist.com/2009/01/06/creative-alternative-recycling-proj there are 10 fascinating projects which use recycled materials. As a project which combines art with the science of the home, the page lists Richard Tracy's Rich Art and HA Schult's Trash People, homes made out of shipping containers, diapers transformed into diesel fuel in Quebec and dresses made out of maps and coffee filters.
