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Trash Timeline: a hands-on activity for at-home or in-classroom fun!
Our trash tells a story of how we live and how we can do better. STEP ONE: PREPARE This Trash Timeline activity can be done in a classroom setting or at home with family or other household members. Gather supplies for the Trash Timeline activity. You’ll want to collect and (wash where necessary):
STEP TWO: WATCH Watch Urban Adventure Squad’s 7-minute Trash Timeline Activity video on YouTube, completing the activity as directed. STEP THREE: CONNECT Now that you’ve completed the Trash Timeline activity, you know that most trash will live longer than we will. If trash makes its way into our greenspaces or waterways, it’s not going anywhere. It can impact the health of the plants and animals that live there, and it can impact the health of the people in that community. As environmental stewards, we need to take care of our communities. That’s why at Urban Adventure Squad we organize trash cleanups and visit places in DC neighborhoods with trash traps, bioretention gardens, or permeable pavement because all of those things help keep trash out of local waterways and minimize stormwater runoff. (from Trash Timeline Lesson Plan) STEP FOUR: EMPOWER How can YOU help your local waterways? YOU CAN… Organize a mini neighborhood trash cleanup with your family. Wear garden gloves to protect your hands if you have them, don’t pick up any broken glass or other sharp or very dirty litter, and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly when you’re done. Our trash tells a story of how we live and how we can do better. Use your coloring sheet to tally the kinds of trash you’re collecting as you put each piece in the trash bag. BONUS: Add up how long it will take the trash you collected to decompose, using your coloring sheet. YOU CAN… Spend one week tallying the different kinds of trash and recycling you throw away as a family. Add up how long it will take that week’s worth of trash to decompose, using the numbers from your coloring sheet. Then, brainstorm different ways to make that number go down. Trash Timeline handout STEP FIVE: Be a part of our “GEOCACHING DC’s WATERWAYS” project! For the Geocaching D.C.’s Waterways project, Urban Adventure Squad worked with elementary school students in four different partner schools. Students learned how stormwater runoff contributes to pollution in the Anacostia River and about the steps D.C. is taking to reduce the negative effects of stormwater runoff. Then, students share this information with the public using the game of geocaching! What is Geocaching? Geocaching is an international outdoor scavenger hunt, where participants use GPS technology to find small, hidden containers. All Urban Adventure Squad geocaches can be found using the free version of the Geocaching app. When someone finds the container, they add their name to a tiny logbook inside and leave it for the next person to find. There are hundreds of geocaches in D.C. and searching for them is a great way to learn about a neighborhood, whether it’s the neighborhood you live in or one that you’ve never visited before. Some geocaches highlight neighborhood history, mural art, or architecture, but the geocaches for this project are created by students who are sharing their knowledge about stormwater runoff and environmental science. Go find our Geocaching DC's Waterways series! You can practice what you're learning and find out more by going to find one of five geocaches in our series around DC. Resources: Use the following maps from DDOT civil engineer Julie Pike: Facilities throughout the city owned by DDOT (shows Flexi-Pave permeable pavement sites and locations where there are bioretention gardens and bumpouts): https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=c45d2d9388554570b58f33f8f8410ac6 Facilities located throughout the city on private or public properties: https://dcgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=cc7f1d49c5074427a28f76154543fa98 |
Storm Drain Marking
Do you know where the closest storm drain, or sewer, closest to your home is. Do you know what body of water that storm drain leads to? One great way to learn more about your block, your neighborhood, and your city it to learn where rainwater--and the pollutants, like leaking oil from cars, pesticides from lawns, and litter that are carried by the water--travels, and which local waterways are affected by that runoff Storm drain marking involves identifying storm drains and placing informative stickers on them. These stickers remind community members that storm drains can carry pollution further down our waterways, and gives people a number to call if they notice a high level of pollution going into the drain. This website from the DC Department of Energy and the Environment provides a detailed explanation of this activity, including an interactive map showing which drains in DC have already been marked. You can order a FREE marking kit through the website, and get out in your neighborhood to share in this important work! Permeable Surfaces
When rain falls on a grass field, where does the rainwater go? What about when rain falls onto a paved street? A permeable surface is a surface that allows for the passage of water. Permeable materials permit water to enter the ground by virtue of their porous nature. For example: gardens, forested areas, and loosely packed gravel or soil. Water that soaks into the ground is called groundwater, and this groundwater can eventually end up in streams and rivers. An impermeable or impervious surface is a surface that does not allow surface water to soak into or pass through it. Examples of impervious surfaces are concrete, asphalt, packed soil, packed gravel, and roofs. When rainwater or any other kind of precipitation hits an impervious surface, it will not soak in. The water that does not soak in and washes over land after a rain or snowstorm is called stormwater runoff. In developed watersheds, it flows off roofs and pavement into storm drains that may feed directly into a stream. Stormwater runoff can pick up soil and pollutants from the land and carry them to a body of water such as a stream, lake, or ocean. Supplies* *This is a simulation activity for inside the classroom. But you can do this outside! Now that you know your definitions, can you bring water outside with you and test some different kinds of surfaces? pitcher or bottle of water cup produce container or planter with holes large roasting pan to catch the overflow of water a transfer pipette 8 oz. measuring cup aluminum foil gravel or gravel alternative: marbles, packing peanuts, or caps from apple sauce pouches Dirt Tupperware container for wet dirt when experiment is done A towel for the mess Fold and press your aluminum foil into the bottom of the produce container. This is your “roof.” One student holds the container over the roasting pan while another slowly pours one 8 oz. cup of water in the center of the foil. Observe where the water goes. Use your pipette to transfer the water back into the 8 oz. cup. Did all 8 oz. run off the roof? Record your results: ______ Remove the foil. Put a couple handfuls of the gravel or gravel alternative into your container. One student holds the container over the roasting pan while another slowly pours one 8 oz. cup of water in the center of the container, over top of the gravel or gravel alternative. Observe where the water goes. Use your pipette to transfer the water back into the 8 oz. cup. Did all 8 oz. end up in the pan? Record your results: _____ Remove the gravel. Put a couple handfuls of dirt into your container. One student holds the container over the roasting pan while another slowly pours one 8 oz. cup of water in the center of the container, over top of the dirt. Observe where the water goes. Use your pipette to transfer the water back into the 8 oz. cup. Did all 8 oz. end up in the pan? Record your results: _____ Clean up: Return all materials to where they belong and wipe down containers and surfaces with paper towels so everything is clean and dry. Conclusion: Let’s list the materials from most permeable to least permeable. Think about the surfaces around your school. Which ones are permeable and impermeable? Definitions from http://glaquarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/A-Very-Impervious-Situation-Lesson-Plan.pdf) |