Climate Action
Overview
Overview
Keywords: acid rain, acid, acidification, base, carbon dioxide, changes of state, climate change, cooling, energy, environmental pollution, glaciers, global warming, heat, historical artefacts, ice, insulation, land ice, melting, neutral, pH, scientific control, sea ice, sea level rise, sea level, states of matter, temperature, water
Subjects: biology, chemistry, geography, history, mathematics, physics, science, social studies
Age group: 5-12 years old
Difficulty level: ● ○ ○ (easy) / ● ● ○ (medium)
Authors: Esra Aksoy (TR), Rebecca Mudde (GB), Rute Oliveira (PT), Anastasia Papakonstantinou (GR)
Go directly to:
- What Causes Ice to Melt?
- How does Global Warming Lead to a Rising Sea Level?
- How does the Melting of Sea Ice or Land Ice affect the Sea Level?
- What is the Secret to Eco-Friendly Homes?
- How can we Identify Acids and Bases?
- Ocean Acidification
- How does Acid Rain Damage our Buildings?
- How does Acid Rain Affect Plants?
About this topic
The experiments on the topic "Climate Action" revolve around the question how climate change impacts our daily lives. They show that climate change leads to habitat loss and disruptions in the ecosystem, and motivate to work together to prevent climate change and to protect vulnerable regions.
Through easy and fun activities, children are introduced to the physics concepts of the states of matter and energy storage, and the chemistry concept of acidity.
You can use the introductory story "Lilu's big vacation experience" to introduce your students to the topics of nature and sustainability.
This short story leads to the individual experiments on the topic of climate change.
One day, Lilu was walking along the beach. He noticed that the rocks he had been able to climb on last time without getting wet, were now covered in water. “How can that be? Has the sea level risen?” Lilu asked aloud. A seagull landed next to him. “Yes, you're right, the sea level continues to rise. These changes on our planet happen because of climate change,” said the seagull and explained: ”You can learn to better understand the rising sea level with the help of simple experiments. Have fun experimenting!”
- What Causes Ice to Melt?
- How does Global Warming Lead to a Rising Sea Level?
- How does the Melting of Sea Ice or Land Ice affect the Sea Level?
This year it was still particularly hot after the summer vacation. The two friends preferred to meet at Alina's house because of the heat, as it was pleasantly cooler there than at Lilu's house. They wanted to change that. Lilu and his family should also feel comfortable in their house in summer. So they started researching this topic.
One afternoon, Lilu and Alina met up and looked through their photo album from their vacation on the island. They got stuck on the pictures of the stone figure with the strange looking hat. Alina asked in amazement: “Moths don't eat stones, do they?” Together they pondered what might have caused the statue to break. They wanted to find out more.
- How can we Identify Acids and Bases?
- Ocean Acidification
- How does Acid Rain Damage our Buildings?
- How does Acid Rain Affect Plants?
Experiments with ice and water
Through these four experiments, students will explore under which conditions ice melts and learn about the states of matter. They will understand what that has to do with global warming and climate change.
Global warming is happening because we emit huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The experiments introduce students to the causes of rising sea levels. They will learn the difference between land ice and sea ice.
Using ice cubes, students will also explore how various insulation materials work. They will understand why energy efficiency in houses is important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Go to:
- What Causes Ice to Melt?
- How does Global Warming Lead to a Rising Sea Level?
- How does the Melting of Sea Ice or Land Ice affect the Sea Level?
- What is the Secret to Eco-Friendly Homes?
Experiments with acids and bases
These four experiments introduce young students to chemistry concepts. They learn how to distinguish between acidic, basic, and neutral solutions using red cabbage as a natural indicator.
Students will understand how pH levels affect the environment. For example, acidic or basic conditions in soil and water can impact plant and animal life. They will learn that greenhouse gases can affect our oceans, too, making them more acidic. This can cause changes to the marine environment, destroying animal habitats and causing health problems to aquatic organisms.
Also acid rain caused by the burning of fossil fuels can cause environmental issues. Through experiments, the students will explore how acid rain impacts plants and buildings.
Go to:
Games
Why not play a game and sum up everything you have learned about climate change?
Designed for the first grades of primary school, kids can review what they have learnt by playing a game on their tablets.
Snakes and ladders game
This game is designed to get students interested in climate change and develop environmental empathy. It features simple questions about acid rain, deforestation, solar energy, and ocean acidification. It can be played by up to 4 teams.
Climate change escape room
Your students can click on the link to enter the scene of the escape room. They have a 20-minute timer that helps them stay focused.
Instructions:
- Students can tap or click on the animals to find clues. When they tap on an animal, a presentation with a question opens. The clues need to be answered in a specific order, so one clue leads to another.
- Then, they can go back to the main scene. There, they can tap on the red flower, which opens a form to submit their answer.
- If the answer is correct, the next question unlocks, if not, they stay on the same page and a message encourages them to try again.
- The first one to submit all the answers wins and is a champion for Earth!
Dice conversation game
This dice conversation game is as a tool to help you start a conversation in your class about climate change. Throw the dice and talk about a problem or find a solution, whatever the dice tells you. You can use it as an ice breaker.
Puzzles
Create puzzles with your students!
Your students can draw images about what they have learnt about climate change and how to prevent it. The images can be converted into digital puzzles using various free editors.
Here are two examples drawn by Greek students:
About the authors of this unit
Main responsible persons:
Esra Aksoy (TR)
- How does Acid Rain Damage our Buildings?
- How does Acid Rain Affect Plants?
Rebecca Mudde (GB)
- What Causes Ice to Melt?
Rute Oliveira (PT)
- How does Global Warming Lead to a Rising Sea Level?
- How does the Melting of Sea Ice or Land Ice affect the Sea Level?
- What is the Secret to Eco-Friendly Homes?
- How can we Identify Acids and Bases?
Anastasia Papakonstantinou (GR)
- Ocean Acidification
- Extra resources: Games
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