Hands-on Activities

Greener is Better! - Tutelare il Verde

The objectives of this activity are: 

• to understand the important role of green areas in urban and non-urban areas; 
• to identify the problems brought by deforestation and lack of environmental protection; 
• to understand photosynthesis and carbon sequestration. 

The activity aims to give theoretical knowledge of the crucial role of plant life and vegetation within the ecosystem. Teachers will introduce students to basic concepts of photosynthesis, plants’ role in preventing landslides and sequestering CO₂ from the atmosphere. 

• Drawing Activity - How do plants breathe?
  • Start by getting the students to draw a flower on a piece of paper. Ask them to continue their drawing by adding the sun, water, soil and rain. Next, get them to write carbon dioxide and draw an arrow towards the flower. On the opposite side, write the word oxygen and draw another arrow, but away from the flower this time. At the bottom of the plant, draw a sugar cube. Make sure to explain the process of photosynthesis as they are drawing as they go along. 
• Sunlight Experiments 
  • Give each student two paper cups with a quick growing plant potted inside. Ask them to place one cup in a dark room and the other in the sunlight on a windowsill. Each child needs to water both flowers throughout the week. After a week has passed, get the children to bring over both their plants and ask them to evaluate the two. Explain that the plant had a sunlight deficiency while in the dark room so therefore photosynthesis wasn’t possible and as a result the plant looks limp and is dying.
  • Have the students place a healthy, growing, leafy plant by the window for several days. Get the students to take construction paper and tape it over some of the leaves. Every week, get the students to check the covered leaves and take observations on their status. After a month, remove the tape on the leaves and compare them with the uncovered ones. The leaves covered in tape will be darker. Chlorophyll is what gives leaves their color and without sunlight, the leaves will lose that color. Discuss the observations with the students and let them draw conclusions on what is happening.

Topics covered

Plant Biology, Ecosystem, Environment Conservation

Relevance

This activity points at giving the basic knowledge of plant biology so as to understand their crucial role in the ecosystem and life itself on Earth. Beginning with introducing students to the basic theoretical knowledge on photosynthesis and plants’ s mitigating role on CO₂ emissions, teachers will guide them into the experiments, to see first-hand how these processes work. Students will draw their conclusions through the observations and data collection and analysis.

The Great Water Wheel - Acqua e Territorio

This activity combines theoretical knowledge on water sourcing, local hydrography and water pollution causes. In combination with the theory, practical activities are in place to test the knowledge acquired.

• Experiment - How do we clean up water? (Primary/Secondary)

The objective is to follow an established protocol for water purification and observe the results. The experiment can vary according to the age of students. The students will conduct the experiment and observe and comment with the teachers what happens. Then, they will sum up the results with drawings (primary) and/or graphs (secondary).

1. Water Filtration Experiment
2. Experiment - How do we eat water? (Primary)

The experiment aims at showing to students that our daily water intake doesn’t come exclusively from drinking water, but also from food. It is important then that the water we use in agriculture is not polluted. Students will see how pollution can then get into our food if it gets into water.

What do you need?

• A glass
• Tap water
• Red/blue food coloring
• A knife (supervision needed)
• A stick of celery with leaves on it

What do you do?

1. Fill the glass with water
2. Add two or three drops of food coloring. Notice how it spreads through the water. Pollution could spread through water just like the food coloring does. 
3. Wash the piece of celery. Leave the leaves on.
4. Being very careful, use the knife (get an adult to help) and cut off the bottom of the celery.
5. Put the celery in the glass filled with colored water.
6. Let the celery stalk sit there for at least four hours or overnight.
7. Then take the celery stalk out of the water.
8. Use the knife (remember to get help from an adult) and cut a slice off the bottom of the stalk.
9. Cut more slices.

Questions

1. Before you took the celery stalk out of the water, what did it look like?
2. When you sliced off pieces from the celery stalk, what did you find?
3. The food coloring is like pollution that could get into water. What would happen if there was pollution in the water instead of food coloring?
4. What does this tell you about polluted water?

Topics covered

Water sourcing, Pollution, Environment Conservation

Relevance

This activity introduces water sourcing, treatment and pollution to students in a comprehensible way, starting from where water is sourced, how it can be tainted by human activity and how it should be treated before putting it back in the water cycle.

It also encourages students to get to know their local territory and understand basic concepts of geography and hydrography