Pollution Related Programs
Who Killed Rocky Rockfish Full Day Program, Grades 3-6
In this day-long, interactive environmental mystery for grades 3-6, students role play and conduct experiments to examine the possible roles of Solute Sally, Hot Water Harry, Danielle Debris, Oscar Osprey, and Brittany Ballast in the death of a local fish, Rocky. This day includes microscope use and experimentation in our chemical lab. Culmination of the experience includes a discussion on how students themselves can prevent almost all of these negative impacts upon our Bay.
Air Pollution and Acid Rain Testing
Students are introduced to the major sources of air pollution and learn how the burning of fossil fuels affects air quality. Students perform water quality tests upon rain water and sea water in an acid rain simulation and conduct an oyster shell acid test in aquatic solutions of varying pH.
Air Pollution Shipping Emissions Game
In order to appreciate the challenges of global shipping, students play a shipping emissions board game to determine the most efficient ways to move cargo across the globe while simultaneously creating the least amount of emissions.
Carbon Footprint/Green Building Tour
Students turn a critical eye to their own energy consumption by completing a personal carbon footprint analysis, and reflect upon how they could make changes in their behavior to help the environment. Students tour Masonville Cove Env. Ed. Center and learn what it means for a building to be “green”. (Best used as an introduction or in summary).
Point vs. Non-point Sources
Students perform a skit (Hey Dee) that illustrates sources of both point and non-point pollution. Using a Venn-diagram, the group will understand the difference between the two types of pollution.
Oil Spill Management
Students learn first hand the effect of oil upon wildlife and the environment by attempting to clean oil from both, in mock experiments. Student driven choices in methods and materials are assessed and compared to actual techniques that are currently used. As a result of their own efforts, students obtain a better appreciation of the importance of oil spill prevention in our global environment.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Students learn how to recycle (what can and cannot be recycled) and what decomposition is. Students assign common trash items to a decomposition time line, learning which kinds of trash are the most harmful to our environment. Students then create something useful out of trash to take home – either home made paper or a bird feeder.
Baltimore’s Changing Landscape: Pervious v. Impervious Surfaces
Students respond to questions in a slideshow as they discover that even Baltimore (now a big city) used to be made up of pervious surfaces. Students learn how cultural changes impact the environment. (Best paired with Native Gardening as a solution to the problem.)
Wetlands
Using historic maps of Baltimore, students discover how Baltimore’s waterfront has changed over the last 100 years. Where wetlands once prevailed, our Inner Harbor is now covered with impervious surfaces. Students then play a game where household items are matched to wetland characteristics to create metaphors highlighting the importance of wetlands.