Renewable Resource Roundup
Summary:
These activities will reinforce the need for renewable energy
resources while looking at the pros and cons of different energy
sources. Renew-a-bean will help students visualize the concept of
non-renewable energy and also illustrate the need for
conservation. A chemical clean up activity will give students an
overview of dispersion and show students some of the problems
with certain energy sources.
Objectives/ Standards:
The students will…
• Name five sources of renewable energy
• Understand the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources
• Understand the difficulties of cleaning oil spills and the
properties of dispersion.
Background:
There are seven main forms of energy that can be remembered through MRS. CHEN.
These energies are Mechanical, Radiant, Sound, Chemical, Heat, Electrical, and Nuclear. All of
these forms of energy can fall under two categories of energy, Kinetic and Potential. Often
machines and Mother Nature will combine many forms of energy. For example, a car uses the
chemical energy stored in gas, mechanical energy in the gears and wheels, sound energy coming
from the engine, heat from the engine and tires, and electrical for lights. These forms of energy
are what power the world and allow us to survive. So where do we get all these forms of energy?
There are a number of different sources in which we obtain energy for our everyday
needs. Some of these sources include Natural gas, Oil, Coal, Solar, Wind, Biomass, Water, Ocean
tides, geothermal, Uranium, etc. These sources of energy can be divided into renewable and nonrenewable resources. A renewable resource is a source that is replenished by natural
processes at a rate comparable or faster then the rate of consumption. A non-renewable
resource is one that is limited and will run out over time. Renewable resources include solar,
wind, biomass, water, oceans, and geothermal. Often these renewable resources are cleaner and
safer then non-renewables such as oil. Currently, the majority of our energy needs are being
supplied by nonrenewable resources because we have already designed ways to produce this
energy on a large scale.
Petroleum, or oil, has become an economic and environmental issue concerned with
rising oil prices, greenhouse gases, energy dependence, and oil spills during transportation.
Petroleum is a thick black liquid pumped from below the earth’s surface. The oil is refined to
make gasoline for transportation and the remaining parts are used for rubbers, plastics,
detergents, paints, medicines, etc. It is sometimes estimated that we will deplete our oil sources
by the year 2050.
Oil spills, both from land and from tankers, can cause serious damage to the
environment. The oil can kill birds, fish, mammals, and other marine life that are exposed.
When coated with the oil, it makes sea creatures more vulnerable to temperature fluctuations and
buoyancy. Accidental ingestion of the oil can cause kidney, liver, and digestive track damage.
The oil can also effect the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water necessary for the survival of
fish.
When the damage is done, we have to take action to save parts of the ecosystem that we
can. There are a variety of methods for cleaning up oil spills although they never are completely
cleaned. Cleaners often use large sponges that absorb oil called sorbants, vacuums, chemical
agents, dispersants (soaps), etc. After absorbing most of the oil, soaps are used to disperse the oil
so it will have limited effects on the ecosystem. New technology also suggests the use of
bioremediation to clean up oil spills. This method uses microorganisms such as mushrooms to
digest oils and produce food at the same time.
Because of the limited amount of Non-renewable resources as well as their effects on
the environment, we are looking for cleaner, safer, and sustainable sources of energy that can
supply the energy needs of the world. As stewards of the environment, we have to conserve what
we have and choose our sources of energy wisely.
Grade Level: 4-8
Duration: 1 hour
Indoor/ Outdoor/ Both:
Vocabulary/Terms:
 Energy Sources
 Renewable Resource
 Non-Renewable
Resource
 Oil Spills
 Dispersion
 Bioremediation
 Sorbents
Materials:
o Energy Pie Charts
o Tennis Balls
o Masking Tape
o Two colors of Beans
(92:8) ratio
o Draw Chart
o Blindfolds
o Pie pans
o Milk
o Water
o Food Coloring
o Toothpicks
o Dish Soap
o Foam for making
animals
o Gravel
o Spoon
o Cotton Balls
o Cotton Swabs
o Bits of Hay
o Film canisters to hold
soap
Essential Questions:
• What are renewable resources?
• Why is it important to look for renewable resources alternatives?
• What are the pros and cons of non-renewable and renewable resources.
Set-up:
1. Label tennis balls with sources of energy and set up baskets
2. Have materials for renew-a-bean and oil spill activity set out for students in a work area ( set up work
stations)
Procedure:
Lead-In
1. Review the forms of energy with MRS CHEN
2. Explain how we use these forms of energy to live, drive cars, use lights, listen to ipods, etc.
3. Write “Sources of Energy” on the board and ask students to give you some examples
(give them hints if they need it)
4. Have cards that have eleven different sources of energy
5. Students can tape the cards under to designated spots labeled RENEWABLE and
NON-RENEWABLE
6. ….or…..instead of cards, label tennis balls with tape and have the students toss the
sources of energy in the renewable basket or the non-renewable basket. Let them reshoot if they miss.
7. Show the pie charts of renewable energy consumption or make them on the board.
The
Activity:
• You can have a blank circle on the board and have labeled pieces of pie made out
Part A
of construction paper that the kids can tape to the circle.
1. Divide students into pairs and have them fill a container with exactly 100 beans: 92%
of one kind; 8% of another (beans have to be same size and different color)
2. Explain that the US depends now on nonrenewable energy sources and the population
is growing. Therefore we demand more energy.
3. Eventually we will deplete these non-renewable resources. When there gone….THERE
GONE!
4. But when? It all depends on how quickly and how much we use energy.
5. If all our energy were renewable, we wouldn’t have this problem. Explain why it isn’t.
6. Have one student in each pair put on the blindfold. This represents a population that
is using energy without thinking about whether it is renewable or nonrenewable.
7. Explain that the first trial will be based on a population that is using energy at a
constant rate (no growth in population)
8. Have students predict how many years it will take to deplete the beans in the container.
9. Record the prediction on the chart
10. Have student start taking beans out of the container following the rules on the draw
chart, they can replace any of the renewable beans.
11. Record number of beans remaining after each trial
12. Replace all the beans in the container and have the other student put the blindfold on.
This student will follow chart #2 or #3
13. The second Chart represents a population much like the U.S and other developed
nations. We consume much more energy then third world nations due to the number
of cars we drive, plastic we use, heating we use, and electricity.
14. At the conclusion of the second round, discuss again the time it took to deplete a
resource when consumption levels increase. More people place more demands on
fewer resources.
15.
16.
Activity
Part B.
1. Go back to the non-renewable resources
2. Discuss any other problems that we might have with these sources. Have students
brainstorm some pros and cons. They will probably come up with pollution.
3. Mention oil spills as another disadvantage to the use of petroleum or oil
4. Tell students that today their going to learn how to clean up an oil spill and learn about
some of the effects it has on the environment
5. Split the students into two or three groups
6. Give each group paper towels, an aluminum tray filled with water, a small vile of dish
detergent, floating foam animals and a few tablespoons of vegetable oil.
7. Have students add several tablespoons of oil to the surface of their water.
8. Place small floating animals into their oil spill
9. Students can also add gravel to one side to represent a shoreline
10. Provide a variety of supplies such as cotton balls, string, sponges, bits of hay, cotton
swabs, and a spoon. (only give each students a few cotton balls)
11. Challenge the kids to collect as much of the oil as possible and remove it from the
water, beach, and animals. Encourage them to try different techniques.
12. If they couldn’t get all of the oil, discuss other ways in which the oil can be removed or
broken down.
13. Have a jar of water mixed with oil. Shake it vigorously and try to mix the oil and
water.
14. Add a drop of soap or detergent and repeat
15. Tell the students that sometimes dispersion is used to clean up the remaining oil.
16. Do a demonstration showing dispersion using dish soap.
a. Fill a pie pan with 1 inch of milk
b. Place a few drops of different color food coloring throughout the milk
c. Dip a toothpick into liquid soap and touch one of the drops of food coloring
17. Have students use their soap to clean up the rest of the spill and to clean their animals.
18. Suggest other ways in which spills are cleaned up. (bioremediation, vacuums, chemical
agents, sorbents (like the cotton balls), booms, burning, etc. )
Extensions
A.
Bioremediation Activities:
B. Renew-a-bean Relay: Higher Energy Kids
Instead of having the students wear a blindfold to pick the beans, have students from each group race
to a cup or bag containing the beans 50 feet away. Explain that running is one way that they are using up
energy. They also need the energy for their lights, heat, cars, televisions, i-pods, etc. Each group grabs
the specified number of beans and runs back to their starting position where they drop their beans in
another cup. Stop after each year so kids can record their results and the kids can see who the race winner
is for that specific year. They bring the renewable beans back and replace them in the original cup. Go
Assessment
(how will
their
understanding?):
through and shake
all students
the cups.demonstrate
Each group
will
alternate which person runs to the cup or bag. When
they
get
low
on
energy
(not
enough
beans
to
draw
from), the students sit by their cup and record the

number of laps (years) it took them to deplete their resources.

References:

1.
2. 
3.
4.
5.
“NEED 2007, Putting Energy in Education.” www.need.org
“REACT, Renewable Energy Activities – Choices for Tomorrow.” www.nrel.gov
“How stuff works.” www.howstuffworks.com
Trautmann, Nancy and John Terry. In Touch Science: Chemistry & Environment. 4-H, Cornell
Cooperative Extension Publication.
Project Learning Tree: Environmental Education Activity Guide, Pre k-8. 1995
B.