Playground Explorers
Resource Pack
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Contents
Introduction: .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Activity 1 - Nature Diary....................................................................................................................... 4
Activity 2 - From Seed to Plant........................................................................................................... 5
Activity 3 - Nurturing Inquiry: School Ground Observations .......................................................... 8
Activity 4 - The Sensitive Scavenger................................................................................................. 9
Activity 5 - Who Has Been Here? .................................................................................................... 10
Activity 6 - Rock Bugs........................................................................................................................ 11
Activity 7 - Building Your Own Greenhouse ................................................................................... 12
Activity 8 - What Goes Up, Must Come Down ............................................................................... 14
Activity 9 - Eggs at Rest Stay at Rest ............................................................................................. 16
Activity 10 - Animal Attraction........................................................................................................... 17
Activity 11 - Build and Test a Paper Bridge.................................................................................... 18
Activity 12 - DNA Detective............................................................................................................... 19
Activity 13 - Gravity in Action ............................................................................................................ 21
Activity 14 - Hilarious Honker ........................................................................................................... 22
Activity 15 - Say Cheese! .................................................................................................................. 23
Activity 16 - Spaghetti Bridge ........................................................................................................... 24
Activity 17 - Speed, Eggs and Slam! ............................................................................................... 25
Activity 18 – The Great Egg Drop Challenge! ................................................................................ 26
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Introduction:
‘Playground Explorers’ is a supplement that may be incorporated into any team challenge to
provide employee volunteers with an opportunity to engage with students or young
community service users.
Within this pack is numerous activities that may be done as 0.5-1 hour sessions as a part of
a visit to a school or community group. The activities are in effect lesson plans that
volunteers may follow, inclusive of questions around the nature of the task to encourage the
children’s development. They are fun to do and enable both the volunteers and community
group to have a more rewarding experience through their shared adventure.
The aim of each ‘Playground Explorers’ activity is to demonstrate that science is not only
part of our day-to-day lives, but can be fun and engaging. There is a particular need to
address the lack of science, technology, engineering and maths skills amongst young
people. Encouraging children to become interested in science is absolutely fundamental to
address the unpopularity of science subjects and thus science-based careers in the UK.
Science is all about curiosity - How does it work and why does it do that? Fun activities are
great for encouraging children’s imaginations and their interest in their surroundings.
Employee volunteers will be helping children to open their minds and ask questions about
why things are the way they are.
Special thanks go to online resource provider ‘Disney Family Fun’.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 1 - Nature Diary
Description:
This project involves creating a nature diary based on collecting objects found in or around
the school ground. Students are asked to pick objects from the school ground or the
surrounding area based on the aesthetic quality of the item, its shape, size and the personal
meaning of or curiosity about the found object. The objects should not exceed 5 or 6 cm in
length and will need to be dry.
Resources/Materials:
Collected items from the school ground and surrounding area (maximum 5-6 cm long),
Notebooks, Hot glue gun, Writing implements
Procedure:

After collecting the items, discuss the types of objects found, their names,
significance and characteristics in both scientific and artistic terms. How did the
object end up where it was found? What part of the ecosystem does it belong to? Is it
an animal product or a plant or a man-made object? What would you like to find out
about the items? What piques one's curiosity?
 The writing can be scientific, a narrative, poetry or be purely aesthetic.
 Once students have produced their rough drafts for the nature diary, the items are
glued into their notebooks using a hot glue gun. Be guided by principles and
elements of design, looking for aesthetic qualities, colour, lines and textures.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 2 - From Seed to Plant
Description:
‘From Seed to Plant’ consists of numerous mini activities that are aimed at helping students
to: identify plant parts, understand where seeds come from and how they grow, determine
what plants need to survive and recognize how plants are a benefit to people and our planet.
Volunteers may make a selection of which activities they would like to run during their
‘Playground Adventurers’ session.
Resources/Materials:
Assorted fruit, various seeds of different types, art and writing paper, construction paper,
clear plastic cups, magnifying glass, lunch box, card stock, straws and paper cups,
magazine pictures of plants, egg cartons
Activities:
2.1 What is a seed?
Look inside a seed. "You wear a coat to keep you from the cold. Seeds from flowering plants
have seed coats to protect them."
 Using a pre-soaked lima bean, use a hand lens to examine the outside of the seed.
Try to peel off the seed covering. Split the seed in halves. Look for the parts showing
the chart. Draw the lima bean. Write the names of the parts of the seed
 Have children complete a chart of a seed, noting the seed coat, root, leaves, food
storage, and embryo.
2.2 Seeds come in all shapes and sizes.
Most plants come from seeds. Display seeds that come from all kinds of plants: acorns,
poppies, carrots, lettuce, rice, watermelon, nuts, etc.
 Measure the bulk of different kinds of seeds. Do an estimating activity allowing the
children to guess which seeds will fill more of a small cup. (Sunflower, watermelon
and marigold seeds are great for this project because they are easy to handle)
 Some seeds grow from other plant parts (tubers). Onions makes parts that turn unto
bulbs and new plants. The bulbs are the part we eat. Show the children some of the
foods that we eat that are bulbs. (Potato, onions etc.)
 Show the children a lunch box and a peanut. Ask them what the two things have in
common. Explain that the shell of the peanut is the box and the inside is the lunch
(****check the school policy on peanuts)
 Create seed collages
 Go outside to collect seeds and grasses from the school playground. Create a Seed
Collection using an egg carton. Tell them to collect one kind of seed for each
chamber. Labelling can be as complex as the children's skill level
2.3 How do seeds travel?
The wind, animals (bury and or deposit seeds by their droppings) are just some of the ways
seeds travel. There are several great picture books on this subject. "The Tiny Seed" by Eric
Carle is one.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
 Have the children take off their shoes and then go on a hike around the school or
park. When you get back to class, have the children examine their socks to see what
kind of seeds are stuck to the socks.
2.4 Discuss the job of the root system.
 Pass around enough straws and paper cups for each child
 Tell the children they are the plants and the straws are the roots. This is a great
explanation for the next experiment
 Bring in celery or a carnation and show the children the power of the roots: Add
coloured water to a glass with the celery/carnation in it, and a few days before the
visit so that you may demonstrate how celery/carnation changes colours (prepare
beforehand to show what will happen)
 Create a word search or word puzzle using plant parts words OR allow the children
to create the puzzle and exchange with a neighbour
 Let the children pantomime plant growth
2.5 Create several activities using all the plant and seed words that they have learned.
 Try a spelling bee, crossword or word puzzles
 Create a Seed WordBook by folding several pieces of writing paper in half and
stapling it
 Have the children make a mini dictionary for their terms and illustrate each item
 Write several seed words on the chalkboard. Have the children use these words to
create silly stories
 Combine all the stories to write a class book. Choose several children to illustrate the
cover and back page.
2.6 Animals and plants are partners.
 Discuss what the world would be like without plants, Re: the desert
 Talk about the benefits of plants in our environment. I.e.: oxygen, carbon dioxide,
cycle of nature, food, mulch
 Create a chart discussing the cycle of nature.
o
o
o
o
What do plants get from the air?
How does it get into the air?
What do animals get from the air?
How does it get into the air?
 Write stories about life in a world without plants and animals
 Design cartoon-like plants that have the characteristics of animals
2.7 All kinds of plants grow from seeds.
Finds pictures of various kinds of plants. Some plants that are food, flower and trees. Allow
the children to guess which plants contribute different ways to the earth. Create a game
allowing the children to guess what each plant is, i.e. bean tomato, marigold, watermelon,
etc.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
2.8 How plants protect themselves.
 Plants protect themselves from insects, animals, and people. Name some kinds of
protection plants have developed. i.e. thorns, spines and prickles. Poison and offflavours
 Another ways plants protect themselves are through camouflage. Have the children
draw and illustrate "A Plant Fights Back"
 Some plants don't have to worry about being eaten by animals. They eat animals
instead. One of these plants, The Venus's-fly trap, has leaves that snap shut when
an insect lands on them. The leaves open up again after the insect has been eaten
 Pretend you are a Venus Flytrap. Write about the insects that you eat. Tell what they
taste like, and which insect is your favourite.
2.9 Plant Parts We Love to Eat.
People and animals eat the fruits of some plants and the seeds of some, and the leaves of
others. Chart on the chalkboard the different parts of plants that people can eat. Then let the
children fill in as many foods that they can think of. Imagine a world without plants. What
would we eat? Write a story.
2.10 People Need Plants.
 What benefits do people and animals get from plants? Let the children brainstorm the
many 'things' we get from plants. Fibers, food, medicine, wood, fuel, paper, etc.
 Have the children fold a blank piece of white art paper into eight squares. Let the
children illustrate eight different things they know we get from plants
 Graph all the items that the children have put on their charts. Tally which items are
the most common, unusual, etc.
2.11 What are the problems that plants create?
 Some plants cause us to sneeze. Weeds crowd our flowerbeds
 How do plants help us?
 Write a story about one way plants help/ hurt us.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 3 - Nurturing Inquiry: School Ground Observations
Description:
An important building block in the inquiry process is close observation and the questions it
generates. In this activity, students act as scientists in research teams to explore different
school playground habitats. Students practice outdoor group work skills.
Resources/Materials: 5 copies of a map of the school ground drawn by the teacher
identifying 5 different areas of study, pencil (1 per student), clipboard (1 per student), sheets
of paper for each student to use as a data sheet, chart paper
Procedure:
 Inside the classroom, place students into 5 different groups. Show students the map
of the school playground with 5 different areas/habitats highlighted and arrows
showing the direction in which groups will rotate.
 Walk the class outside to the first location. Demonstrate how to make and record
observations in point form on the white board (or on a data sheet). Emphasize that
students should use all their senses and look both up and down.
o Possible recordings are: moist grass, rough bark on maple tree, dry grass, 8
dandelions, bird nest in tree, blue sky above bright sun, some shade, ants in
the grass, litter on the ground, etc.)
 Groups are then assigned to an area of the school playground to make their own
observations. From their observations, students may arrive at some questions about
the specific habitat they are exploring (i.e. Why is the grass dry in this section and
moist in another section? What made the holes in the tree?).
 Give groups 5 to 10 minutes to explore 3 areas of the school playground
Discussion and Questions:
 Once back in the classroom, record their collective observations and discuss any
interesting findings. Make a list on chart paper of the habitats and communities that
were discovered on the school ground.
 Start a chart paper with Inquiry Questions. After having explored at least two
areas/habitats, students may be able to formulate comparative questions (i.e. Why
are there more weeds in the north east corner of the school ground than in the south
east corner?).
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 4 - The Sensitive Scavenger
Description:
Students will create a multi-sensory scavenger hunt worksheet to be used on a scavenger
hunt throughout the school playground habitat area. This activity could be used to introduce
the concepts of biodiversity and interdependence within a habitat.
Resources/Materials: large sheets of paper, pencils, crayons, markers
Procedure:
 Provide each student with a large sheet of paper (45 x 60 cm) and a pencil. Draw a
large outline of a head including eyes, ears, nose, mouth and blank spaces that will
be used for recording items of touch. Leave as much blank space for filling in
sketches of items found in the schoolyard habitat area.
 Provide each student with a short scavenger hunt sheet which may look similar to the
following:
o
Find three sounds that you enjoy, and three sounds that aren't so pleasant.
Record them on your sheet. Label them.
o
Record the smells of the following: grass, air, soil, water, your skin, a plant,
and two other objects of your choice. Label each.
o
Find something that feels: rough, smooth, squishy, hard, fuzzy, cold, wet, and
warm. Label each.
o
Find things that look good to eat (but don't eat them!). Draw and label them.
o
Record how being in this spot makes you feel (happy, sad, excited, bored,
curious, etc.).
 Take the students to the outdoor area and assist them in finding a quiet spot where
they can observe their surroundings and complete their scavenger hunt of the
senses.
 After about 25 minutes, call the group back together to share their discoveries.
Discussion and Questions
 Describe the place you chose to use for your hunt.
 Did you have difficulty finding any of the items? Which ones? Why? Did anyone else
have similar problems? If you visited the area during a different season of the year,
which items would be harder to find? Which ones would be easier?
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 5 - Who Has Been Here?
Description
This literacy activity is intended to be linked to science lessons, as students will use signs of
wildlife they have found to create a riddle about that animal/insect. The riddles will be
compiled into a class book.
Resources/Materials: Small sheet (1 per student), pencil (1 per student) and a few rubbers
to share, a notebook, glue sticks
Procedure:





In the school playground ask students if there might be evidence of wildlife. Working
in pairs or small groups of volunteers and students, allow 5-10 minutes to find
evidence of one type of wildlife and bring back a description of it to the larger group.
Invite each pair/group to share their findings with the class.
Explain that you would like them to create a book of riddles as a class. Each
pair/group will be responsible for creating one riddle that introduces the wildlife of this
site. Briefly discuss the concept of a riddle and its structure (see websites for
assistance). Ask that they base their riddles on the evidence they found a few
minutes earlier. (E.g. Who piled leaves in crook of that branch? Squirrels. I loved that
garbage you left out last night - who am I? Raccoons.)
Distribute the paper and pencils for the pairs/groups to record their riddles. Once they
have completed the task, ask each pair/group to share their riddles with the class.
Explain that they will create illustrations to accompany their riddles back in the
classroom, which they can glue into a collaborative notebook or the teacher can bind
together to create a class book
Discussion and Questions:

Riddles use the element of surprise to grab the reader's attention and to share
information. What is a riddle? What is your favourite riddle? How can riddles be used
to tell others about outdoor places?
 Wildlife isn't the only life form that leaves behind evidence that it 'has been there.'
What types of evidence do humans leave that they have been in a place?
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 6 - Rock Bugs
Description:
Create your own insects out of natural materials and pose them around your classroom.
Resources/Materials:
Smooth pebbles in different shapes, colours, and sizes (for the body), Glue stick, Small
twigs, blades of grass, and pine needles (for the legs and antennae), Leaves in
different shapes, colours, and sizes (optional, for the wings), Flower petals (optional, for
the wings)
Procedure:
 First, build a body from the pebbles. For example, make a dragonfly by gluing a small
rock (the head) on top of a long skinny rock (the body). Or glue three small pebbles
end to end to make an ant.
 Add appendages by putting a drop of glue on the end of each leg, then pressing it to
the rock. Finally, glue on wings and antennae, if you like.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 7 - Building Your Own Greenhouse
Resources/Materials:
A variety of plants or plant leaves (E.g. maple leaves, evergreen needles still on the branch,
oak leaves, ivy, grass blades, sunflower leaves, cactus, or whatever is most available)
Seeds from various plants including flowers, vegetables, grass, and trees (pine cones are
recommended as one of the tree seeds), Clear jars - peanut butter, jelly, and so on in which
the student can slide their hand into with little difficulty, Potting soil, Pea seeds, Pictures of
greenhouses
***Preparation Required***
Several days in advance prepare your own your own greenhouse by following the
directions below:
 Obtain a large glass or clear container with a mouth that you can slide your hand into
and comes with lid. Canning jars work well
 Place about two inches of potting soil at the bottom of the container
 Place one or two pea seeds about halfway into the soil
 Using a screw driver, or knife, puncture several small holes into the lid or cover the
mouth with plastic wrap that is held in place with a rubber band. The wrap should
also have small holes in it
 Water the seed regularly until it sprouts and then water very little there after
 Make sure the plant gets sufficient sunlight
 You should see precipitation on the sides of the container as the water evaporates
but does not leave the jar and is so reused by the plant. This is a greenhouse.
At the beginning of the class write on the board, "Where am I? I sit in my place and look at
all the different types of individuals that live near me. It is easy to tell when it is day and
night, but the temperature hardly ever changes. I can look out and see the trees loose their
leaves, grass turn yellow, and plants die, but I flourish despite the horrible weather.
Sometimes it's so hot in here that there appears to be a mist in the air."
Give students approximately 5 minutes to answer this riddle. Total time: 5 min.
Procedure:
 After the timer goes off, have students voice their answers. Someone will guess
greenhouse, if not, give them clues. Once greenhouse has been stated, ask them to
explain what a greenhouse is.
 After some discussion on what a greenhouse is have students answer the question
of what plants need in order to survive. Total time: 5 min.
 Ask students to describe how and why plants might have to adapt to their
environment. Total time: 5 min.
 Hand out the collection of leaves to each group and the classification sheets.
 Have students play with the leaves for a few minutes and construct a list of as many
different ways that they might be able to classify the leaves. Such answers might be
size, colour, texture, and so on. Students should practice classifying by some of their
offered categories. Total time: 6 min.
 Ask students to consider which plants would survive in an area that had little water
and poor soil. The responses will probably favour the cactus.
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 After discussing that although cacti may grow in remote and hostile environments,
people would need other plants in order to survive. "So what is one possibility for
growing plants in hostile environments?" Someone will think or the greenhouse. At
this time present your greenhouse to the class. Pass it around so that all can see and
feel it. Once everyone has had a chance to hold the greenhouse, ask the students to
report their observations. Total time: 6 min.
 Inform the students that they will be creating their own greenhouses from the
containers they brought. Hand out the directions for creating the greenhouses. Read
the directions aloud as they read silently. Check for understanding. Note: You need
to either puncture the holes to their lids yourself or use the shrink wrap paper and
rubber bands. Puncturing holes is more effective and durable since they will have to
remove the barrier to water the plants.
 Have the students from each group collect all the necessary supplies and give
students approximately 10 minutes to complete the task.
In-class Resources/Materials: A large glass jar with a lid that you can slide your hand into
easily, Potting soil, Pea seeds (1-2), Water, Ruler, Measuring cup, A place with direct
sunlight, Plant growth log sheet
In-class Procedure:
 Have an adult puncture (put holes in) several holes in the lid
 Wash the jar thoroughly in warm or hot water, place approximately 1 cup of potting
soil into the jar
 Place 1 or 2 pea seeds about half way into the soil in the jar,Add ¼ cup of water and
replace the lid
 In your log enter the today's date
 From this point on only water the peas 1/8 of a cup of water and set in direct sunlight
 Each day make a new entry in your log, writing down what you see. You probably
won't see any changes for a few days, but it is important to keep the growth log up to
date
 When you first see the seeds sprouting, place the ruler on the outside of the jar and
measure how tall the plant is. Do this everyday until the plant reaches the lid.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 8 - What Goes Up, Must Come Down
Description:
Students will observe the principles of gravity and extend their understanding of the concept
through experimentation.
Resources/Materials: Feather, Baseball, Ping-Pong ball, Paper, Marble, Rubber, Paper clip
Estimated Time: 60 minutes
On the board write, "If I dropped a baseball and a marble, which one would hit the ground
first and why?" Total time: 5 min.
Procedure:
 After the timer goes off, ask the students to voice their thoughts on the question. Do
not tell them if they are right or wrong, but demonstrate and let them decide how right
or wrong they are. Stand on a chair and tell them that you are all going to find out
which will hit the ground first, the baseball or the marble. Holding the objects about
shoulder high, drop them. Ask students if one hit the ground before the other or if
they hit the ground at the same time. After hearing several answers, repeat the
experiment so that they can see that they both hit the ground at the same time. Total
time: 3 min
 Pass the objects around and ask students, "that was kind of odd don't you think? I
mean the baseball is heavier than the marble; isn't it?" Students will confirm that that
is the case. Pretend to ponder this and say, "I think we need to experiment and see if
this happens with other objects."
 Hand out the data collection sheet and read the directions aloud as they read silently
 Check for understanding, answer any questions that they may have
 Allocate approximately 10 min for the experiment
 After the experiment is over, have students report if their predictions were correct or
otherwise. Ask them to look at their experiment and see if they could identify why
some objects hit the ground before others. Example, the unfolded sheet of paper will
the ground much later than the Ping-Pong ball, but once the sheet of paper is
crumpled into a ball, they both hit the ground at the same time. Ask why this might
happen. Steer the discussion in the direction that while weight may not affect the rate
at which objects fall, shape certainly does. Ask the students to explain why this might
occur.
 Ask, "Does gravity change?" Answer them carefully, but explain that gravity remains
constant. Ask, "When the wind is blowing really hard, what's the easiest way to walk
into the wind? Do you bundle up (demonstrate wrapping yourself up and hunching
down as you move forward) or do you spread your arms wide and try to walk into the
wind? Which will make it easier more me to move?" Take answers. They will mention
that if you huddle up and hunch over that it will be easier to walk than if you spread
your arms out. Ask them to explain and you will get answers such as; when you
spread your arms out, the wind hits more of you-like a kite and makes it harder to
walk. Agree. Hold up a crumpled piece of paper and an unfolded sheet and ask,
"Pretend that this piece of paper is a person. Which one of these will make it to the
ground more easily?" The crumpled one, because there is less air hitting it. Total
time: 10 min.
 "Why is it important to know about gravity?" Take answers and write them on the
board. Explain that gravity helps us move, float, fly, and grow plants. Total time: 5
min.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
What Goes Up, Must Come Down – Activity Sheet:
Objects Dropped
Marble
Rubber
Marble
Flat paper
Crumbled paper
Feather
15
Which will hit the
ground first?
Which actually hit the
ground first?
Ping-pong ball
Paper clip
Pencil
Feather
Feather
Paper clip
Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 9 - Eggs at Rest Stay at Rest
Description:
Demonstrate the properties of inertia--an object at rest tends to stay at rest until a force is
exerted on it.
Resources/Materials: 1 broom, 1 glass, water,1 egg, 1 pie pan (disposable works well), 1
empty toilet paper roll
Procedure:
 Fill glass halfway with water and set glass near edge of counter or table
 Place the pie pan on top of the glass (bottom of pan should be resting on rim of
glass).
 Align the apparatus on the table, so the edge of the pie pan is even or slightly over
the edge of the table (make sure you have enough room behind the glass for the pan
to fly)
 Stand the toilet paper roll (on end) in the middle of the pie pan, making sure that it is
over the centre of the glass
 Place the egg on the toilet paper roll
 Stand with the broom right next to the table edge, with the bristles on the floor and
the handle in front of the pie pan
 Place one foot on the bristles and bend the broom back slightly. (Make sure that the
broom is close enough to the edge that when you let go, it hits the edge of the table
as it hits the pie pan. You do not want it to hit the glass)
 Let the broom go
What's Going On:
As the broom hits the pie pan, the pie pan and the toilet paper roll are knocked away (the
edge of the pan hits the roll after you hit the pan with the broom). The egg drops into the
glass of water. The egg falls because it started out at rest and remains at rest as the pie pan
and toilet paper roll move out from under it. This effect is called inertia--resistance to any
change in motion or rest. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion and objects at rest tend to
stay at rest unless acted upon by an external force.
Helpful Tips:
As a less messy alternative, you can do this experiment with an empty glass, a playing card
or small piece of cardboard and some coins. Place the cardboard on the glass, the coins on
the cardboard and use your hand to tap the cardboard off the glass.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 10 - Animal Attraction
Description:
Investigate a flower's power of marketing by making an imitation flower that successfully
signals a bee (or other pollinator of your choice) to visit. Try to determine what
characteristics will attract a pollinator to your flower.
Resources/Materials: Any sort of crafts supply the class has on hand: construction paper,
cups, pipe cleaner, craft sticks, aluminium foil, crayons, markers, rubber bands, etc.,
scissors, glue, tape or other fastening materials, perfume or scented things
Procedure:
 Carefully study a few real flowers. Examine the shape, size, colour, texture, scent,
angle of growth, and markings of each part. Try to predict what attracts pollinators to
each flower. Watch the flowers outside to see if your prediction is correct.
 Make your own imitation flower and try to fool a bee or other pollinator into visiting
your flower. Use any materials you like to mimic a real flower or your own design.
 Put your fake flower outside and see if you attract a pollinator. If after 5 minutes your
flower is unsuccessful, make some changes: move it to a different location, add
some markings, or remove a part and try again until you are successful.
 As you proceed, try to answer some of these questions: Is your fake flower more
successful if it is placed near some real flowers? Which aspect of a flower is most
important for attracting a pollinator: colour, shape, size, material, scent, location,
other? Can you make up a flower design that works as well as a real flower design?
Is it possible to attract a pollinator that is not already present in your area?
What's Going On:
Flowers and pollinators have evolved together. Animals that learned to find food inside a
flower survived and passed their knack for finding food on to the next generation. Flowers
that successfully \"marketed\" to their pollinators made more seeds and passed their
characteristics onto new plants. Over time, the pollinators and plants developed a very
important interdependent relationship.
Some flowers attract more than one kind of pollinator. Such flowers tend to be round and
regular. Flowers that are more unusual (orchids, for example) usually invite only one specific
pollinator. In such cases, the extinction of either the flower or the pollinator means the
certain extinction of the other. Aside from the usual pollinators, ants, wasps, small mammals,
and even slugs serve as pollinators for some flowers
Helpful Tips:
Help the child think about how each part of the flower design plays a part in advertising or
accommodating the pollinator. Let the child describe the reasons for her/his design.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 11 - Build and Test a Paper Bridge
Description:
Investigate ways of creating a strong structure using only a piece of paper.
Resources/Materials: Two wooden blocks, a sheet of paper, a number of coins
Procedure:
 Set the blocks about 15 cm (6 inches) apart on a table or floor
 Create a paper bridge that spans the blocks and supports as many coin "cars" as
possible. Fold the paper to make it stronger. You can only stack coins in the centre
of the roadway, not on top of the blocks. Try folding the paper in different ways to
construct the strongest roadway. What other household items will your roadway
hold?
 Discuss your results and determine which structure was the strongest and why.
What's Going On:
Folding the paper as if to make a paper fan makes a corrugated roadway. The folds form a
series of triangles. Triangles form the strongest structures.
A structure is anything that supports its own weight against gravity, plus the weight of
another object. Weight provides two kinds of force: compression and tension. Compression
is a push down on the structure that must be channelled to the ground. Tension is a pull that
stretches the structure. Triangles support both of these forces. Compression pushes down
equally on two sides of the triangle, causing the base to be pulled equally in two directions,
which creates tension. The triangle is the strongest structure because all three sides bear
the load. In a square, only two sides of the four bear the load. This equalling of the forces
makes the triangle the strongest structure.
Helpful Tips:
Try the same experiment, but alter the distance between blocks. Try different materials for
your bridge. What works best?
In order to understand the tension and compression forces that are placed on a structure,
create a "people arch" with your children. Two people stand facing each other, at least two
feet apart. (Volunteers might kneel to become the same height as the children). Both lean
toward each other, putting their hands on the other's shoulders. Where do they feel a push
(compression)? Where do they feel a pull (tension)?
Challenge your children to try the above experiment using the thickness of two or three
sheets of paper. This will dramatically increase the strength of their structure, and enable
greater load bearing.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 12 - DNA Detective
Description:
Solve the crime with DNA profiling!
Resources/Materials: water, a squirt of dishwashing liquid, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, 1
teaspoon of ice cold ethanol or methylated spirits or rubbing alcohol (isopropanol), two cups
and a clear container with a lid
Procedure:
 Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in half a cup of water. Add a squirt of dishwashing
liquid. This liquid will be used to break up the cells and release the DNA.
 Take about a tablespoon (20 - 25 mls) of plain water into your mouth. Don't swallow!
Swish the water around your cheeks vigorously for about 30 seconds. This removes
some cheek cells. Spit the water into a clean cup or glass.
 Add about 1 teaspoon (5 mls) of this fluid to a small clean container with a lid (a 20
ml test-tube or a clear plastic film canister would work). Add about half a teaspoon
(2.5 mls) of the salt/dishwashing liquid (saline/detergent) solution. Put the cap on the
container and tip it up and down gently 3 or 4 times to mix (but you don't want a lot of
froth so don't shake it). This will break up the many hundreds of cheek cells,
releasing the DNA from the nucleus.
 Gently run a teaspoonful of ice-cold ethanol into the tube. Methanol or rubbing
alcohol - isopropanol - should also work; make sure they are ice cold by placing the
bottle in the freezer for a few hours before the experiment. Watch the point where the
two layers meet. You may see strands of DNA forming, as cloudy filaments stretching
up into the top (ethanol) layer. DNA is not soluble in ethanol, so when the ethanol
meets the DNA solution it starts to precipitate (form a DNA salt)
 You may be able to hook out the strands of DNA with a glass hook (or one made
from a plastic twist-tie) by slowly dipping up and down through the two layers. If this
doesn't work, gently invert the tube several times until the alcohol is mixed in. The
precipitated DNA will look like a small ball of white thread.
What's Going On:
Every cell in your body has the same DNA in it! You used cheek cells because they're easy
to collect. DNA is found in the nucleus of a cell, which is the "control centre" for the cell. To
get the DNA out, you needed to break open the cell; detergent will burst the cell membrane
(the outer layer of a cell) and let the DNA and other cell "innards" float out. Adding the
ethanol (or alcohol) separates the DNA strands from the other stuff inside your cells.
Scientists actually use a similar technique in their laboratories to isolate DNA for further
experiments, like DNA profiling.
Helpful Tips:
Research/describe examples of true-crime cases in which a verdict was based on DNA
evidence. How solid was the evidence? How old were the cases? How much has DNA
profiling changed over the past decade?
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Discussion Points:
Pre-Experiment Questions
 Have you ever seen a movie or TV show that talked about DNA?
 Do identical twins have the same DNA?
 What else is determined by your DNA?
Post Experiment Questions
 How would you describe your DNA?
 Does it look like/feel like what you expected?
 What kind of jobs work with DNA?
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 13 - Gravity in Action
Description:
Explore the effects of gravity on a slowly falling object.
Resources/Materials: 3 small plastic bags (not zip-lock kind) or 30cm (12 inch) pieces of
plastic cut from a trash bag or grocery bag, some string, 3 small stones of different sizes,
Masking tape
Procedure:
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Make 3 small parachutes; each one weighted with a different size stone
Cut 12 lengths of string, each 20 inches long
Use a paper clip to punch four holes, equally spaced around the opening of each bag
Tie a separate string into each small hole, and let the strings dangle down below the
bags
Use a piece of masking tape to secure the string ends to a stone
Do this with each bag. Test your parachutes!
Next, arrange your parachutes in order; small, medium and largest stone. Take them
outside
Loosely wrap the string and baggy around each stone
Throw each parachute up into the air and observe the time it takes for each one to
reach the ground
Time several tries for each parachute if you wish to get an idea about which
parachute falls to the ground fastest and slowest
What's Going On:
Gravity is the universal force of attraction in space. It pulls objects with mass together, keeps
planets in orbital motion, and holds you and me firmly grounded on Earth.
Gravity pulls down equally on all your falling parachutes. But each one must push against
the resisting force of air molecules in the atmosphere as it travels earthward. Depending
upon its size, each of your stones has a different surface area and weight! Those stones with
larger surface areas and lighter weights fall at a different rate than heavier stones with
smaller surface areas. Stones of equal weight, yet different surface areas will fall to earth at
different rates.
Now, imagine doing the same experiment using both large and small plastic bags.
Helpful Tips:
Try to make sure that the stones are securely fastened to the parachutes with masking tape.
Also, the tape itself has weight and will create a resistance to falling, so equal amounts of
tape are encouraged for each parachute.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 14 - Hilarious Honker
Description:
Discover how a plastic or paper cup affects sound vibrations.
Resources/Materials: One large paper or lightweight plastic cup, 2 pieces of string, each 24
inches long, Paper clip, Ruler, Nail or pen/pencil, Cellotape, Cup covered with heavy duty
plastic wrap secured with a rubber band, Salt, Rice, Popcorn, Dry cereal
Procedure:
 Pinch one end of the second piece of string tightly between the thumb and first finger
of one hand. Pull it through the thumb and first finger of the other hand, sliding your
fingers down the string. Keep the string very tight. How would you describe the sound
it makes? Try plucking this string. What type of sounds result?
 Wrap the loose end of the string attached to the Hilarious Honker around the pointer
finger of one hand. Hold the cup with the other hand. Pull the string until it is tight.
Pluck the string with a free finger. What do you hear? Make the string shorter, but
keep the same tension on it. How does this affect the sound? Make the string less
taut. How is the sound affected? Is it louder or softer than the string alone?
 Place the open end of the cup on a flat surface, like a table. Pluck the taut string. Put
your ear on the table and pluck the string again. Hold the cup so the open end is
pointed away from the flat surface. Compare the sounds when you pluck the string.
 Now, take your Hilarious Honker to the sink and wet the string. Hold the cup with one
hand, and pull the string through the thumb and first finger of your other. Slide your
finger along the string. How would you describe the sound? Try strumming the string.
Why is the sound so much louder when the string is wet? When the string is dry,
what occupies the tiny spaces between the fibers of string? When the string is wet,
what occupies those tiny spaces?
 Make sure the plastic is tightly stretched across the second cup. Place ½ teaspoon of
salt on the plastic. Aim the Honker at the plastic covered surface and pluck the string.
What happens? Try drawing your fingers along the string to make the Honker "sing."
What happens to the salt? Replace the salt with rice and repeat. Try the other
materials.
What's Going On:
How does the size or weight of the items placed on the plastic-covered cup influence the
effect of the sound waves? How does the intensity (loudness) of sound affect the movement
of the items on the plastic covered cup?
Helpful Tips: Help the children see the effects of sound waves generated by the Hilarious
Honker. Have them rest the open end of the Honker against a glass of water while they
pluck or vibrate the string. Ask them to draw a picture of the resulting waves rippling across
the water's surface.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 15 - Say Cheese!
Description:
To create a chemical reaction that will make cheese.
Resources/Materials: 1/4 cup Milk (whole milk works best), 1 tablespoon vinegar, Small jar
with lid, Coffee filter, another small container
Procedure:
 Pour 1/4 cup milk into the jar
 Add one tablespoon of vinegar to the jar. (Instead of adding acid directly to milk,
most cheese-makers add a bacteria which slowly releases acid as it grows
 Close the lid tightly! Shake the jar to mix well
 What does the mixture look like?
 Position the coffee filter over the opening of the second container, and hold an
edge of it with one hand (or ask someone to help) so the filter doesn't "fall in" while
you complete the next step
 Carefully pour your mixture over the filter. Be patient with this step! You might need
to pour part of your mixture, wait while it filters, then pour the rest
 Carefully close the edges of the filter and squeeze the rest of the liquid through the
filter
 You should be left with curds in the filter. You can squeeze these together and say
cheese (but don't eat it)!
 What is the texture of your cheese? What kind of cheese does it look like?
What's Going On:
Casein is one molecule found in milk. Molecules and atoms are tiny particles that make up
everything around us. Vinegar (acetic acid) contains loose hydrogen atoms. The molecules
of the milk mix with the loose hydrogen atoms in the acid to create a chemical reaction. The
casein molecules in the milk have a negative charge. The loose hydrogen atoms in the acid
have a positive charge. Opposite charges attract, so the casein molecules and loose
hydrogen atoms group together and make clumps that you can see. The clumps are called
curds, and are used to make cheese. The liquid is called whey. Often, bacteria and mold are
also added to give cheese more flavour.
Helpful Tips:
Try this experiment with different types of milk (1%, 2%, heavy cream, etc.). What’s different
about the resulting cheese? Encourage the children to investigate how cheese is made
commercially? What's the difference between different types of cheese? What makes Swiss
different from Cheddar?
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Activity 16 - Spaghetti Bridge
Description:
Investigate the difference between the strength of bridges made from flat and round building
materials.
Resources/Materials: 8 marshmallows, 18 pieces of raw spaghetti, 4 pieces of raw linguine
(spaghetti and linguine should be same diameter), 1 paper clip, 1 envelope and a scissors
(to make hanging basket for coins), approximately 40 coins, paper and pencil to record
observations
Procedure:
 Cut off the lower corner of the envelope for your coin basket
 Unbend one end of the paperclip to make a hanger and poke it through the top of
your coin basket
 Construct two pyramids of equal size with your marshmallows and spaghetti
 Connect the pyramids with a single strand of spaghetti
 Hang your coin basket from the bridging piece of spaghetti
 Add coins one at a time to the basket
 Record the number of coins in the basket at the time the bridging spaghetti breaks
 Repeat the experiment three more times to get an average number of pennies
needed to break the spaghetti bridge
 How do you think the results will change if you use linguine for the bridge instead?
 Test your hypothesis by repeating the experiment with the linguine as the bridge
 Was the round (spaghetti) or flat (linguine) shape stronger?
What's Going On:
Circles are among the strongest shapes in nature. External and internal stress distributes
itself evenly throughout a round structure. Spaghetti has a shape like a cylinder, while
linguini is shaped like a flattened rectangle. A piece of spaghetti has the same strength in
any direction it is bent. Linguini will bend more easily in one orientation than another.
Be sure to experiment using pieces of spaghetti and linguini with similar diameters. And try
orienting each piece of linguini in the same direction; this will produce a more uniform
strength throughout the structure.
Helpful Tips:
Have the children experiment with constructing different shapes using linguine and
spaghetti. Which shapes work better with which designs?
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 17 - Speed, Eggs and Slam!
Description:
Create a safety device to protect an egg 'passenger' in a car crash.
Resources/Materials: Toy Truck (one big enough for your egg to fit into a pick-up/dump
truck works best), Raw Eggs, Magic Marker, Ramp for truck (a board propped on a chair
works), Brick or heavy item for your truck to crash into (if you don’t want it to run into the
wall), Large piece of plastic or a large garbage bag (to cover your work surface), Sheet of
paper and a pencil, String, Rubber bands, Cotton balls, Tape, Toothpicks, Styrofoam cup
Procedure:
 Set up your workspace so your ramp ends at the brick wall (be sure to put the plastic
beneath the brick and part of the ramp).
 Draw a face on your egg and give it a name to personalize your passenger.
 Design a safety device for your passenger that fits in the truck keep in mind the price
of each object as you build (see list below).
 Create a chart or list so you can keep track of how much you’re spending on each
design. Item price list Styrofoam cup: $500; Cotton Balls: $100 each; String: $50 per
meter; Rubber Bands: $100 each; Toothpicks: $100 each; Tape: no charge.
 Test your safety device: Put your egg passenger inside the device, then place the
truck at the top of the ramp and let it go so it "crashes" against the brick. Note your
results on your chart did your passenger survive? Did it fall out of the truck? Did it
crack? Did it break?
 Analyze your results for both passenger safety and cost to build your design. The
goal is to build affordably but keep your passenger safe! What is the least expensive
design that protects your egg?
What's Going On:
Newton’s First Law of Motion (or the Law of Inertia) states that objects tend to keep doing
what they’re doing until a force stops (or starts) them. So a toy truck at rest wants to stay at
rest until you push it, and a truck in motion will stay in motion until something stops it. The
same goes for things riding in the truck. Friction holds the egg in the truck while it gradually
speeds up or slows down. But if the truck stops suddenly, inertia overcomes friction and the
egg keeps moving! Your challenge here is no different than an engineer who designs safety
devices for people in cars finding an effective design for an affordable price.
Helpful Tips:
Encourage the children to come up with more than one design compare safety success as
well as cost for your designs. What are the pros and cons for each design? Investigate reallife safety devices in cars, on airplanes, amusement park rides, etc. How are your egg
device designs similar? How are they different?
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
Activity 18 – The Great Egg Drop Challenge!
Description:
Participants will work as part of a team with volunteers to solve a design problem –Protect
an egg from a specified height (usually in increasing incremental steps from 1-3 stories) to keep it
from SMASHING when it hits the ground! Increasing the accuracy of the drop, minimizing
the weight of the protective device and minimizing the number of components in the
protective device are all factors in determining the success of the project. The egg must be
accessible - structure must be built such that the egg can be easily removed, checked,
and/or replaced.
Resources/Materials: Tarp to cover floor, Paper towels for cleanup, Variety of building
materials: Hard-shell containers (cardboard, boxes, plastic yogurt or sour cream containers,
etc), Soft padding (bubble wrap, Styrofoam peanuts, foam, tissue paper, etc), Scissors, tape,
rubber bands, 1 egg per group in a small Ziploc freezer bag, Rulers - for measuring size of
package, Data sheets & pencils, water balloons if using test dummies, scale if weighing
designs (further challenge option)
Procedure:
 Select a test site and determine the drop height.
 Have students individually draw their own designs
 Have students join groups of 2-3 (with at least on volunteer) and compare their
individual designs, then develop a team design, noting where compromises were
made, and explaining how their project is intended to work
 Have students build a prototype of their designs using a crash test dummy (small
water balloon) and test (preferably in a location other than the planned location for
the final test)
 The performance of the prototypes should be evaluated to determine what changes
need to be made to the design
 Repair/rebuild the projects, incorporating the lessons learned during the test.
 The final projects should contain the eggs (wrapped in the sandwich bags to aid in
cleanup)
 Perform the actual test. While one team member drops the project, the other member
 should be on the ground observing and taking notes on the project’s performance
 Have someone time the drop from the moment the project is released till when it hits
the ground. The teams whose eggs survive the first drop may repeat the test so that
all team members get a chance to drop their projects
Helpful Tips:
As most students tend towards similar designs, building a Popsicle stick box around the egg
and then attaching a parachute. Depending on the skill level of the class and time allowed
for the project, adding additional restrictions can challenge the students to develop more
creative ideas. Below are three suggestions of increasing difficulty:
 Award a prize based on the lightest structure to successfully protect the egg
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack
 Award a prize to the project with the slowest impact speed to encourage effective
parachutes
 Award a prize to the project with the highest survivable impact speed, to encourage
designs not involving a parachute
 Assign a cost to the materials and give the teams a limited budget. The costs should
be assigned to limit the teams’ accessibility to all of the available materials
 Begin the project by randomly giving a single category of supplies to each team (ie,
team 1 has all the plastic bags, team 2 has all the cardboard, etc). Each team is now
a “nation” with its own natural resources. The teams must then bargain with other
teams for materials to build their own designs.
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Give & Gain Day 2013 – Playground Explorers Pack