Earthcare Interactive!/Earthcare Interactive (Wayzata Technology) (1994).mdf/activity._id

Text File | 1994-06-21 | 8KB | 197 lines

I Love Air activities:

Can you hold your breath?  Not for long!  How many times do you
breathe in one minute? People need air to live.  Take a deep breath.
You deserve it!

Find two downy feathers.  Play this game with a friend.  Let the wind
carry your feathers away.  Whose feather floats the farthest?

When you stand outside in the summer, what do you smell?  Take a
deep breath.  Did you smell roses?  Cut grass?  Someone's barbeque
grill?

Wind is air that is hustling and bustling.  Listen to the wind howl.  Can you
howl like the wind?

Blow up a balloon, but don't tie it shut.  Hold the end so the air
doesn't escape.  Now, count to three and let it go!  Watch it fly
through the air.  Play again.  See how far you can fly your balloon.

Make a wind stick from a long, straight pole or branch.  Tape colorful
ribbon or crepe paper to the top.  Push the stick into the ground.
Which way do the strips move?  They tell you which way the wind is
blowing.

Fill a bowl with water.  Use a straw to blow air bubbles under the
water--first slow, then fast.  Add a few drops of dishwashing soap.
What happens when you blow through the straw?

Instead of putting laundry in a clothes dryer, hang it outside.  The air
does a good job of drying clothes...and makes them smell good, too.

Find a blank piece of paper.  On one side, draw a world with clean
air.  On the other side, draw a world with dirty air.  What makes air
dirty?  How can people keep air clean?

Think of places you could walk or ride your bike instead of riding in
a car, bus, or taxi.  Walking and biking help keep the air clean.  Talk
to your family about ways to stop air pollution.



I Love Animals activities:

What's your favorite animal?  Mold it in clay.  You can use dough
from the store, or you can ask an adult to help you make this recipe.

Critter Clay:
2 cups (.5 liters) water
2 cups (.5 liters) flour
1 cup (.25 liters) salt
1/2 cup (.125 liters) cornstarch
2 tablespoons oil (30 ml)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) powdered alum or 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cream of
tartar
few drops of food coloring

Add the food coloring to the water.  Mix all ingredients in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until thick.  Remove from heat.  When the
mixture is cool enough to handle, knead it until it is smooth.  This
recipe make 3 cups (.75 liters) of dough.  It should not be eaten!  The
dough will keep in the refrigerator for months.

Take a minute to show your pet that you care.  A scratch behind the
ears or a friendly word will make your pet's day!

If you don't have a horse in your backyard, you can keep a pretend
horse.  Throw the saddle on anytime and go for a gallop.  Don't forget
the sugar cubes!

Make an animal mask.  You will need a paper plate, paper punch, scissors,
yarn, and markers or crayons.  First, use the scissors to cut holes in
the plate for your eyes and nose.  Punch small holes on each side.
Thread the holes with a piece of yarn.  (Make a large knot on the end
of the yarn so it doesn't pull through.)  Decorate the mask with
markers or crayons.  What will you make?  A lion?  A bat?  A cow?
A walrus?

Go on a library safari to find books about animals you've never heard
of.  Did you discover any new creatures?  What's an ocelot?  A newt?
An orangutan?

You can have an animal dance, too.  Invite your friends.  Choose the
animals you will pretend to be.  Will you dance like a gerbil?  Or
would you rather be a chicken?  Start the music, and dance, you
party animal, you!

Animal shelters take care of animals that don't have homes.  Some
shelters have visiting hours.  Ask your parents to take you so you
can play with the dogs and cats.  The animals will have fun, and so
will you.

Make animal sounds with your friends.  Record them on a cassette
recorder.  Can your family guess what kind of animals you are?

Talk to your friends and family.  Tell them how to be kind to the
Earth's animal friends.  People need animals, and animals need
people! We help each other.

Make an animal alphabet border for your room.  Here's how to do it.
Tape sheets of paper together.  Use markers or crayons to draw
animals from A to Z.  You will need help putting the border on your
wall.



I Love Dirt activities:

Ever notice that dirt comes in different colors?  Try this.  Find a clean
jar with a lid.  Ask your parents for a spoon.  Now look for
interesting dirt.  Put a layer in the bottom of the jar.  Add a second
layer.  How many different colors of dirt can you find?  Screw the jar
cap on tight and display your dirt samples in your room.

Dirt is a good place for plants to grow.  Give the dirt a drink.  Use a
garden hose or a watering can.  What happens when you stir a little
water into a bucket of dirt?  Add more and more water and see what
happens!

Try growing a plant.  Cut the bottom out of a small milk carton.  Fill it
halfway with dirt.  Plant one green bean seed.  Add a little water.
Now set the carton in a sunny window...and wait.

What can you make from mud?  A bowl?  (Don't wash it in the sink!)
Round mud bon-bons?  (Don't eat them!!)  Mud snakes?  (They don't
bite!!!)  Mud is good for playing make-believe.

Make your own footprints in the dirt.  Use old shoes, sneakers, or
boots.  What kind of footprints did you make?

Help Mom and Dad feed compost to the garden.  Rake, rake, rake the
compost into the garden.

What do you find when you dig in the Earth?  Roots.  Stones.  Bugs.
Worms.  The dirt is home to many friends like chipmunks, gophers,
and bunnies.

Play this game of hide and seek with a friend.  Bury a rock in the
dirt.  Use a stick to draw a trail to the rock.  Can your friend find the
rock?

Get together with your friends.  Pick up the garbage in your
neighborhood.  Every little bit helps.

Make a poster.  Tell others to take care of the Earth's dirt.  Hang the
poster in your window.



I Love Water activities:

What's more delicious than a cold glass of water on a hot day?  Have
you ever tasted purple water?  Add a drop of red food coloring to a
glass of water.  Now add a drop of blue.  Stir, add an ice cube, and
sip.  Ah! No matter the color, clean water is delicious!

Have a water parade.  Put on your bathing suit and call some friends.
Ask them to bring squirt toys.  Single file, everyone.  Ready?
Forward, march!

Have your mom or dad hide small toys in the bathtub.  Then add
your bubble bath and water.  During your bath, search for the toy
treasures.  How many can you find?

In a swimming pool or lake, float on your back and listen to the
sound of water.  What do you hear?  Now float on your front.  Open
your eyes.  What do you see?

Make this craft on a rainy day.  First, fill a clean jar with water--not
quite to the top.  Add a drop or two of dishwashing liquid.  Sprinkle
in some glitter.  Close it tight, and shake.  It's raining!  Glue a round
piece of felt or colored paper to the lid and add a ribbon border, if
you wish.

Get some friends together.  Give everyone a paper cup.  Fill yours to
the brim with water.  Stand at the front of the line.  At the signal
"go," pour your water into the next player's cup.  How fast can your
friends pour the water from cup to cup?  How much water is left at
the end of the line?  Play the game again, only faster.

Play a game of water hide-and-seek.  If you're "It," find your friends
and squirt them--before they squirt you!

Find large box.  Climb inside.  Imagine what it would be like to be the
captain of a boat on the ocean.  Can you feel the waves rocking?
Decorate your boat with paints.

Make a boat to float in the bathtub or sink.  Crack a walnut in half.
Roll a small ball of clay and press it into the bottom of the shell.  Cut
a tiny sail from paper.  Poke the toothpick through the sail.  Push the
toothpick into the clay.  Happy sailing, captain!

Find out more about water and pollution.  Library books tell what
things people can do to keep water clean.  Read the books with your
family.